Junkyard goldmine?

So, I went nosing about the local junkyard the other day and I find this 89' XJ with a man size hole in the windshield. After staring at that for a bit, I realize that the Jeep has: Gas tank skid plate, full skid plate for the engine/tranny/t-case, beefy nerf bars, and to top it all off, what appears to be a 3" Skyjacker lift. Unfortunately, someone beat me to the 31" BFG-AT's. I've bought everything but the lift so far, and I've only spent $125. Everything seems to be less than a year old. Stuff still has UPC Codes on it, little if any rust, etc, etc.
My main question is this: Is it a good, or bad, idea, to get the lift kit? I AM guessing about the brand. (the coils are painted red) I am also guessing about the height. The coils are 3.75" longer than on my 88". However, the junkyard one had the motor removed.
So now, that XJ is sitting on the axles, no motor, or drivetrain. Is there a somewhat easy way to guess the amount of lift? Or do I actually have to pop a coil out and measure it? What about the rear leafs? Also, it has al,ost new braided brake lines, front and rear. are those salvageable? there is only surface rust on the fitttings.
My last question: Aside from popping off the covers, is there a way to tell if there are lockers in the axles?

Seth

BTW, I just painted my XJ. Since it is no longer a woody, should I, could I change my login name?

The front of a stock xj measures about 19" from the center of the wheel to the fender, and the rear is like 17.5, or something like that. That should give you a rough idea of what lift size it is. If I'm wrong, go out and measure someone's jeep, they won't mind. But if you can, take that lift... if you can get it for cheap, then it's more than worth it. Plus if it doesn't give you enough lift, you could sell it for a lot more than you bought it for.

They want $100 for the front and rear springs.
Unfortunately, I think the methid you described only works when the vehicle has an engine in it. Remove the engine, front comes up, instant lift kit!

Count the coils then smarty pants

Wanna sell any skids. Please.

xjj33p3r said:

The front of a stock xj measures about 19" from the center of the wheel to the fender, and the rear is like 17.5, or something like that.

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17.5" front, 17.0" rear

How much should I compensate to allow for the fact that the gas tank is gone, and the engine and tranny are gone?

Can't tell you on that one...too many variables I guess. You said there were still UPC codes on the springs, or are you talking about factory UPC? If they are on the lift compare part numbers but otherwise xjj33p3r has a good idea in buying the lift and recouping costs if that turns out not to be what you wanted.

The UPC codes I mentioned were just tags of paper that had been glued to the rear leafs. They were half legible. I figure that since this is Maine, if there is still a pice of paper on the leafs, albeit faded, it can't be more than a year old.

Any thoughts on my other questions??

I missed those - let's see:
I think we've covered the lift potential...I just don't have a foolproof way to determine that (yet). That applies with front and rears, sorry.
Unless there are tears or obvious leaks from the brake hoses, grab 'em.
If the tires are gone, are the rotors and axles free to rotate, or are they stuck in the dirt? If they can rotate, spin them and see which direction the opposite one spins. Without someone standing on that side though it's going to be hard to see. You can balance a breaker bar or long screwdriver across the lugs and see what that does. What rear is it? It will have a vacuum-disco HP D30 up front and a D35 if it's stock. Popping the covers might just be a good idea anyway to see what the guts look like. If it's got a "man-sized hole" is that from someone being ejected (did it roll or hit something that could bend an axle?) or is the hole from something flying into it?

Considering there's only ten bolts that hold the cover on, and they're captured, so they won't be rusted in, pull the covers. Like opening a christmas present.

If the engine was a 4.0, the suspension will go up quite significantly when the engine is out. I can't remember for sure how much mine went up while swapping engines, but it was obviously much taller. How much it would go up depends on the spring rate. You can't just count coils... some springs are softer and are longer when uncompressed. I would look for other hints to try and determine what type of suspension is on it. If it was a kit, you will likely find add-a-leafs, blocks or new springs packs on the rear.

May be a Rancho lift. Stock or aftermarket control arms?

the control arms kinda look homemade/aftermarket.
The rear springs have an arch in the front, and kinda angle up at the rear. They all look like they belong together. The axles are D30 & D35. NON-disco. (like my XJ) The hole in the window is actually only the size of a persons head....ouch
I will be going back to the yard in a couple of days. I'll just pull out one coil and measure it....


Seth

BTW, there are no blocks or longer shackles. There is also poly bushings at every single point.

Wanna sell any skids??????????????????????????????????????

Ummmmmmmmm...let me think about it....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................still thinking ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
I don't think I want to do that.
My Jeep is almost stock, I need all the help I can get.

The stock spring rate for the front coils is approximately 180 pounds per inch, but since these are aftermarket coils you have no idea what the rate is. Therefore, measuring the free length, counting the coils, none of that is going to tell you how much lift they provide. A couple or three years ago one of the 4x4 magazines ran an article that explained how to calculate the rate, using the free length, diameter, number of coils, and wire diameter. Unfortunately, the computer on which I had entered that as a spreadsheet has been given to a family that couldn't afford a computer and was happy to have my cast-off.

If you're anywhere near Ellsworth, there's a guy there named Brett who runs a 4x4 shop and he might be able to help you figure out who made the lift and how tall it is. For the price, I'd say buy it. If it's not what you want/need, you should be able to sell it for at least half again what it cost you.

Think about it this way most of your lifts that come with coils are 3 inches and up. So
chances are that its at least a 3 inch lift. Try scraping the paint off the coils a lil. If it comes off real easy they could be stock. Most lift brands come with powdrecoated coils, so if its a lil tuffer to scrape off you could have quite a find. Also you mentioned that the rig has Braided steal break lines. Personaly most ppl i know dont instal braided lines untill they are atleast 3 inches or higher. Well thats my rambeling .02

88woody said:

I just painted my XJ. Since it is no longer a woody, should I, could I change my login name?

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you painted over the woody? ah man, i'd kill for a woody paintjob...

I didn't paint over it. I stripped off all the woodgrain. It's a good thing that I did cuz the vinyl was hiding a LOT of rust. So, 2 fenders, 1 door, 1 rocker pane and 1 quarter panel later, I now have a rust free 1988 XJ