i took the advice of another forum user by posting a build thread. problem is i wouldnt know where to start with the build for the life of me. ive been wheelin alot but only at elbe hills with a jeep i bought that already had a small lift. basically i want to start my own build so i can wheel more and just have another excuse to work on my jeep!

im planning a build on a cherokee i picked up a few months ago. its a 5 speed 1991 4dr laredo. completely stock! i wanted to grab advice from a few of you that have been in the game for awhile. i was thinkin atleast six inches with 33's or bigger. i need advice on pretty much everything; lift, tires, drivetain and everything else so all help would be appreciated!....thanks

 

well first off welcome to the cherokee realm! everyone on here has some sort of knowledge they can lend and are more than willing to help in any way. but first things first. we all need to know what type of wheeling you are going to be doing? is it your daily driver? how much do you want to spend? how experienced with offroad vehicles are you? we just need a quick overview so we can help in a way that will actually help you with your budget and not blow you out of the water with expensive and techinical crap.

 

98' hit the nail right on the head, many things can be done to these jeeps so we gotta have somewhat of an idea of what you want to do with it, and how much you want to spend....
6 inchs is a pretty high lift for 33's a lower center of gravity will be ur best bet. getting some bigger axles with a lower gear ratio to compinsate for the biggre tires

 

it will be my daily driver. as far as wheelin id like to be able to hit up most trails at evans and elbe. i wheel alot down in oregon too. im not trying to break bank but not too worried if i end up spendig alot. i just want to be able to keep up with th guys on the trail. experience wise im not a pro haha but i do well at elbe through most trails with a 3inch lift and 31s if that means anythin

 

ok well good now we have something to work with

this would be my recomendation;
-4.5" lift with full rear leaf pack
-good 33x12.50 tires
- beef up the front dana 30 with some good ujoints, steering, steering
braces, control arms, etc.
-replace the rear end with a 29 spline chrysler 8.25 or dana 44 if you can find
one
-gears are a must. with 33s i would go 4.56 but a dana 30 will hold up to 4.88
-lockrite or aussie lockers are also good front and rear for a Daily Driver
-sliders are also a must along with bumpers with tow points, also quarter
panel guards are a good idea for around here

along with all these major points there are little things such as brakelines, Slip yoke eliminator or transfer case drop because of lift, shackles, and so on

hope this helps! if you have questions just ask!

 

i really dont want to trim fenders and id like to keep the stock flares. every 4.5 inch lift ive looked requires trimming to fit 33's. ive decided for sure the tires i want....33in bf goodrich a/t ko's but am unsure of lift size still. i notice alot of people get the 4.5 lifts and then shackle them does this diminish the strength of a lift? while we are on the lift question is it preferable to by full kits e.i. rustys 6.5in long travel or is it best to create my own.

regarding the drivetrain i have a chrysler 8.25 on my 93 cherokee so ill swap that over to support the 33s...whats the best gear ratio for this? does the front axel need to be bigger than a dana30? im also looking into getting the rustys a/a sye and tom wood cv driveshaft but it requires a 231 transfer case. im almost positive it is but not sure how can i tell for sure?

 

you dont need to trim with that lift. if you bumpstop it properly you will be fine. but trimming is advised and you can still use your stock flares all you have to do is drill new holes to mount them. i ran a 3" lift on 33s with good bumpstopping and a little trimming and had no problems.

i would go with the 33" mtr with kevlar. they are a good offroad and street tire. just my opinion

definitely get a lift kit with a full rear leaf pack and a lift shackle. you can buy them seperate. it is easier to buy the lift as a whole kit. if you look hard enough you can find parts to piece a lift together but for the easy route i would order a whole kit.

the best gear ratio for your axles would be 4.56s. the dana 30 is plenty strong enough for 33s. almost everyone on here runs a front 30. you just need to get some good ujoints and maybe even chromolly shafts.

the SYE is a must. it will save you from vibrations and from a miserable trail fix with a broken rear driveline. they have a fixed yoke so you dont lose all your fluid like you would without an SYE. tom woods is the $hit when it comes to driveshafts so you cant go wrong there.

as for the tcase is your jeep all wheel drive or can you select from 2w to 4hi then to N and then 4Lo?

 

he said he has the ax15 tranny, i would suggest 4.10's because it is your daily driver and that puts you back to stock. with 4.56's and a 5speed with 33's it has alot of power, but not much on the top end, anything over 55 sucks ***...

look at swapping in a ford 8.8 from a ranger with a 4cyl they all have 4.10's and are relatively cheap.
its not a direct swap but lots of people have done it and there is lots of write ups on it.

u will end up trimming some with that lift and tire size, i suggest running flareless anyway. looks better, dont have to worry about ripping them off on tight trails!

 

4.56s puts 33s to stock power but the ford exploders also have the heavier duty 8.8 which is a good option and comes with disc brakes. im running 35s and 4.88s and i can cruise at 75 no problem.
replacing your tcase is another thing you should look into

 

what tranny are you running?

33's and 4.10 @ 10mph= 1599rpm in 1st
33's and 4.10 @ 35mph=2104rpm in 3rd
33's and 4.10 @ 65mph= 2144rpm in 5th

33's and 4.56 @10mph=1778rpm in 1st
33's and 4.56 @35mph= 2340rpm in 3rd
33's and 4.56 @65mph=2384rpm in 5th

when my jeep was stock i would be just above 2grand on the freeway at 65
to me 4.10s with the ax15 just seem like a better, and cheaper option.