New XJ intro!
 

Hey guys, I just bought a '99 red Cherokee sport which I plan to build as a moderate camping/snowboard excursion (with some mild trail riding) type of vehicle. But before I get to that, here's a lil of my car/jeep history.

My first car was a '74 VW bus. All my friends at the time were driving jeeps and xterras...and they convince me to go offroading with them. It did surprisingly well because of the rear wheel drive with the weight of the engine over it, and I had a blast doing it. Here's a video and a few pics from the trip / of the bus:

Here it is going through a huge mud puddle...I went a little fast and the bus BELLY flopped into it lol, but I made it out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=POMiQP-q68A

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...s/DSCN1663.jpg

I loved it, but I wanted an older style with the big V in front, so I sold it and bought a blue '67 VW bus. I don't even have any pictures of it. It was too old for me and needed too much work. So after a while I sold it and bought an '89 jeep wagoneer.

I lifted it on a 3" Rough Country full suspension lift, and threw on some 31" Goodyear Wrangler Tires. This car is an absolute beast, and It is a blast to drive.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...s/IMAG0030.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...s/IMAG0032.jpg

I know you guys like the flex pictures...this is all I have tho:
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...s/IMAG0029.jpg

A trip to the Pinebarrens:
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._3213690_n.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...s/IMAG0023.jpg

I love this thing, but it is an ongoing project and I needed something that I didn't have to throw money into just to keep it driving. I know, i probably shouldnt have gotten another jeep then lol. BTW the wagoneer is for sale! http://providence.craigslist.org/cto/2251298582.html
message me if your interested. Its at my house by school right now in RI but my dad wanted to drive it down to NJ next weekend, so either location it can be picked up from!!

Ok now on to the current project:
I got a 99 cherokee sport with 120,000 on the odometer, practically no rust, and very nice interior (very nice paint too):


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...10302-0646.jpg

After having such "problem - prone" vehicles in the past, I want to keep this project simple. And being broke, I want to keep it relatively cheap.

Here are my plans, which will probably all be done by mid summer:
- Ill be wheeling it stock for now, so Im just gonna spraypaint the rims black
- 2"-2.5" lift (details below)
- 31" tires on 15" rims
- paint the trim and bumpers black (the trim has got the grey fade going on)
- Thule roofrack (so I can throw kayaks and snowboards up there easily)
- LED conversions inside
- H4 headlight conversion
- maybe some better foglights
- maybe a rear tire holder and front roo bar

I won't be doing anything too extreme, so I don't need a winch...but I will probably eventually put some skid plates on there. I'm also planning on learning to weld this summer...so I should be able to eventually fab some things up on my own.


Ok now here is my plan for acheiving the lift I want. Please leave comments and suggestions! :
the rear leafs are completely flat, so Im thinking Ill go with these:
OME 2.5" medium load leaf springs:
http://www.quadratec.com/products/16090_5054.htm for $116
Zone nitro 2" lift shocks:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/4-ZON...Q5fAccessories for $160
And some rustys 2" coils for $100
http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchan...ory_Code=COILS

so the lift would end up costing around $400

my question is if I went for the 2.5" OME medium load springs, How would I get the front to level out: do I go with the same 2" springs with spacers, or do I look for 3" ones? and IDK how coils work, would I need to compress a 3" one into there, or is the 2" one fine?

thanks for checking it out guys, Ill be sure to start a build thread once I start buildin'

Welcome!
Looks like you have done your homework.....GL with ur build.

Thanks I've been creeping through these forums and few other jeeps ones the past month..I just wanna do this car right so it lasts me. And I also learned from my mistakes (eg never getting rough country again....way too rough!

that offroading bus is pretty funny, i didnt know people took those things in the woods :laughing:

and you can level the front out with rubber spacers

hey sorry I didn't realize there was an introduction section of the forums...

moved questions to new thread...

I would go with the .5" spacers with the coils up front. You will also need to look into sway bar extensions/disconnects and with newer xjs I like yours chances are you will probably be dealing with some driveline vibes.