Your Ideal XJ

I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts on what their ideal XJ or MJ would be.

We have members who have built their XJ's from the ground up and moved on, and we have members just getting into wheeling and building their XJ's. I think this could be a great thread to learn from. What do you wish you had done that you didn't do? What do you regret doing? What do you wish you had?

So if you had to start over, what would your ideal XJ build consist of and why?

If I could go back and do it again I would build a late model 4 dr 5 speed 242. Low COG and lots of armor. Only run 33's and build bulletproof stock axles. I think the problem with my rig is I decided to overbuild to quick and never got to appreciate the trail as much as I should. Im still constantly working out issues and weak links and it feels like its never going to end. Plus I really enjoy driving my jeep during the day where now its more of a garage ornament since I would rather drive a more easy going rig. After seeing bronze's literally perfect and comfortable rig ride and perform on the trail real well I kinda wish that was the route I had gone.

2dr. 6.5in lift, D44 front and D60 rear cable lockers, 4.6 stroker, klune-V underdrive case, 4.88 gears 35in. MTR Kevlars, sliders, diff/pinion guards, exo-cage, front and rear coil spring 3link. offroad bumpers front and rear, 1ok lb. winch, That would be my ideal rig.



Oh wait.......... i'm almost half way there.

4.7 liter, AtlasII 4 speed and 1 ton portal axles. I learned from some old timers that I should not waist my time and $ building 2 or 3 times, just go all out and do it once.
Dammit why am I working on 1/2 axles. I guess I can change my 44 into a Dana 50 with some machine work later. I also would install a cage

Wished I had bought a 2 door with a 5 speed, althoug I guess I can change over to a 5 speed; the doors are going to be a problem. Maybe I can weld the back doors shut does that count.

dellstopjeep said:

If I could go back and do it again I would build a late model 4 dr 5 speed 242. Low COG and lots of armor. Only run 33's and build bulletproof stock axles.

After seeing bronze's literally perfect and comfortable rig ride and perform on the trail real well I kinda wish that was the route I had gone.

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You had me until the 242... :doh:

However, I agree. You get to a point where you start to lose what makes the Cherokee so ideal, the comfort. I love how my Jeep wheels and can honestly say I wouldn't change a thing. However, after the Firedrill run I wish I had a nice stereo, carpet, and the ability to do 70mph without the fear of shrapnel coming through the floor board (< I probably should look at into that).

Short bed MJ with late model interior, Jeep 2500 front end. Dana 60's front and rear.

Oops, XJ, uhh... I wish I had saved some money and done what I've done to my Jeep about 4 years and 10 dents ago. Seriously, 3.5" lift, 31" A/T's 4.10 gearing wtih ARBs in both axles (dana 30 front, c8.25 rear) Remove rear seat build storage/sleeping platform in back and, most importantly, quit my effing job and leave. Most important part about it is using it. I guess I'm happy I've been using my money to travel all this time instead of working on it. A few break-downs here are there are worth some amazing adventures...

I would like dana 44's front/rear from a fullsize wagoneer 4.10 gears front/rear lockers rock sliders aftermarket rear bumper tire/jerry can mount front winch bumper with a rough country 9500lb winch exo skeliton safari rack. 6.5 inch lift 33inch goodyear mtr's abillity to go doorless chop top like what 98cherokeesport did and some body armor

97+ XJ 4door.. 4bt Cummins, atlas, Rockjock 60s, ARB's, 5.38s, 4 link front and rear, Coilovers, 37-39.5" Maxxis Creepy crawlers, Dual Warn 9.0RCs (front and rear) Hybrid cage, Front to back frame stiffeners, pink fuzzy dice on the rear view..

Mine would look alot like this...


except maybe with a D44, selectable locker and some decent stearing up front and a D60 rear.... Oh and maybe some different long arms ?

Ive spent waaaay more money than I'd like to admit and done waaaay to many things over, but thats part of the "jeep thing" process isn't it ? :dunno:

I love my jeep ! Hell, if I did it all right the first time, I wouldn't have an excuse to miss out on wheelin so I could work on it :shhh:

A 4dr jk

bigpimpinben said:

A 4dr jk

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Ya I bet they fit on quad trails better. Lol

I don't know if I have an ideal, but I do have one in mind I'd really like to build.

MJ, shortbox 4x4
V8 Conversion
TTB D50 front end, 9inch rear, pre-runner stance on bulged bedsides and front fenders
Basically a long-travel pre-runner

aaron barnes said:

Ya I bet they fit on quad trails better. Lol

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Thats not nice Aaron, I bet they do fit better though. :doh:

My ideal XJ would be:

Late Model, supercharged 4.0,snow performance water/meth injection, narrowed D44 high pinion with RCV's, super 8.8, 4.5 - 5" lift with 35's and modified inner fenders for clearance, 3-link front with modified footwell for link seperation and a belly up skid-plate, coil overs or ORIs with added or included air/hydro bumps all around, HD springs in the rear (to limit spring-wrap) with good shackle angles (dodge van main-leaf) and teflon liners to improve flex. NWHBC, suspension seats (buckets and a bench), on-board air, strong but light bumpers (prerunner type most likely), full frame plating, weld in rockers with multiple "frame" tie-ins.

Or just build a buggy with 4 seats, windshield, and a heater...

Thanks for the thread I think it is an excellent subject. I kind of agree with Mojojo in that the perfect rig is the one you built.

In my case my 90 came with a 3.5" lift block "lift" in the back and the same in front with stock control arms and a stock track bar. I only later realized how close I had come to getting a Peugeot transmission. If I had known what I was doing I would have picked up a 1998 auto in stock shape.

Years and much money and time later I still have a rig that I can drive to the trail or SAR mission that is pretty capable. Some features: Dana 44 and non vac, d30 out of an 87ish. Ox lockers front and back personally rebuilt AX15 and SYE/2Low TC (231J) I will stick to KM2 33's on Allied beadlocks. because I am sick of replacing ujoints I polished the front turd with RCV's Got a "low" mileage Renix from Avanteone to replace the 300K original. Awesome hybrid halo cage, AC/oba, Rigidco tire carrier, JCR winch bumper, superwinch with synthetic line, lots of HID and LED lights. VHF/CB/and APRS radios. Corbeau driver's seat. 1 ton steering. rock rails, steering box reinforcement, armore galore, thor guards. RE drop brackets blah blah...

Best mods bang for buck:
HD engineering shackle relocate
Halo lot of bucks for that bang
AJ's rock rails.
Thor quarter panels. Ask jonesxj about that one.
Hockey puck front bumpstops

After getting my rig through multiple emission tests up to 300k I will say that I am a fan of RENIX. It has low end torque. It is simple. You can troubleshoot the whole system with a multimeter. It has a certain je nes se quoi It has a knock sensor
.
So I think I have the perfect rig for me. I am confident driving it pretty much anywhere and anywhere I would not drive it I would not drive. It is essentially the expedition vehicle I originally envisioned.

I test drove a 4 door JK on trails like Top of the World in Moab. I loved it. I also love D90's. Just try and find parts for one of them at the pick and pull though Nothing beats the Cheap Cherokee for heated, sustainable, non turnkey offroading.

https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/Photos/Walker/IMAG0054.jpg?w=01fc026a

Nick, that's exactly the type of post I was hoping for in this thread. I wasn't aware of the story on your Jeep, thanks for sharing. You got a great setup.

I guess I should have clarified in the beginning, "realistically, whats your ideal XJ/MJ?"

Having built this:


and this:


2 very capable and very different rigs from the ground up, I've learned quite a bit. I've learned the HO is way better than the renix, anything over 4" of lift is too tall, how important a belly skid is, long-arms are way overrated, fenders aren't just too keep the cops happy, how great is it to have a nice interior, how cool but useless the 242 is, no swaybar is dum-dum move, the pros and cons of the BA-10, AX-15 and the AW-4, and how much better I like the XJ wheelbase vs the MJs wheelbase. (I hope I offended everyone with that sentence.)

"My ideal XJ" build will start this summer with an unmolested late model 4 door. AW4 with a RADesigns Rail shifter (Maybe a rock shifter too), and 231. The main goal for the build will be low COG high clearance, and to do it all myself. I'll keep it as low as possible (less than 3") and 33-35" tires. Frame stiffeners front to back, boatsides, flatbelly and raised fuel tank. Hybrid Cage and tube fenders, with a Detroit or spool in the rear and an electronic selectable in front. I haven't decided on what axles I'll be running, but I figure I'll get all the major fab work out of the way first, then all the smaller stuff is easily swapped/upgraded later.

This is all assuming my next build is a late model, and not an LJ or YJ with CJ sheet metal.

nickguy said:

Best mods bang for buck:
HD engineering shackle relocate
AJ's rock rails.
Hockey puck front bumpstops

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I got those 3 so I'm on the right track. I'd just like a 5 speed and some belly protection to bounce on. Then I'd be happy. Guess I'm almost there to my perfect Jeep.