ToasterOnWheels

Hi im new to this so sorry if i posted in the wrong place. I have a 97 xj country and wanted to get some ideas for modifying it. Also i cant seem to find any places to off road around central kentucky.

97 xj country stock so far
Possible plans: add roof rack with kc lights, lift the jeep ( im not sure how high though, and could use advice on whats easiest for a beginner. Brand, height, etc....) Last i want to look into swaping in a manual transmission when the current auto kicks the bucket is that a hard swap to do? Would it be much more than paying someone to swap in a rebuilt automatic?

Problems: the passenger side floor carpet gets wet when it rains, but i cant seem to find where its from. The door locks only work half the time and still make a clicking noise when not working.

wiggles

Welcome to the forum! For the lift being that you are new to this I wouldn't go higher than 3" and rough country (rc) is a good inexpensive company that supplies good parts. I don't have a solid answer on the other questions but you should be able to get the answers from other members relatively easily. Good luck!

excess650

Keep the fluid changed in that AW4 and you'll be surprised how long it lasts. The older I get the more I appreciate an automatic.

I thought EVERYTHING was off road in Kaintuck!

ToasterOnWheels

Thanks for the advise on the lift i was reading a builders guide, and was considering putting a 3 inch lifft, but was concerned about putting new break lines due to the increased height. Is this an extremely difficuilt task? Im not a mechanic or anything but have replaced a power stering pump and radiator on my own. Also the jeep already has an "up country" suspinsion which is stock but i dont know how high that already lifted the jeep. It does seem a bit higher.

And yes everything in kantucky (spelling on purpose) is off road. The trick is knowing who owns the land and getting shot at if you dont

ToasterOnWheels

Oh almost forgot to mention pics will be posted soon.

wiggles

Up country is 1" higher than stock so if I was you I would only do a 2" budget boost because that will put you at 3"

ToasterOnWheels

Here is a photo of the 97 I will be building.

ToasterOnWheels

Would there be any issue with getting the 3 inch lift shown here http://www.roughcountry.com/jeep_xj_3.html Since I would be replacing the leaf & coil wouldnt that cancell out the 1 inch lift from the stock up country suspension? I was wanting to replace as much as possible since the xj has 200,000 miles, and has alot of bounce to the suspension like its worn out.

I think this would be my best option, but I am concerned about the break lines being long enough. Would those normally be included in the kit?

wiggles

Yes that will give you 3" then you can sell your old stuff for a bit of $ to someone to pay you lift back

ToasterOnWheels

Ok so i thought it was time to give an update. My 3 inch lift was put on hold due to transmission issues. Ill be honest i dont mind replacing a radiator, power steering pump, etc but the transmission is beyond me. So my jeep is in the shop getting the cylanoid assembly replaced since they were sticking. Basically my check engine light would be on from time to time, and although i would get all 4 gears the "locking clutch" would not kick in sometimes. im pretty sure this is where the auto transmissions lock rpm with the motor at highway speeds like 45 mph and up. Im probably using wrong terms so feel free to correct.

So with this the lift will probably not happen for anothe month, but hey atleast i still have my jeep

Drewjharper1900

Ive got a black 97 country too. I had tranny problems with mine a month or two after i got it and had to replace it. Sucks but its nice knowing that the tranny has been rebuilt ya know? A simple mod that you could do that makes it look better IMO is trimming the fenders and bumper caps. I plan on doing a 3" w/ 33's on mine. Let me know how yours goes. I think im going to get mine from rustys.

XJUSMC

I have one too.

ToasterOnWheels

That is awsome! I was driving up to pick a friend up last night joking about our plans for a zombie attack. How have you prepared that vehicle for the zombie apocalypse aside from the sticker? Im looking to build my stock 97 xj up after paying for the transmission work.

ToasterOnWheels

This was my first post, and I just noticed since its to track my build its in the wrong section. Does anyone know how to move it over to the builds section?

ToasterOnWheels

So I just finished putting on my Cherokee Forum stickers today. I think this looks awesome. Maybe some other Cherokee drivers wil join after seeing them...