finnally time to do some upgrades

[dash]

I have been waiting for some time to do some upgrades to my xj. The long term goal is to be locked and on 33s but while I am slowly getting there this is the current state

2000 Jeep Cherokee sport
open diffs 3.55 gearing
I cut and folded wheel wells.
32x11.50 bfg km2s
custom front bumper and stock rear
CB radio of course
Rock rails
custom pin striping( darn trees)


I am looking to do an arb in the rear and re gear it for now..... Dempsey and I have talked about this a lot. The goal is to have a reliable trusty rig for ejs next year. I felt that wheeling open and cheap was the way to go to hone the skills . I am curious to know If you were me and you had an xj or have had an xj what would be your upgrades. I am not looking to sell and buy a Toyota. Not yet.

Oh an are there any rme stickers out there somewhere?

 

[dash]

forgot to mention 3.5 in lift with the stupid blocks in the rear. Came that way. It is on the list to change those out as well.

 

[rustyjeep21]

I prefer long arms on the front. I'm also super happy with the shackle relocators I just did on the rear. With those you could ditch the blocks in the rear, run a 2 inch lift shackle and the relocators and be at the same height. Frame stiffness and heavy duty crossmember would also be on the short list.

 

[N-Smooth]

Personally I wouldn't jump to the re-gear and ARB. Mine still has the stock 3.55's and 33's. I daily drove it like that for a few years too. As far as the ARB goes, you could put in Aussie lockers front/rear and almost pay for the re-gear for the cost of the ARB and compressor. Aussie lockers are AWESOME and XJ's act very predictably and have good road manners with them. Just my two cents on those matters. I'll gladly offer my opinion on anything else you have questions about.

 

[dash]

From what I have researched the Aussie and lock right locker appear to make a fair amount of noise on the road. Is it noticeable.
Also the Rick rails I put on have done a great job stiffening the "frame". Xj_nate- what is your lift?

 

[N-Smooth]

The ratcheting of the locker was never noticeable to me unless I turned the radio off, rolled down the window and coasted through a turn with an ear out the window. Even then I would never be bothered by something like that so I might not be the best person to get an opinion from.

If you're going to wheel it hard you need some real unibody reinforcement.

My lift is some random 3" springs a buddy had and my midarm 3 link I built. I added 3 stock leafs to the pack along with a lift shackle. Cheap was the name of the game. I did however install a 3.5" Rough Country lift w/LCA's and shocks on my bro-in-law's XJ a few years back and it's performed great.

From what I have researched the Aussie and lock right locker appear to make a fair amount of noise on the road. Is it noticeable.
Also the Rick rails I put on have done a great job stiffening the "frame". Xj_nate- what is your lift?

 

[dash]

Does anybody have an e locker? Are they good for the front?

 

[DaveB]

Does anybody have an e locker? Are they good for the front?

My son's MJ, and both of my Jeeps (CJ8 and Commando) have e lockers up front and back. We really like them and have had no problems with them.

 

[Bart]

Personally I like the plan you have and would stick with it. Yes, you can daily drive with 3.55s but a gear change will yield better performance and mpg. I like the selectable in the rear and love ARBs. I think I'm in the minority here. I like a long arm in the front but it can wait until you go over 3.5" of lift.

 

[Alcancia]

What rear axle do you have? If it's the D35, I wouldn't sink any money in it at all.

Depending on how extreme you want to go, I'm more than happy with my limited slip rear and ARB front. IMO, the front needs a selectable locker since the D30 in the XJ doesn't have selectable hubs. The rear though, you could get away with anything; including lunch box, spools, LSD, or a selectable if you really want. Although there are debates all over the forums about which locker gets you more bang for the buck, front vs rear, if it were my money, I'd put the selectable in the front and then run an open rear until I could find a deal on something. Although I love my ARB, I would probably go electric locker unless it's an all out trail rig. Dealing with a compressor and tank and fitting them on a DD is a bit of a pain. I had to remove my windshield washer reservoir to mount the compressor there.

Also, I'm on 33s with the AW4 trans and 231 transfer case with stock 2.73:1 low; but I'm on 4.10 axles. I keep wishing I had lower gears. 4.10s are barely enough to let the overdrive kick in on the freeway. 4.10s are also a little high for the trail as well. I find that I have to ride the brakes a lot more than the other guys on downhill sections. 4.56s or even 4.88s would probably be ideal.

 

[Alcancia]

Bracing the steering box is a MUST! Also, look into doing a WJ knuckle swap for a cheap(er) way to get better steering and brakes.

 

[mesha]

If your rear axle is a dana 35 I would look into better shafts while you are upgrading stuff. That is just me. I have broken my dana 35 out on the trail and it was a pain. Many people get many years without braking one so you might be the same. I have never been sad I put in an ARB. I like them and the way they work. Another option is a Yukon Zip locker. It is a copy of the ARB. I have been wheeling mine hard for a couple years now and have no regrets. You can get a ZIP locker and air compressor for about the same price as an ARB. I think you would like either. I always always drop the gears in any off road rig I get. It is one of my favorite mods. If on a budget then Nate makes a good suggestion of doing some spartan/aussie lockers. They are cheap and work well.

 

[Kevin B.]

From what I have researched the Aussie and lock right locker appear to make a fair amount of noise on the road. Is it noticeable.
Also the Rick rails I put on have done a great job stiffening the "frame". Xj_nate- what is your lift?

Do they make a Spartan for your axle? My Spartan is pretty quiet, you'll hear it if you're listening for it. it doesn't make noise at all unless I'm turning sharp though.

 

[mbryson]

Bracing the steering box is a MUST! Also, look into doing a WJ knuckle swap for a cheap(er) way to get better steering and brakes.

PLEASE do this!!!!

This type of trail fix sucks for anyone on the trail with you.


For my $, I'd not put a $ in a D35. I'm not even sure I'd put fresh diff oil in it. The 8.25 rear is decent and a non-disco D30 is decent with up to 33" tires. 35" tires will push both of those but can survive based on driving style. I totally understand the selectable rear/auto front argument.

 

[dash]

update: i did end up buying 4.10s for it. I also bought a Lokka locker for the 8.25 to go in the rear. A guy at work told me about them. For the price it was hard not to get (brand new $249) I am think that in time the selectable will go in the front. My question now is about teraflex leafs for the rear. Found some on amazon but the reviews say that they run high. Anybody know?

 

[dash]

Bracing the steering box is a MUST! Also, look into doing a WJ knuckle swap for a cheap(er) way to get better steering and brakes.

is there a build thread for someone who has done this?

 

[mbryson]

I will have some lightly used OME 3" lift springs for sale fairly soon. I've been very happy with those on my "Jeep".


As far as the steering box bracing, there are LOTS of builds that do this a few different ways. Google is your friend there. Keep looking at people's ideas and do what makes sense to you after checking out 8-10 builds

 

[rustyjeep21]

My teraflex leafs run a negative arch. I forgot the steering brace like others have mentioned, that's one of the first things I did.