Ok guys i have a completely stock 97 xj (which came with the Chrysler 8.25, right?) and want to lift and lock it. I was thinking of a 3" rough country with full leaves or a bastard pack( with new front coils and all new shocks) and locking it but cant afford to do both at the same time! My questions are-
1-Which should i do first? (other will follow in ~4-6 months)
2- How hard is locking? What all do i need to do it? etc? (im brand new to "locking your 4x4")
3-Which will give me better capability offroad?

Sorry if this has been asked a million times! And thanks for all yalls help!

 

If offroad capability is your main concern, definitely go lockers. However, depending on how big you go on tires, you may need a different locker in case you need to regear.

What tire size are you looking to run?
which lift?
which lockers?

 

Current tires are goodyear wrangler radials (literally brand new when i got the jeep). I think maybe later down the road, 32s would be the largest id go with. Im leaning towards a rough country or rustys 3" lift. I dont know on lockers. I still need to research. What are things to look for when considering?

 

32 or 33" tires require a 4.56 gear with that a lift is required also for clearance as well as wheels with the proper BS on them3 3/4-4"'s.

I have a Rustys 3" full spring pack on my XJ for 18 mo before I raised it to 4 1/2" still using the Rustys springs. They are very good IMHO and have zero sag and a good ride on and off road. Bang for the buck his lift is hard to beat for a full package. I also have a new in the box RC 4 1/2" lift kit that I took in trade on some parts and I like the Rustys butter for sure. As with "ANY" kit you buy the shocks always leave something to be desired but you can upgrade later on those.

I did my lockers later on in my build and after doing the gears and lockers (Detroit Lockers) in retrospect should have been my first as far as off roading goes. When doing lockers better than half the job is done changing gears at the same time. I bought my gears in a package both the D30/Chry 8.25 from Rustys he sells a lot of different ones along with master install kits included, everything you need for the job in a single kit.

Lockers will run you from cheap ones at $300 or so up to $12-1300 for air. I opted for the high end of the auto lockers, lots of different choices for the D30 but the C 8.25 not so many.

When you do your lift and tires (will look funny with stock tires on) you will need to do some trimming on the fender wells for clearance.

Good luck on your build!

 

How hardcore do u want to get, when it comes to a traction enhanced diff? A "lunchbox" auto locker (PowerTrax for example) can be installed in 2+ hours in the stock carrier with nothing more than a couple of sockets and a ratchet handle. 1/2 of that time is spent removing the cover, draining gear oil and re-filling with gear oil. No ring/pinion set-up required. No more "one tire fires" on or off road and no buttons, wires, air hoses, etc.

With regard to ? #3, a 12" lift with no traction does you no good and stock ground clearance when u need 12" ground clearance does u no good either.

Very early on in our short mod list was a PowerTrax No-Slip auto locker in the rear diff.

 

456 would be over geared for 33s.

Lockers and 31s with a 2 inch boost will do you wonders. As far as cheap lockers, you can get a Spartan/lockrite for both axles around 600$

 

First of all, don't buy RC. Their Jeep lifts are garbage. I prefer RE and Currie parts.

What to do first depends on what you need more. Do you spend more time spinning tires hoping for traction, or getting hung up on obstacles? If you spend more time spinning, get lockers. If you spend more time getting hung up, put bigger tires on it.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of huge lifts. To me, anything over 3" is huge. I've run bone stock on 33's, 1.5" lift on 33's, and now I'm at 3" on 35's, and want it an inch or so lower. By keeping it low, you keep the center of gravity lower, which keeps it more stable. And a 10" lift on 35's won't have any more ground clearance than mine does at 3" on 35's.

As far as lockers go, I couldnt afford lockers when I went to 33's, so I welded the rear axle for traction, and that was free. That's how I got bigger tires and a locker at the same time. Then when I could, I bought a lunchbox locker for the front.