macgyver35

The very first question I'm asking is, "Why does he want to go to 38 inch tires?"

You do realize that in a comparatively short wheel-base vehicle like the XJ, you can cover some amazing trails with 31" tires? I know a guy that has yet to be stopped by anything in a JK Wrangler with 33's.

Since by your own confession, you have no mechanical experience, I'll clue you in on something. For every inch you go up in lift on an XJ, you have an exponential increase in costs if you plan on doing it right.

Gears, axle shafts, carriers, u-joints, driveshafts, etc, that would have to be upgraded to handle the stress of 38" tires is going to cost several thousand dollars. And we haven't even gotten to the actual lift, tires, steering, etc.

If you have $10k to spend, here's what you can realistically do for that kind of money (unless you want to buy a lot o used stuff) and know that it will be done right.

4.5" lift with 31" to 33" tires - 35" if you do some trimming or a flat flare upgrade.

4.5" short arm lift with all necessary goodies (shocks) brake lines, etc. - $900 - $1200

4.5" long arm kit as above - $1250-$1800

Gears and installation by a reputable shop - $850 - $1200

New rear axle shafts (if you go to 35's) - $300

U-Joints - $100

Steering components to handle the larger tires - $150 - $250

Locker - $350 - $600

Wheels - $150 - $500


Tires...

31" - $550 - $800
33" - $650 - $1100
35" - $1000 - $1500

So you have $2000 - $3000 left of you $10k. With what's left you can get a winch (not wench, those are cheaper) for about $300 -$450. You can get a winch bumper for $500 - $750. You'll need a main cable upgrade which is about $120. So now you're down to about $1000 - $1500, which is maybe enough to buy your electronics and get them installed. Note that so far we have done nothing to address routine maintenance, transmission cooling issues, brake upgrades to stop those large heavy tires, replacement of any other worn parts, etc.

Oh, but no... Wait... Because you have "no mechanical experience" and because all those prices I mentioned above are just for parts, you still have thousands of dollars in labor to pay for, so you can kiss all the electronic goodies goodbye and then some!

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't blow your load on daydreams of 38's. If you just have inch envy and want bragging rights, you can **** away all the money you want and spend 5 figures on a Jeep worth $3500. But it is possible to build a very highly capable rig that's a little more down to Earth, pun intended.

Go to the following link and read what I've put on mine so far, with just a 2" lift and what equates to 29" tires, and know that list represents about $6500 (about $2500 in engine and engine parts), and that's with me doing all the work, including putting the new engine in myself.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f59/br...1/#post2828692

PocketsEmpty

Woah. I think you need to slow down, relax, and take a deep breath. Have an O'Douls or something. Look, I know the excitement you're feeling. I was there two years ago. But even then I realized that 38's is just too big for your run of the mill XJ. Trail rigs, sure.

After your relaxation procedure, and throw out the idea of budgeting your XJ. It is an addiction. It will demand a constant supply of $$$. I tried to do that when I started out, but then I realized that it's just not going to work that way. You will change your mind a lot. You will make the occasional impulse buy. Just do your best to work with the demands of owning an XJ.

Secondly, I think it would behoove you to start out small. Get a nice 3" short-arm lift, control arms & track bar...maybe some aftermarket flares, and some bigger tires. Save yourself a bunch of money. For one thing, college isn't cheap. Later in life, every dollar will count when you have $200+ every month in school loans to pay.

Oh, and take lots of pictures. Good luck, do research, and do it right!

scrubxjowner

Well back in 2004 my dad bought a Wranger Unlimited and over the years ended up putting probably $100,000 of parts/labor/maintenance into it, it ended up with 52" tires, a Hemi, nitrous, all of that fun stuff, not that I want any of it (pretty sure it wasn't even street legal at that point). Obviously I'd prefer to just keep my 4.0 I6, so I guess I am jumping the gun trying to relive the glory days, :/. After looking through it, I think 35's are what I'll go with. Not so much inch envy and/or showing off, I just wasn't sure that anything smaller would work very well. As far as researching goes, you guys were my research. I figured I'd get clearer answers if I just asked someone, and I did. So a 4.5" lift, flat flare, I think I'll go with short arm, rear axle shaft, u-joints, steering components (elaboration as to what I need specifically?), locker(s?), wheels and then the tires.

So, because any more annoying questions shouldn't be asked, I'll do it anyway. I see a lot of Rough Country hate. What brands would you suggest?


Also, because a lot of you are saying to do it myself, I should add: I don't actually have any access to tools. My dad took all of his when he left, and anything he didn't take my brother vulture'd and then he moved away. So short of buying new tools and adding to the budget just to stuff in the closet in my apartment I'm not sure how I would do it myself)

(PS: I have a scholarship so I'm not technically paying for school currently. The rest of it would be saved towards rent and/or vet school. Also just took some pictures so when I get back from work I'll post them. Though since it's stock there isn't much to show)

Rogue4x4

Let me give you some advice. Take your stock rig out to hit some trails. Go with others, obviously. See what it can do, what your driving style is, and what kind of trails you want to hit. I think you'll be surprised at the capability of the XJ in stock form. Once you have a better idea of what you want to wheel, and how you want to wheel it, base your upgrade list off of that. You would be amazed at what a mild lift and 33's can accomplish. Remember: whenever you start changing things and modifying one thing, you have to keep modifying. You want to run bigger tires? You need to do gears. You want to lift it up several inches? Driveline changes need to happen. The bigger you go, the pricier it gets. Also, you stated this will be your daily driver, with mild off road use. Heavily modified rigs as a daily driver gets expensive, and usually don't have the road manners of a "normal" ride.
This will depend on what you end up doing. I would suggest a long arm lift, even at 4.5 lift. Serious has a great kit that isn't priced out of the world, and his customer service doesn't set the bar, it IS the bar. Here's a link, this kit has everything you need to do a proper LA lift, front and rear.
http://www.seriousoffroadproducts.co...Path=419_2040&
Take some of that fat wad (LOL), and INVEST in some tools. I say invest, because that's what it is. The money you spend on tools will pay for itself every time you use them. You don't need a full shop and snap on tools to do most work. A basic kit of hand tools will get you pretty far, and can be had for not much money. I am of the mind that if you spend a little on this stuff now, and take this opportunity to learn something new, you will be much better off in the long run.
Even if your school tuition isn't that much, life is still expensive. You are young, and a college student. Keep that in mind with your plans. If this is your only ride, are you prepared to have it down and being worked on for any length of time? Even shop work that you pay for isn't instantaneous. Take your time. Don't rush this stuff. Build your rig over time and get it done not only the way YOU want it, but the RIGHT way to boot.

Okay, hopping off of my old man soapbox now....

Fred/N0AZZ

Here is mine and had about all the work done at a 4 wheel drive shop 4 1/2" lift on 33"'s close to what you want to spend. Don't forget to budget for recovery gear, first aid, safety, etc. those can add up also. Most major items listed in signature not all though.

Rogue4x4

Extremely important. Focus your efforts on recovery FIRST, IMHO. As the saying goes, "lockers get you into trouble, winches get you out...."

Fred/N0AZZ

AMEN!!

mcguyver_xj

so you have 30k and live in an apartment? your 18 and going to college and wanna blow a wad of cash on an xj? seems highly unbelievable but i will say this since you have NO jeep experience as far as you have stated other than a pipe dream jk you mentioned and you have NO mechanical ability....drive your xj for now dont wheel it yet because you could ruin it before building it spend as much time as you can on forums reading and looking at stuff what can be done wrong what is right opinions parts available mods that go good with other mods...then start with a small lift get to know your jeep and how to wheel then upgrade from there...

if my fiancee ever decides to get a xj again (her last one was taken out by some high school chick who couldn't drive) we are gonna build her a super dd in my opinion...3" good quality lift, prolly bilstein shocks, adj. upper and lower arms, lockers front and rear, good 31" tires, diff covers/ skids, upgraded steering, and body armor sure im forgetting some stuff but it would be a super capable rig for someone not super experienced with offroading even though i let her wheel my xj

also check out my '99 red build thread and my current '00 blue (both very capable rigs on a budget)

Boostwerks.com

Sounds like dad is a great influence

I highly reccomend saving your $ so you can fix it when it breaks. Maybe some 31s, lunchbox lockers, and skid plates and you'll be surprised where you can go. Everyone will be envious of how little you had to spend.

scrubxjowner

Where I'm at right now. Front left side was involved in a minor accident that according to my small town mechanic did total the jeep. Would this impact any type of bumper guard/winch system since it does droop a little?
I do have jeep experience. I've driven it for 2 years and since I was 4 my dad and I went trailing (First in my mom's old blue wrangler, then a black wrangler, and then finally my dad's red unlimited that he paid to be fixed up). By "new" I meant that I've decided that I'm not gonna get rid of it like I planned on in high school, but rather fix it up really nicely and just drive it probably until I die.


Yeah, not really. He kinda ruined it for me since I'm used to riding in 42's minimum when I'm off the road, so I wasn't sure how well 38's would do, and since it seems to be fairly common knowledge to everyone that isn't me that 38's are expensive as hell, 35's seem to be the fit I "need" (want without breaking my wallet)



That looks pretty much exactly how I'm hoping it'll turn out in the end, actually.

Boostwerks.com

Again... Leave it.

Not that you'll listen to me however.

scrubxjowner

Pft, when does anyone just leave a jeep?

Rogue4x4

You seem bent on 35's. Just realize to do 35's right, you'll want to do gears. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it will be spendy. I just did 4.88's and it was around $1200 all said and done, and I did the work myself. At least double that if you have someone else do it, maybe more. By the looks of your jeep, it needs some TLC. Take care of all the normal maintenance items, like changing all fluids and filters, cooling system, etc, get it to be solid first. Better to have a good base to start from. You said it was totaled? Did the insurance company tell you that, or just the mechanic? If insurance totaled it out, you may want to consider just letting it go, and finding another that's already had the stuff done to it that you want.

scrubxjowner

The mechanic said that. It KBB's for about 3.2k so I don't see how it could be considered totaled but yeah... and can you elaborate a little more on gears?


Or if I found a Cherokee already lifted and fixed up kinda (found a '98 near me on 32's with a 4.5" lift (rough country) for 5.5k) should I just learn to maintain one that's already how I want it and then later on in life start learning how to build one?

Rogue4x4

KBB has nothing to do with it. Does your mechanic do body, frame work, and insurance too? If not find a new mechanic.

Elaborate on gears. Hmmm. You are changing the tire size. Taller tires change alot more than you realize. You need to start reading up on this stuff. Search here and google. You can put any size tire you want, but it will have an impact on your engine, trans, driveline, alignment, speedometer...changing out the gearing in your differentials will help compensate for this. Anything above 35's you'll want bigger axles, like a D44 and up. 35's is the max size tire I would run on the axles that came with your jeep. Do you even know what axles you have? If it's a D35 in the back, you don't want to throw a dime at it. These are the things you need to start learning. Start flexing your clicky finger.