My 2001 XJ limited build thread
 

The time has finally come and I am putting on my 3" RC series II lift this weekend. I have a 2001 XJ Limited with 75,000 miles on it. I have been waiting a few weeks for this so I am ready to go. I'll post pics of the build over the weekend and then I'll be getting my new tires sometime next week. I already got new rims, just need the tires. I'll be running 265/70R16's. So here's what I've done so far, and next will be what I plan on doing:

Done so far:
1. Mr. Grille Billet Inserts ( See Pic )
2. Dynomax Turbo Cat-Back system ( See Pic )

Doing this weekend:
1. new front coils
2. new Skyjacker 7000 Hydro Shocks
3. new Skyjacker steering stabilizer
4. swaybar drop brackets
5. new JKS adjustable track bar
6. new LCA's ( RC came with kit )
7. new full leafs in the rear

I'll post pics of the rest as I do it this weekend. I have included some before pics as well to later compare with after. I hope everyone enjoys!

So I got the front done today, and plan on finishing the back tomorrow. I broke all the shock bolts in the rear, so it's going to take a little longer. I didn't brake any bolts up front though today. I got the new front coils, new shocks, steering stabilizer, swaybar drop brackets, lower control arms, and new JKS adjustable track bar all put in. Here are some pics:

lookin' good dude :) I am building a limited too! do your heated seats work? lol

Actually my heated seats do still work surprisingly. Knock on wood, but all the power components of the limited still work great. I should be finished with my lift tonight and will post more pics. I got the rear leafs off this morning, and just need to get the new ones on. Those 4 leaf bolts were the hardest thing I've ever tried to get off. What a *****. That wore me out, so I'm taking a little break. Just the leafs and rear shocks, then it's done!

Then it's off to get the new tires next week. I'm leaning towards the Yokohama Mud Terrain 265/75R16's if they'll fit. I already got the rims, and will post pics of those soon!

Those tires should fit a 3.5 inch lift just fine, you will probably need to trim a little inside the fender from what I've read. Why are you going with M/T's? Not using the jeep much on the street?

What are you doing with the stock wheels? Are you going to still use them? The Geo MTs are great street tires. Had them on my YJ a few years back. Some minor trimming and bumpstops will need to be done though.

Yeah I really liked the look of the Geo M/T's and from what I have read they are good on the street as well. So I'll need to do some trimming to fit that size with a 3" lift? I hadn't really planned to do that. I might have to re-evaluate what size tire I want to go with. I actually think I might sell the wheels to recoup some money if interested? The're still in really good shape minus the normal wear and tear. As you can see, I am missing the center cap on one, but those are pretty easy to find to replace

do you have new sway bar links and a SB drop? why didnt you just get longer links?

The lift kit actually came with the drop brackets and in the process of doing my build on Saturday, The top of both swaybar links snapped when trying to get the links off. Fortunately for me, there is a carquest 2 minutes from me and they had them in stock. So yes, those are new swaybar links because I broke the other ones.

Well I finally finished my lift tonight, and I must say for doing it on my own, I am pretty happy with how everything turned out. Before I started, I would say that I was not very mechanically inclined at all. I have learned more about my jeep in the last three weeks from coming on here, reading, and doing my lift than I have in the 5 years I have owned my jeep.

Thanks to everyone for the answers to my novice questions! :thumbup:

I had a buddy help me with parts of the lift, but did most of it myself. I just followed the directions, and listened to advice on here. Below is a pic I took today of how I mounted my upper rear shocks due to breaking all four bolts. It worked great! I got that info from here as well. I will post final after pics tomorrow when it is daylight out for some before and after looks.

The only thing left to do is get my new tires hopefully next week to put on the pro comp rims I have pictured below. I can't wait for that!

A big part of me hates to see you do anything do that beautiful XJ. I hope whatever you end up doing to it can be undone easily, because that's a clean nice Limited. That would be a great DD for years to come.

you say that like he's going to flip it on its lid the day after the lift. lol
looks great so far, and will look even better with the new wheels and lift

Thanks for the kind words. yeah, this thing is my DD, so I won't be doing any hardcore off-roading, just having some fun with it. Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid to mess it up! Here are some after pics I took this morning with the lift on:

here's and easier to see befor and after:

Awesome! LOVE the wheels you bought. Its gunna look so good!