Kelso

And so it begins, my project: low (center of gravity) and slow (the inevitable pace of the project). Here goes nothin..

I picked up this 95' XJ from an old guy who was very easy on it, he was the 2nd owner, it originally was a State of Oregon vehicle, not sure what dept. Factory options include a skid plate package (front, transfer case and gas tank skids), AW4, and the d35 limited slip.

Started my ownership at 146k miles, so far I've replaced the radiator and brakes, all vital fluids, and cleaned up the interior a bit. As it sits, the suspension is shot; some major spring sag and blown shocks all around.

The plan is for 31" or 32" mud terrains on the stock wheels. Its the daily driver but I'll take it camping, hunting, fishing, grocery getting, cutting firewood and of course, WHEELING!

Here's how it sits today:



3" skyjacker kit used from a friend of a friend. new procomp es9000 gas shocks. Last weekend I stripped and painted the coils and LCA's, replaced two missing control arm sleeves (not easy to find) and replaced the broken shims. The only control arms sleeves I could find were 5/8" inside diameter so I'll have to enlarge the axle mount holes for bigger bolts.

Should be starting the lift this weekend, with any luck, I'll finish. More to follow, stay tuned. Opinions and your input is MUCH APPRECIATED.

bmrrwolfe

Looks like your off to a good start!

Kelso

Got the rears done today. It went way better than I expected. Didn't break anything. Only had to make one run to napa. I cut the old shackle bolts off instead of pulling the bumper and tow bar in order to get them out.

It took me and my bro in law (541_Halseth) (Thanks TJ!) about 5 hours total with hand tools and one bottle jack only. Only had one swearing occurrence at the very end, bashed my finger right on the pinch weld after the torque wrench slipped off the front leaf bolt. Its swelled up like a hot dog and bled a bit. Hurt so bad I almost passed out. Nothing a cant fix!

It didn't lift as much as I expected it to, probably because the used springs have settled, hopefully the front coils will match up and level it out. Right now when measuring from the wheel to the flare the rear has 1" more clearance than the front.

More to follow, with any luck the front will go just as smooth tomorrow.

Kelso

Finished the lift up today. Front end went smoothly, no spring compressors needed, just disconnected the control arms and they went right in. Goin in to Les Schwab tomorrow for an alignment.

Took it for a test drive and it rode great. Has some driveline vibes at around 25-30 mph but they disappear at highway speeds. Should I drop the t-case???

Now I'm on the hunt for tires....



What about this stupid thing??

I ended up taking it back off because it moved the axle to the passenger side about the same amount that it was shifted to the drivers side without. I aligned the axle with the track bar disconnected, but it didn't seem like I'd have enough room to safely re-drill the factory bracket, so I just mounted it back up in the stock location. I figure the handling and steering will be better this way until I can afford an adjustable track bar.

541_halseth

Hey looks good, all said and done, and that 25-30mph, i feel you, mines the same way, if you find something out different then i want to know too, its never bothered me enough to really go into, but looks good. Excited to see what tires end up on.

odgreen

good to see another oregon jeep getting lifted!

odgreen

what part of oregon you from btw?

Kelso

Sandy..not too far from you I reckon

odgreen

not far at all plus another cf user lives one block away fro me lol

Kelso

Got some tires - used 32x11.5x15 wild country all terrains off craigslist - $75. Had some north portland gypsy tire shop mount them for $50, then took em to les schwab for a free balance (gotta love les schwab, their product support is awesome)

Rubbing is not near as bad as I thought it would be. Control arms rub at full lock, and no fender rubbing. I'm sure wheeling will be a different story. I'll probably leave the sway bar hooked up until I can dial in the bump stops and/or do some trimming.

Next mods will include adjustable track bar and home brew rear bar pin eliminators using the old rear sway bar mounting brackets.

Skunkape

Thats a good looking stance! I like that looks utilitarian like it should look!Makes me kinda miss when mine was @ 3''s.

Kelso

^ Thanks, I like that description, "utilitarian" - function over form is the idea

JDJeeper

I had the same plan, small lift, a little trimming ans 32s. Now im at 4-5in of lift and 33s. Good luck sticking to your build plan. Looks great.

1ABrian

I like it, simple, practical and capable. Great job

541_halseth

looks good man, pictures look even better on here than inch one on my phone.