Well i got the intoduction out of the way last night, so lets start a build thread!!

First off I'm in no hurry, I'm not building a rock crawler, more of a camping/back country exploring rig. Since camping season is a few months away i have time to research and figure out my best options.

One thing is for sure, I will be lifting this rig as little as possible, Low is the way to go.

Here is what I'm starting with....

 

clean looking xj. Welcome man! Do a small lift and some 31s, and you will be able to go camping just about anywhere you want to. These xjs are a pretty capable machine.

 

First and without question the most important mod.... a God D*** cupholder. I was amazed a 96 cherokee classic whould come without a cup holder. Did a bit of reserch on the subject and didnt see a mod i liked so i choose to go a different route...

3" s.s. tubing recessed into the center console









Pretty simple really, the tubing is 3" O.D. So i drilled a 2 15/16" hole with a hole saw. Hole saws always drill oversized, so you end up with a hole just slightly smaller than 3", which is good cause you want a tight fit as opposed to a loose one. Seems to be working well so far, anything is better than trying to shift with a drink in your lap!

 

I'm thinkin no lift, 31's, 8.8" rear, fab some new bumpers and a winch.

what more do u need?

 

That should work. You will have to trim a little off your fenders. but that'd be a good set up.

 

Stereo has to be replaced, the speakers in the sound bar are ****! A new deck and some 6.5's for the sound bar should do the trick! I'm off to spend some money!

 

I got the new deck put in last week, been to busy to post pics



Very pleased with it, much need upgrade. I love the usb port, makes using the ipod very easy!

I also put some 6.5" pioneer speakers in the sound bar





It sounds way better, I would like to put 5x7's or 6x9's in the doors, the quality difference between the new speakers and the stockers is quite vast!

 

I also picked up 5 15" 3.75 b/s black steel wheels, got a good deal on them. No rock rash or dings what so ever, even the paint was in good shape. I choose to paint them anyways mainly because I hate that red pin stripe they put on them!



I'm gonna put 31x10.5 shoes on her, I'm torn between Mud tires or all terrians. Doesnt matter either way, i have no time to trim the fenders becuase I'm in the middle of another project, swaping a 150cc engine into my Honda Ruckus!

 

I purchased a set of goodyear wrangler authorities today from walmart, I was torn between these and Cooper discovery st.

Read alot of reviews about both, the wranglers had really good reviews over all and I liked the fact that if I blow one out nearly anywhere in America I will be able to find a walmart to replace it

Dramatic difference



All for tires on, flares still on, clearly this will not work!



I only had time to remove the flares on the front, if I drive careful it shouldn't rub! I will be back at my shop in the morning to remove the back flares and all the un-necessary sheet metal.

 

i love no lift and 31s rig looks good man

 

Lift kits are over rated, my rear leafs are worn out like a $2 hooker and the shocks are in worse shape than that. That being said, new shocks are definitely in order, possibly springs also.

I will try and keep it as low as possible

 

Lift kits are over rated, my rear leafs are worn out like a $2 hooker and the shocks are in worse shape than that. That being said, new shocks are definitely in order, possibly springs also.

I will try and keep it as low as possible

 

I cant wait to drop my jeep with a set of long arms myself its sitting to high for my tastes. once you get a new leaf pack and cut your fenders its gonna look good.

though your not lifting it i'd still do flex uppers and lowers and a good track bar to get more flex on the trails

 

Yep!

 

Nice build so far. However the lift kits comment is obovious(sp) for your type of build but not for some others. A set of new rear leafs would be a good idea. Take a look at the upcountry ones available through Quadratec. OME makes some really nice shocks. Do you plan on towing anything with it? If not removing your rear swaybar and making some discos for the front will geratly increase flex cheaply.