I own a 92 XJ with a 4.0 HO I6, manual tranny and stock as it can be. What would be a good $500 invest for me to start with as far as build up goes.

I have plans in the future to do a lift and later go to 31's

 

before you get into aftermarket mods make very sure that your jeep is in the best possible running condition that it can be.

then work on armor and recovery. this should take up that 500$ and most defiantly prepare you for your lift/tires.

-Kyle

 

Couldn't say it any better. Consider your XJ a "soldier". First thing they do in the barracks when prepping for war is put on their armor

 

what type of wheeling do you do?
if its mud, I recommend getting a winch.
or:
i dont know how much of a lift is needed to run the 31's you want, but you could get a set of 31" LTB's for around $430 before shipping. they pull great in the mud, but their bias ply so you might not like em if you drive alot on the street