Sitting a long time. Maintenance/Upgrades?

I'm not sure if this belongs in OEM or modified, but I figure it's more appopriate here.

My 91 XJ was my daily for quite a while until I bought my truck, and now the XJ has been sitting in my driveway for probably about a year. Tried to start it, my NeverStart was dead. Went big and replaced with an Optima and now she fires up like a champ. Now that it's not my primary vehicle anymore though, I can take my time replacing things that need attention, and upgrading things along the way. I was hoping for some opinions on what I should be replacing/upgrading while I have the time. My ultimate goal is to have it be as reliable as possible given her age, driving to offroad parks and surf fishing. Any offroading done far away I would trailer it just in case I break something.

Just as a starting point, it's a 1991 with 175k, auto, NP242, D35, 4.5 Zone AAL, 32x10.50x15 Super Swamper TSL radials on stock rims. I've got a decent hole in the driver floor pan I'm in the middle of cutting out and patching, and planned to do a cut-and-fold of the rear quarters since my passenger side is half rotted out.

I'm going to try to organize my questions as best as possible.

- My leaf packs are definitely flat, with the extra leaf keeping them from being horizontal. Of course I regret not doing full packs at the start, but money was tight and I was impatient. They're separating ever so slightly as a result. Would it be better to buy new, full, lifted leaf packs for my lift height? Or can I buy OEM replacements and stick my AAL in the new pack? I've probably only put 10-15k on them over the course of 5 years or so. Also should I be looking to invest in an 8.25 axle before messing with the leaf packs since I'll need new u-bolts at the same time? What is a reasonable price for a decent shape 8.25?

- My cooling system has been a gremlin like a lot of XJs, with increasing temps at idle in summer traffic, or low speed driving on the beach in 4HI. I've already replaced my fan clutch with an OEM unit which helped a bit, but I was going to just tear out the radiator, water pump, and thermostat and replace just to be safe at my mileage. Depending on how crazy I feel I might do the heater core as well since I can faintly smell coolant when my thermostat opens up. I've read that this might be from the weep hole in the water pump, so I'd rather do the "easy" stuff first before I go doing the heater core for shits and giggles. Is there anything else that should be replaced as a preventative measure at this point?

- I was going to do a proper tune up also, but was going to include a 4-hole injector swap while I was in there. Can I just go with the 5.0 Mustang OEMs, or is it worth springing for the K Suspension 4 or 12 hole set? Is there any particular brand/upgrade I can do to my ignition system while I've got it apart?

- My steering components look like hell, so I was considering just going with a new setup, specifically the IRO or CavFab setup and an upgraded track bar. Do these improve steering feel or are they just better at taking abuse?

Is there anything I'm not thinking of that I really SHOULD do since it's been sitting and is at 175k?

If you've gotten this far, thanks. I've meant to get to these things, just never wanted to rush through them since it was my daily. I've got a lot of ideas, just need a starting point!


TL;DR: XJ's been sitting a long time. What do I replace/upgrade?

Needs 8.25, about $150 more or less. Add-a-leaf or bastard pack can be functional and durable. Stock steering, ignition, and stock injectors are just fine. Cat back exhaust is better than "upgraded" injectors. If you still have the closed cooling system upgrade to the later open system with radiator cap on radiator.

Tim_MN said:

Needs 8.25, about $150 more or less. Add-a-leaf or bastard pack can be functional and durable. Stock steering, ignition, and stock injectors are just fine. Cat back exhaust is better than "upgraded" injectors. If you still have the closed cooling system upgrade to the later open system with radiator cap on radiator.

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Alright I’ll continue looking for an 8.25 in that price range. Glad I know what is reasonable to pay. What’s your opinion of buying new OEM leaf packs and sticking my existing lift leaf in? It seems cost effective and saves me the leg work of having to track down a compatible leaf pack to make a bastard pack out of.

Is there a cat back you would recommend? I’ve got just a Walker OEM replacement and a cheap tail pipe on there now. Is there a real benefit to something like the performance-curve flow master setup?

I’m already running an open system, so no worries there.

Thanks

For your exhaust I would look for stainless components.

One thing you haven't mentioned the condition of is motor mounts (and trans mount). If those haven't been done in a long time (especially if they are still original) you should take care of those before you replace the radiator. Worn motor mounts can cost you your new radiator. DAMHIKT.

Another often ignored item is your brake fluid. After sitting for a long time it has probably collected moisture. That doesn't do anything any good. It would be a good idea to suction out everything you can at the master cylinder, fill with fresh, and then bleed the system out (refilling as needed) until the fluid flows clear at all 4 wheels. If you are replacing the rear axle you will be bleeding brakes already. The only extra work involved here would be the suctioning out of the MC and the bleeding of the fronts.

Anak said:

For your exhaust I would look for stainless components.

One thing you haven't mentioned the condition of is motor mounts (and trans mount). If those haven't been done in a long time (especially if they are still original) you should take care of those before you replace the radiator. Worn motor mounts can cost you your new radiator. DAMHIKT.

Another often ignored item is your brake fluid. After sitting for a long time it has probably collected moisture. That doesn't do anything any good. It would be a good idea to suction out everything you can at the master cylinder, fill with fresh, and then bleed the system out (refilling as needed) until the fluid flows clear at all 4 wheels. If you are replacing the rear axle you will be bleeding brakes already. The only extra work involved here would be the suctioning out of the MC and the bleeding of the fronts.

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All good advice, thank you.

I haven’t inspected my motor or trans mounts recently, but I do remember having the trans mount on my list a while ago. If I were to go and replace them, are OEM grade fine? Or should I be springing for brown dog or something upgraded while I’m in there? I’m not sure what’s worth the added cost. I have no reason to believe they’ve ever been changed, and I’ve owned it for close to 9 years.

As far as brakes, right before I parked it I blew a hard line and a wheel cylinder pretty close to each other time-wise, and ended up flushing the system. I’ll still check, but I think the brakes may be ok.

I have over 100,000 miles on my 3.25" lift leaf spring built from a stock leaf pack with Rubicon Express 2.5" full length add-a-leaf plus an extra stock leaf. Lift kit leaf springs are not that much more than stock leaf springs. I have used Rusty's and Iron Rock Off Road cat back kits and both fit well and have quality parts.

Volatile said:

All good advice, thank you.

I haven’t inspected my motor or trans mounts recently, but I do remember having the trans mount on my list a while ago. If I were to go and replace them, are OEM grade fine? Or should I be springing for brown dog or something upgraded while I’m in there? I’m not sure what’s worth the added cost. I have no reason to believe they’ve ever been changed, and I’ve owned it for close to 9 years.

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Which mounts to use is a tough call, and largely comes down to personal preferences and available funds. The aftermarket units are much stronger than factory, especially if paired with block plates. But the aftermarket mounts also tend to create more vibration. And they are more expensive. And it sounds like the OEM units have been serving you just fine.

I am running Brown Dogs with block plates. I learned the hard way regarding the radiator. And my XJ is both daily driver and remote camping rig. I have done trips where I drive on the freeway for a few hundred miles, go off-roading for several days, then drive on the freeway for 1,500 miles. I need reliability both on road and off, and for me the price for the mounts looks justified. For someone else, that degree of insurance may not be worthwhile.

I run stock-like mounts. Current set has maybe 50k miles on them and are holding up well so far. I went with the stock variety as they have a significant amount of rubber vs the small cross-section of the aftermarkets and esp the poly ones. Prefer less noise/vibration. I understand that if strength is the issue the aftermarkets like Brown Dog are probably better.