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Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
Hiya folks! A friend of mine sent me here to this website and its pretty sweet, lots of info.
I wanted to post directly though to possibly get some direct recommendations, I have uploaded some photos to my profile of my current Jeep that I just bought last week, the way you see it is how I bought it.
The rear leaf spring on passenger right side is bending on the opposite direction, causing the Jeep to sag on the back end, so I was wondering if I should be getting OEM leafs, or upgrading to something better? I would also like to get a 4.5 inch lift kit for it, I was looking at the rough country kit, any suggestions though for something better quality if there even is that wont break the bank?
I'd also like to get vital parts underbody skid plates, engine, transfer case etc, I looked around but couldnt seem to find any kickin
in short what im looking for suggestions on are below
Full under body skid plates
Leaf springs, OEM or after market?
Lift kit 4.5"
Any other necessary upgrades you may recommend?
I do a lot of forest service road driving and rock crawling to give you an idea of what im doing with it, and camping as well
Thanks for reading!
Last edited by LatexFelkin; Jul 28, 2025 at 08:23 AM.
How much are you Not wanting to spend and also how big of a tire do you Think you want to run?
Are you planning on doing all the work yourself or having someone else do the installs/ any custom work?
I looked and could not find your pictures you mentioned uploading? I'd recommend though in the future include pictures in the thread/post of whatever your describing or trying to discuss.
Factory and aftermarket gas tank skid plates are simple enough to source (google) and really soo long as it mounts to the unibody, whatever you choose would prolly do the trick.
There isnt much out there for bolt on belly skids that don't incorporate a long arm crossmember. If Rough Country price point is capping things out for you then I dont think you're going to be knocking that feature off the list without custom fab work.
That is some beautiful background you got there! And the jeep looks like there has been plenty done to it. It would be nice to know exactly what's under it. Appears to have 4+ inch lift already.
You can find all kinds of skid and protection pieces aftermarket. That's easy.
If I was going 4.5" or more I would go to a long arm set up at the same time.
The seller unfortunately doesn't know what lift is in it, I thought it was stock because they never replace the leaf springs in the back and it currently shows as the on right back passenger side saga a fair bit and you can very noticeably see it when your looking at the backside
Got any suggestions as to where I should be buying skid plates and long arm extensions?
Shouldn't this thread be in the "modified" section??
If you want to run 35s I think you should consider your gearing. Do you know what it is?
The only company I have any experience with personally that offers full kits is DPG OFF-ROAD. Dirk that runs the company is top notch. .. But there are many others out there. Iron Rock, Rusty's, Rough Country, Metalcloak, DBS, etc.
If you don't already have it, get a SYE and longer brake lines too.
Do plenty of forum reading. Seems like some folks change their opinion on certain brands after a good long break in period.
Based on the parts that I can see, that red XJ has an RC 4.5" short arm lift. Looks like it has longer brake lines. Looks like it has a transmission cross member spacer rather than an SYE. Has the double shear track bar mount and their HD track bar. Probably this kit:
Stock steering linkage. No steering box brace. That's an RC front bumper. Overall, it looks like it only has the basics. Big question is whether its been regeared for the 33" tires and has any lockers. I suspect that it doesn't have either.
Since the fenders are already cut, it probably doesn't really need any more lift for 35" tires. And 4.5" of lift is a lot of lift for short arms. I'd stay with 4.5" and bump stop it.
Overall, if you plan to rock crawl, lots of reinforcement and more beefy parts are needed otherwise, the unibody is going to crack, and parts are going to bend.
You'll use $2K of your $5K on 35" tires and wheels. And if its not already regeared and doesn't have any lockers, you'll spend the other $3K on gears, diffs, and installation.
That doesn't leave any money for frame and steering reinforcement.
Definitely consider what gearing you currently have and put some thought into potentially changing that, even more soo if your on stock gearing (3.55s) and are considering putting bigger tires on it.
A long arm kit would be beneficial for what you currently have and would provide the assurance you could go taller with your lift later if you decided to do soo. Also depending on where the long arm kit is from you could potentially build skids off that (trans and tcase)
This is my clayton 3 piece crossmember that i built the trans skid into the front of it. Works beautifully
Id argue though unless your really getting into the pointy rocks, most get by with just a gas tank skid.
A full steering box plate/support stiffner kit would be a nice investment for you as well, especially if your unibody hasn't cracked yet.
Do you happen to have a reference link or parts link to what you mean by uni body frame reinforcements? Just so I can get a visual of what I should look for specifically
I have this kitten on one of my trucks, its phenomenal! There is also the amazon/ebay versions for~1/3rd the price that i dont know how they actually compare.
Otherwise check out Barnes4wd for their unibody stiffners. They sre my preferred source for custom fab and upgraded builder parts/things
I'd stick with 33" tires (especially since they appear to be in good shape), and spend that money on bolt-ons. And need to set aside money for all the things that are going to go wrong because its an old vehicle. Big question is how seriously its being rock crawled.
Upgrading jeep XJ
