So. I am one of the lucky ones who has a brother with an auto shop. I bought a 1990 pioneer xj. Beautiful interior. Under the hood it's barely been touched in 30 years. Which is fine, I knew what I was getting into.

My problem is that in terms of the front end/suspension etc I'm pretty clueless. Never been a strong point of mine. So;

1. I need to know what I should replace. Let's say most of the suspension/front end etc should be scrapped. What parts? I will probably buy a suspension kit. But even so what are all the parts I need?

I know this is an exhaustive question but it will truly help my understanding of these systems.

Thanks so much!

 

Other's much more knowledgeable than me(at least I think) will be along but I think some it depends on your view of working on stuff. Some just replace what is worn. Me, if I'm going to tackle replacing a worn component, I'm going to do a full rebuild of that section if the vehicle has a lot of miles on it.

For example, if I have bad ball joint, I'm doing all new ball joints and most likely all new bushings. And while I have it torn that far down, all new brakes. And for a 4WD like a Cherokee, probably the axle u-joints and various seals, plus change the fluid, clean and paint everything real nice. The idea is I don't want to revisit that part of the vehicle for a long time, if ever.

And if I was considering new springs/shocks, do those to.

 

Some would debate if its financially worth replacing everything in the front end -stock- vs a lift kit. If you were to do it all, Balljoints, control arm bushings for upper and lower control arms, new track bar, sway bar links, sway bar bushings, all new tie rod ends, steering stabilizer, new hubs. All of this with tax was just shy of $1k through napa. Kinda ridiculous if you ask me BUT if thats what your set on doing i'd absolutely do it in stages if not going into a lift setup. Balljoints, hubs, tie rods and a new track bar will absolutely give you a noticeable difference and i would say is priority - add to that a proper alignment. The control arm bushing(s) if not visibly destroyed could wait till later.

 

I tried not to blindly replace things unless they really need it. With the poor quality of after-market parts these days, you might be swapping in something in worse shape that the original. This is especially true for sensors, alternators, and power steering pumps where a bad part straight out of the box isn't unusual. That "lifetime warranty" on their cheaper rebuilt parts sometimes means you'll be replacing it multiple times before you get a good part.

 

XJMJ and lawson, you both make good points. I may have to adjust my past thoughts when I take on my new to me XJ. I don't want to unnecessarily spend money.

It's sad that we can't buy quality parts anymore, but I'm going to try and find them when the time comes.

 

I have to swap out the front diff on the XJ I will be getting this weekend. It is currently driveable, but no 4WD. I will want it ready by winter. Since the replacement diff is not dependant on what's in the Jeep now, I will do like you say and assess the condition of what's there and then each week buy a couple parts for it. Once I have everything I need, I will "rebuild" it and then do the swap.

I really don't want to get into the ring and pinion to do a complete restoration if all it needs in some axle joints, brakes and some paint.