Bad News/lift for XJ

[JeepTJ38]

Get this ! After putting this engine into my TJ and making it a totally bad ass machine my parents (who still have the title, oops) Decided that I needed to grow up and get a new car. So there selling it ! it totally kick ass if youve ever wanted a 5.3 Vortec in your TJ this is it. Im not sure what there trying to get out of it. So i had to go by a new car and because money was tight ended up with a 2000 XJ. Not my favorite but what the hell. So shoot, I need a lift I would like to clear 35's (i'll settle with 33's) and you you have any other random info on my next project go for it.

 

[Brett]

are you kidding????

 

[James K]

thats a b!tch

 

[Economos]

Well man, that sucks to hear they're selling your rig - but XJs aren't as bad as everybody makes them out to be. Yeah, its unibody, but all you need is a stiff 8 pt. cage to help it live a little longer.

These model XJs ('97 and newer) have the non-disco HP30 front housings with 297/760 joints and shafts. The rear 8.25 is 29 spline and should stand up to locked 33s, 35s if you're a little easier on the gas. To clear those 35s, it really comes down to how much of the body you're willing to cut. There's plenty there to get rid of, believe me. At 4.5" and some cutting, you'll clear 33s with the right backspaced wheels. For 35s, you'll want around 5.5". I'd go with RE components because they simply work.

 

[NoTrax]

Most cost effective would be


4.5" - 5" ZJ RE coils in the front,
RE spring packs in the rear, With drop shackles.

Make sure to get long enough shocks... rip out that sway bar.

Youll have to trim if you want it to not rub too much, but if you use the Procomp Xterrians like my brother, they are a small 33"

Get good control arms all the way around and some nice backspacing youll be able to stuff em in there.

with 97 and newer Xj you wont have alot of room in the fron tfender so im not surehow that will affect you. I think youll have to do some trimming up there.


-------------

I know this because my brother has bascially this setup. Its what id like to go to

 

[Hickey]

why didn't you just buy the TJ from your parents?

 

[JeepTJ38]

its a very odd deal. I owed my dad like 4,000.00 at the end of this swap and he wouldn' let me pay him. he said that the jeep was a bad investment and i should grow up. I told him I was just going to buy another one. So 11,000.00 for a cherokee makes more sense to him then 4,000. 00 for me old jeep. Maybe I'll buy it form whoever buys it from him.

Anyway I was reading some old post and I think I will go with the new 5.5 RE LA kit, some 35's and trim the hell out of the fenders and slap on some bushwakers to make it look good. I dont mind cutting it. That rear axle seems strange I thought it was a D35. What ratio can you get ? I would like 4.56 I think with 35's or 4.88's

PS its a 4.0L automatic

 

[Brett]

Anyway I was reading some old post and I think I will go with the new 5.5 RE LA kit,

Umm.....you're gonna be waiting a while......RE can't even guess when they are gonna have that setup available yet....that's what they keep telling me when I call on it for customers

 

[NoTrax]

RE LA kit, thats not a bad way to go except what brett said, skip the LA On the Cherokee.

You probably have a 8.25 Rear end 29 spline, good axle not really worth puttin g a 44 in unles you break it.

Just throw in a 5.5" RE and call it good, will take some MAJOR MAJOR trimming up front for 35" tho


-------------

EDIT


With 35" you will FOR SURE want 4.88 if not lower...

 

[JeepTJ38]

Well im moving to NC and apparently there is no lift lax and the only whelling is mud and a few boulders. I havn't thrown out the skyjacker 6 or 8 (that would be cool) and 35's. That puts your center of gravity way up there. But im use to a TJ's wheelbase so I probably wont push it. Actually I dont think I've seen a XJ with a 8 inch lift so I really dont know how tall that really is.

 

[NoTrax]

Thats a TON of lift for a XJ, they dont have a low frame point. My brother runs the 5.5" RE and 33" and he has alot of clearance.

 

[jamesgeologist]

On my XJ, I run about 6" of lift and 33's. I think that's a good starting point for an experienced wheeler trying to bypass the smaller stages of lift on a Chero. See how it performs and then step up to 35's and fender trimming. Just my $0.02.

James

 

[Fuller]

on my xj i am running 8 inches of lift. i am about 6' and the top of my head is about even with the roof line, its tall but i find it to be perfect for me, when i was in moab i ran the golden spike trail and didnt hit my undercarage once, my freind who had a 6 inch lift had to repair his gas tank.

 

[mbryson]

I'd stick with the bolt on stuff for a bolt on type of rig. Get the RE 5.5 extreme duty and run some 33". Probably little 'clearance' trimming, but nothing serious. That'll be a great trail rig that is capable of Pritchett Canyon, and will still drive around decently on the street.

The 8.25 was usually in a rig without ABS (I've never seen ABS on an 8.25, but it could happen, I guess), D35 with ABS. The late model 8.25 (29 spline) is a decent little diff {good match for the D30} and will serve you well up to 35" tires if you account for the stock axles in the D30 while driving--drive somewhat light.....Lockers, my personal opinion is an ARB in the front and a Detroit or ARB in the rear. I'd stick with 4.56 or 4.11 gears for a driver with the 33" tires (my choice would be 4.11) to keep the mileage and driveability in line. If you have the D35, I'd leave the Tracklock and stick to 32" tires and a 4.5" lift and CARRY spare shafts. You will use them and most people will appreciate it if you know how to change them out (there's always the 8.8 swap, though).

Buy a decent tie rod (use '92 Dodge 1/2 ton ends) and get a piece of tube threaded at a local shop (Rocklogic will know exactly what you need). Buy a spare set of front shafts from someone upgrading their TJ or XJ with 297 joints (replace with some 760's) and carry a spare draglink and wheel the sh!t out of it.

You'll be surprised how capable a decently setup XJ is. The RE kit is a good start.

 

[Economos]

I'd forget the SkyJacker kit unless you want to replace heims every 3 months.

Nobody really cares about lift laws around these parts, nor do they care how far your tires hang out, nor do they care if you've got mudflaps or not. There is plenty of rocks if you know where to look, but it aint nothing like Utah and where there's rocks, there's mud.

Welcome to NC TJ38, let's wheel.

 

[Vonski]

This makes no sense to me. If you've pissed your Dad off and he's proving some kind of point, then OK. However, this does not make sense financially at all. Also, if he thinks you'll radically change or "grow up" if you were to drive a different rig, thats just dumb. What now, build an XJ to replace the TJ? Does your Dad have a history of drug abuse? Seriously...

 

[JeepTJ38]

OK I'll probably wait untill the RE LA kit comes out (Ive still got a little while to get settled) run 33's till I get used to wheeling a bigger rig, use 4.11's or whatever is close. Then if they are too small I'll cut out the fenders and run 35's. Get ARB's F&R and maybe swap in a 8.8 later down the line. But in the end it will be fun to see how this project works out.

Economous I hope I'll have some decent mud tires by the time that trip happens. It will be totally odd to go from a point and shoot machine to something I have to nurse around again.

 

[JeepTJ38]

ya Vonski my dad is kinda whacked. Im hoping he'll get over it and give me my TJ back and I'll sell the XJ. But he expected me to go buy a Car car not another Jeep. So whatever, I have to head to NC tomorrow so I didn't have a lot of time to argue with him about it.

 

[03hummer]

Man it sounds like your dad has some issues. Whats the big deal about the TJ? How much could you buy it back for. So are you driving the XJ or towing.

 

[utahxj]

8" kit

I'm running an 8" kit and love it. My 35's fit nicely. It is true that the center of gravity was changed a bit, but I've only noticed a difference once when I lifted a tire on a ledge that I had to traverse a little sideways. I've got a few pics of my XJ with the 8" kit and 35's up on the rockcrawling trips forumn under Moab pics from this weekend.