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$1000.00 to spend...need advice....

C

corywmower

NAXJA Forum User
Location
NY
Due to an unscheduled $3000.00 bumper bender and a DIY repair, I have about $1000.00 to spend on my XJ...wife gets the rest...

Currently: My XJ is a 2000 with a 8.25 rear, RE 2" BB and 31x10.50's...I don't get off road much, it's my wife's DD for now, but eventually it will be my Rubicon substitute. I want it to be able to go where I want when I want...I have to plans for improvements...I'd like any suggestions on which way to go...

A: RE 3.5 super ride, transfer case drop (can't afford SYE) and Detuors Frame/rails...or

B: Winch bumper and a 8000lb Mile Marker winch and what ever else I can swing
with the money....

My concerns are mostly what will happen with the 3.5 lift....everything is new in the front because of a case of death wobble...but will I be making more problems with the lift? Will I need more parts to make it work?
 
You might have problems with the LP axle in the front. I'm not quite sure. The vibes also might take into play even with TC drop.

LOCK IT! lol
 
corywmower said:
Due to an unscheduled $3000.00 bumper bender and a DIY repair, I have about $1000.00 to spend on my XJ...wife gets the rest...

Currently: My XJ is a 2000 with a 8.25 rear, RE 2" BB and 31x10.50's...I don't get off road much, it's my wife's DD for now, but eventually it will be my Rubicon substitute. I want it to be able to go where I want when I want...I have to plans for improvements...I'd like any suggestions on which way to go...

A: RE 3.5 super ride, transfer case drop (can't afford SYE) and Detuors Frame/rails...or

B: Winch bumper and a 8000lb Mile Marker winch and what ever else I can swing
with the money....

My concerns are mostly what will happen with the 3.5 lift....everything is new in the front because of a case of death wobble...but will I be making more problems with the lift? Will I need more parts to make it work?
Click to expand...

Save it for gas. :p

My 1998 4.5" since 10/07 32s no death wobble. How are you set for lockers? I'm planing on putting in the powertrax in my 8.25 eventually.
 
I'm not sure if I would go with anything less than a 9000lb winch. I have the Mile Marker E9000 and I have gotten myself stuck in some holes that kicked my winche's @$$. It did the trick, but it really hated me when it was all said and done.
Someone will chime in saying that Warn winches are the only way to go. I fully believe in "you get what you pay for" but my XJ came with the Mile Marker and it serves its purpose so I am happy with it. The Mile Marker is slower than most but it has never failed me.
 
As far as lockers go and living in WNY where it sometimes snows a bit, I thought
I'd leave the diff's open..
 
SwampDonkeyXJ said:
I'm not sure if I would go with anything less than a 9000lb winch. I have the Mile Marker E9000 and I have gotten myself stuck in some holes that kicked my winche's @$$. It did the trick, but it really hated me when it was all said and done.
Someone will chime in saying that Warn winches are the only way to go. I fully believe in "you get what you pay for" but my XJ came with the Mile Marker and it serves its purpose so I am happy with it. The Mile Marker is slower than most but it has never failed me.
Click to expand...
Sounds like its almost failed you a couple times though....





Get some rock rails/ armor, a set of tow points, and invest the rest in your retirement fund. You dont need much to have a good time offroad, and it sounds like you arnt doing much extreme stuff.
Lockers, shafts, etc would probably be a waste for you at the moment.
 
Do the SYE first...you can swap in a front shaft from an 89-01 XJ w/ AW4 for your rear driveshaft.

As Starboard M said - armor up. Save for a good lift AND the ability to regear. I did it slightly backwards - SYE - Lift - Armor and now I'm trying to play catch up to get where I should be.

Take it from someone with the same year/tranny/axle setup as you...TC drops are a bandaid, but its best to do it right and have a SYE - your motor mounts will thank you, as will the rest of your drivetrain. The combo of your particular style of TC + the longer (and lower) pinion of the 8.25 makes the rear driveline angle more severe at lower lift heights.
 
corywmower said:
As far as lockers go and living in WNY where it sometimes snows a bit, I thought
I'd leave the diff's open..
Click to expand...


Aj front bumper and summit 9000lb winch which is just a relabeled T-Max. About $1000. Toss a lock right locker in the front, drives normally in 2wd, will keep you from going sideways in the snow, but if you need it, pull the lever and easily climb stuff other guys struggle with.
 
With 1000 bucks, make sure your
A. Gas Tank
B. Transfer Case
C. Rockers
are all armored.
After that is done, make sure you have strong front and rear recovery points. A solid trailer hitch setup and factory front tow hooks will suffice for most recovery, AJ's Offroad Bumpers / JCR / Rigidco aftermarket bumpers will look sexy hold up to abuse and recovery situations.
Don't add more lift without a SYE. Transfer case drops suck - I know because I have one, and I know when I hit 32 miles per hour because the vibes start (better than without the drop, but damn...)
 
yossarian19 said:
With 1000 bucks, make sure your
A. Gas Tank
B. Transfer Case
C. Rockers
are all armored.
After that is done, make sure you have strong front and rear recovery points. A solid trailer hitch setup and factory front tow hooks will suffice for most recovery, AJ's Offroad Bumpers / JCR / Rigidco aftermarket bumpers will look sexy hold up to abuse and recovery situations.
Don't add more lift without a SYE. Transfer case drops suck - I know because I have one, and I know when I hit 32 miles per hour because the vibes start (better than without the drop, but damn...)
Click to expand...

Good advice. Start with armor, doesn't do you a lick of good to get further up the trail if you'll be destroying your rockers, t-case and gas tank. Especially at lower lift elevations, stuff jumps up on the trail to bump you surprisingly easily. Bumpers with recovery points are a great investment as well, protect that front clip/rear corners and liftgate so the Jeep stays relatively straight.


That's the advice I followed, protect it first, lift and lock it later. Served me well, the XJ is still straight and not hammered, and the vitals are armored.
 
Armor is good. Have you thought about spares - axle shafts, U-joints, serp.belt, TPS, etc.? If I had cash laying around, I'd stock up.
 
Budget Boost and some 31s and a locker.
 
Buy a thousand dollars worth of gas, from a bunch of different stations, ration it, and save/spend the money you don't put into gas on other stuff (I BET you will get a positive gain from it).

yep, I'm a genious! :woohoo::anon:
 
Don't add more lift without a SYE. Transfer case drops suck - I know because I have one, and I know when I hit 32 miles per hour because the vibes start (better than without the drop, but damn...)
Click to expand...

Do the SYE first...
Click to expand...
SYE's are AWESOME if you have the extra $400-500 laying around.

I just got done installing a 3.5" RE Super ride w/TC drop on my 8.25 equipped 97XJ and have zero, zilch, notda vibes up and over 80mph including steep grades both up or down. Besides, that's what U-joints are for, to take the wear. If you don't have vibes and everything is smooth, there is no excessive wear on the drivetrain.
 
Mr_Random said:
Buy a thousand dollars worth of gas, from a bunch of different stations, ration it, and save/spend the money you don't put into gas on other stuff (I BET you will get a positive gain from it).

yep, I'm a genious! :woohoo::anon:
Click to expand...

A twist...

Buy a thousand dollars worth of gas, wait a week for the price to double, sell it and you'll have $2000.
 
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