skippy

Hello guys, My name is Eric. I live in socal, city of orange to be specific. Was going to make an intro, but figured i would roll it into my project thread. Hope that is ok...

My story,
So i was sitting around one day and i was like hey i need something that requires constant attention, and will take all my money. My attempts failed with a woman, so i went with the next best thing that filled the criteria... a jeep . The good news is its not my daily driver so i dont have to worry about it being safe or reliable . The bad news is, im a student and dont have ample cash to blow, but i do make decent.

I scored a 89 xj limited with np242 tcase, and upgraded towing package fully running for only 900. So far i have been out to holy jim, twice and a few other small local spots and am loving it. The the major things i have done so far are, install a cb set up, build a roof rack, build a rear bumper (stock one had been hit pretty bad, but no frame damage, and xj still has a clean title), and finally replace the rear main seal.

The issue, for this thread at the moment, is i want to lift it, and i need advice. I keep running circles in my head on what to do, and i need input on what is best value. I have about 700 at my disposal, and really want to do a 3.5 rubicon express kit, but i am told that i cant really do it realistically with out spending around 1k. The dilemma is the body and suspension has about 230k miles on it, and things like the rear leaf are mighty saggy. I will need new stuff, and feel like my only option is to do a kit.

Any thoughts?

Edit: Also any thoughts on cool stuff i can build with a plasma cutter, mig welder, and full car lift at my disposal. i am a huge fan of building stuff with scrap steel. im thinking i should make a new front bumper, and maybe rock sliders???

Sorry for the long thread guys, here is a pretty current pic of my project, only difference is the roof rack is being painted as of now.

n_csmith

nice man i would say you should be able to do the 3.5 with out spending a grand..not sure why they are saying that???

CheapCherokee

Welcome to CF from socal! if you need a cheaper lift kit with full leaf packs you may want to check out Rough Country. many people on here are running their kits and like 'em. as far as fabbing goes, the more you can make the more money you will save vs. buying pre made bumpers, sliders, etc....

skippy

hmmm, see i originally wanted rough county... but was worried about the low price... i understand one must "pay to play". Can any one riddle me this... how bad are the shocks that come with the rough country kit? and for non daily driver should it ride ok?

also if i went for a 4.5 kit would i need to drop my transfer case? what abut with a 3.5 kit?

n_csmith

with a 4.5 you would either have to drop the transfercase or do a SYE although my buddy is running 4.5 with no SYE or tcase drop and no vibes and another is running 6.5 with no SYEor tcase drop and no vibes, but has a insane pumpkin angle i told him he needs to fix 3.5 you shouldn't need anything. i believe RE tells you which kits you need an SYE for and i believe the 3.5 is only recomended. However you would want to look into beefer front end components for steering and what not, just for future times. Might as well do it all at once.

n_csmith

oh and some will say the rough country kit is actually better then the RE kit its all preference.