what could I buy for...

[Houndoc]

say $3,000? $4,000?

Street legal, trail worthy (I think for what I want to do 33-35s, one locker-2 if front is selectable-) and reliable (a mechanic I am not, I want to get somewhere, and back).

Thinking options...

 

[grandmaster]

A cherokee. Are you looking to build it yourself or buy it already built?

 

[Greg]

A cherokee...

x2! And I hate to say it!

Really a decent-equipped XJ makes for a great trail/expedition rig. Spend your time finding one that has been taken care of & it should be great for you. We had a '98 Cherokee that was quite fun. It was similar to what you want, we sold it for around $4500 with a quality lift, 33" MTR's and some other goodies. The main reason we sold it was because it was problematic & got poor mileage. The problematic issue came from poor maint. and vehicle abuse by the PO, which we were well aware of when we bought it. The mileage could have improved by re-gearing it, but we never got to that point. Cruising with a good heater, cold A/C and power options was very nice. Easy to get used to.

Get one with the 4.0l, Auto trans, Chrysler 8.25 rear axle and you should be golden. We were running 33's on ours & it was quite capable. We did add a TeraFlex long arm upgrade, which helped improve the ride. Ours was never locked up, but with decent wheel travel it went where we needed it to without much trouble.

If I were to build another, I'd think about fiberglass front fenders to get more tire room in the front and TJ flares & trimming sheetmetal in the rear. Ours wasn't lifted a ton, so it was very stable but the 33's liked getting into the sheetmetal.


Here's a trip we took in it-

XJ in the Swell & Moab

 

[Cody]

I would try an XJ, ZJ, or 4 runner...preferably the 4runner with the v6. Not sure what years, but they'd probably be more than 4000 if they came built. Unfortunately, built rigs that are well kept and reliable aren't cheap, and cheap rigs that are built tend to be unkept and therefore unreliable.

here is some banter that may be relative

http://www.rockymountainextreme.com/showthread.php?t=49475

http://www.rockymountainextreme.com/showthread.php?t=48490

http://www.rockymountainextreme.com/showthread.php?t=47714

maybe some mixed in here

http://www.rockymountainextreme.com/showthread.php?t=49074

 

[Tacoma]

yeah, I have to agree with the Cherokee. For the money, they're plenty of fun, reasonable to maintain/modify, and decent on the trail.

You could probably get a killer Blazer for that if you wanted, but they're big, heavy, and have little rear tire clearance.

 

[OREGON85]

Get a straight axel Toyota with EFI. You'll love it, I promise!

 

[Chevycrew]

Get a straight axel Toyota with EFI. You'll love it, I promise!

For stock trucks that is 1985 only. I would try to find a newer toy that has already been sas'd


But for parts availabilty, power, etc...hate to do it.

get an XJ....

 

[Bucking Bronco]

You dont want 4x4 buy this so I can finish my project

 

[leorn]

I hate to be the cherokee hater, but the guy I wheel with is constantly repairing unibody cracks. Every time he fixes one it turns into three more somewhere else. (35" tires) I wouldn't recommend that for somebody who doesn't wrench much...

I like my toy...I vote for a 4cyl efi, not the 3.0 V6 for reliability reasons

A buddy found an 85 4runer on ksl with lockers, 33s hy-steer and the strongest 22re I've ever seen for $3500. It had some worn leafs and a couple of other things to do, but I thought it was a good buy.

 

[RockChucker]

i'm going to vote xj too. they are all over the place. as long as you check the unibody and make sure it is in decent shape, it should be a great wheelin' rig.

 

[rollover]

Before you buy check this out. Than make up your own mind.

http://www.rockymountainextreme.com/showthread.php?t=53559

My choice is Toyota. I drive a 87 4 runner as my daily driver and Moab rig with a low mileage of 246K I would head to New York in it today. I have a jeep now that sits most of the year. Having had Wranglers, CJ's and XJ's none hold up to the Toyota.

just my 2 cents

 

[grandmaster]

If you are really worried about the XJ's unibody, throw on some stiffners ( or have someone else do it) that will cure most of the problem .

 

[Cody]

I haven't had any problems with unibody cracking on any of my 4 ZJ's, and I wasn't exactly tender to my first one.

 

[Bart]

The only XJs I've seen with uni frame cracks were ones that had been used hard and/or abused. I think for the wheeling that t most people do they are a great rig.

 

[Badger]

I hate to be the cherokee hater, but the guy I wheel with is constantly repairing unibody cracks. Every time he fixes one it turns into three more somewhere else. (35" tires) I wouldn't recommend that for somebody who doesn't wrench much...

I like my toy...I vote for a 4cyl efi, not the 3.0 V6 for reliability reasons

A buddy found an 85 4runer on ksl with lockers, 33s hy-steer and the strongest 22re I've ever seen for $3500. It had some worn leafs and a couple of other things to do, but I thought it was a good buy.

Are you talking about Andy's Xj if you are his whole problem was the stock shorts arms he was running .They over stressed them frame.With a proper long arm kit that stress is removed or lessened considerably.

I would also have to vote Cherokee or even a Grand Cherokee.I just picked up a GC for 1500.Its not perfect but for what you want to spend it could be brought up to a nice wheeler.

 

[Houndoc]

From what I have seen, Toyotas are more $$ than what I can spend on just a trail rig (otherwise first choice would be an 80 series Cruiser).

The real issue is gas $ and an 85 mile round trip commute. I need to sperate daily driver from commuter.

Is what I am trying to decied on is do I put some money into the Montero (front ARB, a little bumper and fender work), and more than likely keep it as daily driver at least until it is paid off in November, or trade it in towards a commuter and scrap up some cash for trail rig.

I know how far my money goes is limited by my lack of mechanic skills (but hey, if your dog needs its spleen removed, give me a call) since upgrades need to be hire out.

Thanks for the comments and help...I have seen on KSL a couple of lifted Grand Cherokees for around $4k, but stock axles and open difs.

 

[Houndoc]

Lets add a little to the info here.

What are "minimum upgrades" (axle etc) and lift needs for 33s on:
Cherokee/Grands (I know lift was been talked about before, I am ok there)
Cruisers/4Runner/other 'Yotas
Land Rover (Disco, Range/Classic)

 

[SAMI]

Lets add a little to the info here.

What are "minimum upgrades" (axle etc) and lift needs for 33s on:

Cruisers - FZJ? expect to pay more for this beast. Think of the gas pump as weel.. ouch.. They're awesome, but are they that awesome? Parts i think would be abit more than say parts and accessories for a 4runner

'96 FZJ80

4Runner - i'd find a nice '88 or '89.. for really cheap crank the torsion bars and get an add a leaf in the rear. You will easily clear 33's. $2k-4k IMO. There's lots of choices for 4runners on KSL.. Look throught the 1st and 2nd gens. (1st gen late '84-89.. 2nd gen '90-95, 1st and 2nd have the same platform and suspension setup FYI)

'95 4Runner

'90 4Runner

I'd comment on the other vehicle, but i don't know too much about them. I know my buddy's XJ w/ Rubi 4.5" lift (which was is a bitchin lift) really only seemed to fit 32's. Others might have better info/experience with that genre..

-Jason

 

[krazz1e]

33 on a disco is big money. You gotta do arms front and rear, driveshafts front and rear, caster balls up front not to mention a good spring and shock combo. then you got diffs, gearing, hd axles, lockers yada yada. 33s for a disco is going to run you 3-5k. 33 is the magic mark on a rover, once you do 33s you can do 34s, 35s no problem. Now, on the other hand you can do 31 & 32s with minimal costs. Springs/Shocks a rear locker and some HD axles. Good to go for under $2000.

On the plus side discos are cheap. You can get a 96-99 from 2k-5k depending on the condition. Like cherokee's, a well maintained one is worth paying for.

plus sides to rovers are a real frame ;P, 4.0 v8, zf auto, lt230 gear driven t-case (3.32 low range), coils front and rear and 3rd members (like toys). axle and diffs are stronger than a d30 but just under a d44, they are full floaters so thats a plus. So properly equip not bad.

Easy to wrench on but if you aren't a wrencher it could costs you. There are some indy shops around that could take care of you though.

good luck.

*edit* oh yeah, RRC don't have the LT230 t-case so you gotta upgrade that right off the bat. $400 for parts and probably $300 in labor. just a fyi.

 

[grandmaster]

Well I still vote XJ, to fit 33 a 4-5" should be plenty, or more then enough. With some fender trimming, and bushwacker flares it should work out great for what you need. As far as axles go, you are fine running a hp dana 30 up front, which should be your stock axle. Rear axle the 8.25 should be ok but if you are looking to upgrade i would go the 8.8 route, close to stock width and 120% stronger then if you were to get it with stock dana 35. If its going to be your DD i would buy selectable lockers and regear it which is going to be most of your money right there. So if this was my rig, what i would be looking at is lift (which will include shocks, maybe brake lines ect), tires, wheels, flares, maybe a rear axle, sliders, a detriot or lockrite up front, and gears.

And if you would like, i would be more then happy to help you out with the lift, flares, and whatever else you would like help with. Lemme know.