Okay hey everyone. Im wanting to buy a jeep xj preferably 92-95. Im wanting to lift it 4.5"-6" and set it on some 33s. Swap out the rear with a ford 8.8. Maybe swap out the front for a dana 44. Put a winch bumper on it and rocksliders be good to go. Im just wondering and worrying and wondering. About the uniframe/unibody cracking. I know theres unibody stiffeners. Like ruffstuff and tnt. But does this stuff work? Im dedicated to swapping out the axles and possibly the transfer case. But the uniframe /unibody has me wondering if its even worth it or should I just buy a k5 blazer. Or wrangler or bronco or ranger or explorer. Since they all have a frame. Please be helpful and informative. Thank you.

 

Go with a jeep you sound like a do it yourself guy, the strengtheners do help, look at the kits look at the unibody and decide what you will stress. The only time I've seen a jeep unibody crack was for to rust issues and not from just stress.

On that note, I was at maple Grove raceway a few years ago, dude has a Cherokee with a Chrysler big block running nos with minimal strengthening of the unibody. I was shocked when I looked under the hood

 

Also I wanna keep the jeep as long as I possibly can will this be a issue?

 

You can definitely keep the Jeep as long as you possibly can.

 

The only areas likely to "need" strengthening are around the steering box (many winch bumpers have tie-ins that reinforce this area) and where the sliders bolt in, though a full set of stiffeners definitely wouldn't be a bad idea especially if you regularly do serious off-roading, if properly installed they greatly increase the strength and stiffness of the uni-frame.


An XJ uni-frame can last just as long as a full frame (especially once reinforced), full-frames crack as well when overstressed.


Some examples of cracked full-frames:

 

Im not gonna wheel it extremely hard its gonna be my daily driver and ill take it through some trails. Take it to uwharrie rock crawl and mud with it im just wondering before I go to the point of no return with one.

 

Honestly a xj would fit your needs better as a daily driver semi off roader.A k5 or bronco will get like 14mpg stock if you drive like a old lady.A xj modded right can still pull 15mpg if you drive it right.

 

You need a Blazer with a BB in it and a 500 Big Shot Plate of NOS. Running D44's front and back or a Bronco either one would do for what your planning it sounds like. Then you could run 37-40" tires easley or more if you wished.

As others have stated save you XJ for a DD and dress it out for looks.

 

But I like the aftermarket support for jeeps and the reliability and longevity of the 4.0 all I wanna know is will the unibody/uniframe hold up for what im planning. And if so will it hold up for as long as I live? And is my 4.0 gonna be underpowered for what im planning?

 

Daily driver/weekend trail rig? Alot of this will depend on how you treat it. Drive it hard, and beat the **** out of it off-road, yeah...it isn't gonna last too long. That said, look at the model A Ford. Lots of those still on the road to this day. Very few people have the same car for their whole life. Take care of it, and it will take care of you. As far as it being underpowered, drive it and find out. If you think it's underpowered, stroke it or do a swap. Best advice I can give ya is buy one, drive it and find out if you like it enough to put money into it to keep it road and trail worthy.

 

Yep spot on daily driver weekend warrior. How long as yalls xj's held up with unibody stiffeners?

 

I bought my XJ almost 4 years ago, when I lived in CO... it was abused by the PO...did what I had to do to make it road worthy. It wheeled all over CO, has been to Moab, Texas, and now SoCal. It's my daily driver. I don't have stiffeners (yet, LOL...on the list) and it's done just fine. I plan on keeping it as long as possible. I take care of it. Regular maintenance will go a long way. As things start to go south, (such as the body) instead of selling it, I'll be turning it into a dedicated trail rig. Tube it out and throw it on a trailer, LOL...but I don't see that day coming anytime soon. These things can take a lot of abuse, and IMHO, is one of the most reliable rides I've ever had. Just treat it right, and you'll get a ton of fun back out of it. Keep in mind, you're looking at buying a 15 y/o vehicle...things can and will go wrong. However, if you stay on top of it, it will be the Energizer bunny....

 

I also heard if you weld to unibody its pointless since its galvanized is this true? I also heard adding unibody stiffeners to the frame is pointless since the frame is basically sheet metal is this true?

 

Who told you that? Steer clear of any more advice from those "sources". Galvanizing is a coating, and if you prep your metal properly, won't be an issue. Proper prep is key. Many people have plated their uni-frames, don't think they'd be doing it if it didn't do anything, LOL...the uniframe is layered sheet metal, yes...and you can burn through it if you run too hot, too slow, you get the idea...if done properly, it'll be fine.

 

O.but they made it sound like it was pointless welding unibody stiffeners to the frame for strength since its basically sheet metal.