ParkerM6

Alright, so I've been stalking around this site for a couple days, seen some amazing looking Cherokees, and have figured out that I want to purchase one as my first, and full time car; (I currently drive a Mazda 5 Sport, yea, I'd love to see that handle mud xD). So what I was looking at, because I live in NC, is this one right here. Now, I know little about mechanics, and even less about anything under the hood, but I think I could figure it out pretty quick. Now my problem is that I don't like the look of a stock too much. They're pretty and all, but mods are there for a reason.

So I've been thinking of all the add-ons possible, I've got it down to this list.

Long Trail T/AŽ Tour - http://bit.ly/1sVtn3x = 540.00
Roof Rack - http://amzn.com/B001WRRK4E = 338.99 (Check Cherokee Forums for DIY)
Light Bar - http://amzn.to/1uQs07l = 160.00
Hitch - http://amzn.com/B000E28EK2 = 113.44
Recovery Receiver - http://amzn.com/B001CF1A7O = 29.99
Brush Guard - http://amzn.com/B00J62XJNS = 301.00
Front Winch - http://amzn.com/B009O4WJCK = 69.99
Side Step - http://amzn.com/B00F0M7XZ8 = 124.55
Steering Wheel - http://amzn.com/B000CMJ1VU = 56.55
Heavy Duty Floor Mats - http://amzn.com/B000BQL9XA - http://amzn.com/B000BRMS48 = 74.39
Rims - http://amzn.com/B000CIFQ0O = 391.60
Fog Lights - http://amzn.com/B002PQS8Q0 = 61.95
-- Optional --
Road Kit - http://amzn.com/B005TTZ1GK = 58.11
Radar Detector - http://amzn.com/B005IQGNCU = 240.33

So far? 2560

Mind you this is without lifts, suspensions, or anything like that. No under the hood stuff yet.

This is where I need your help from. Here's my predicament: I don't know of many trails in NC, so I'd like to keep it fairly MPG friendly, I don't need a 30ft lift, lol. I would however like it a couple inches up, any recommendations there would be much appreciated. Also what size tires would you recommend with a lift that's only a couple inches up?

Is it hard to do wiring for a light bar and fog lights? I saw something about power inverters and other things and I'm not totally used to wiring.

I want to do something to the hood at least, I've seen the Mustang scoop on someones, and the other vents. I'm thinking of the hood mod that adds the spacers at the hinges.

Anything that you can think of helps, under the hood is great, and I'd love ideas for the exterior, seeing as now it's a bit bland.

Oh and yes, I know they're giant holes in the pocket. xD

Lowrange2

First off, you're wasting money on the winch, brush guard and side steps that you have listed.

The brush guard is flimsy and pointless, you can buy a nice bumper for the same price. The winch is for a four wheeler. It wouldn't come close to being useful on a Jeep. You need at least an 8,000# winch. The side steps are also pointless. They hang low and will be in the way. Check out JCR Offroad for bumpers.

As far as the lift goes it all depends on how much money you want to spend. Personally, I think a 3" lift with some 31" tires is a nice stance to have. You'll also probably want a tire with some tread on it. Something other than the street tire you have listed.

You can buy 3" lifts online for around $300 or you can spend $1000. Just depends on your wallet. Personally, I'd buy a set of Rubicon Express 3.5" coil springs and 3.5" Rubicon Express leaf springs for under $400. I'd also purchase a double shear track bar of your choice.

You may or may not need a slip yoke eliminator.

Tired of typing. /

Gary Briggs

Before I bought any new parts I'd suggest you read this thread.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/bud...herokee-58797/

You can save a lot of money piecing togeother a lift with some junkyard parts. My 3.5" lift cost less than 100$, t-bird coils s-10 leafs f-250 sway bar links. My bilstien 5125's and adjustable track bar cost $425.

I think you could modify that xj for quite a bit cheaper than you think.

Just gotta take the time to learn from others experiences, they are well documented on here!

Comanche1987

Too many miles for too much money. I would say go for the 1998-1999 for a new Jeeper, I like the old school 96 and older myself. If you can find a lightly modified Jeep that already has a few of the things you wan't it will save you some money. Look for something under 120k miles for 4 grand. Also you want to climb under it and check the floor, its the first thing to go (rust). Drive it, Jeeps don't drive as "easy" as a car with their conventional style steering but if the steering is good it will be decent steering.

ParkerM6

Well I wanted a brush guard because my brain is stupid and love the way they look. The winch is something I know nothing about, or how it's wired for that matter, so I figured 2,000 would be fine. The side steps is another one of my brains visual attractions, I love the look of stuff, in case you couldn't tell. A 3" lift with 31" tires? I don't know how high 3" is, would that make it look raised but normal or would it look high up? The tires are ones I found that fit the rim, I was looking at 30" BFG A/Ts, but I couldn't find a model that had the rims that small. And thanks for the recommendation, is that 400 for a set or for one?

So is it worth it going for this Jeep? It's the only low priced one around here I've seen online, I don't like CL that much, never have. Thanks for the link though and I'll definitly have to figure out the closest junkyard.

You really think so? I figured 4 grand for 170 wouldn't be too bad. I don't like the look of 2 doors as much as I like the look of 4. However I won't be using the back seat a lot so I might be convinced if I look at more builds.

salad

Okay here we go. Don't take this too harshly. But like you said... you want some advice

So your current tires are bald? These are street-only tires and not particularly good ones.

Decent price compared to MSRP but I bought a brandless unit with the same sort of specifications for around $120. For that kind of money you should get something that attaches to the rain gutter. The stock cross bars are seriously weak. As noted check around here for some lads selling EMT baskets.

Says it's IP67 rated, which is good, but it's a little too cheap and with a name like "Worthtrust" I suspect it won't last long...

Standalone brushguards like these are a total waste of money. Even if you like the looks, you can spend your money MUCH more wisely on a bumper + guard, or a nice system like the Warn Trans4mer. The issue with these - again, unless you really want to blow $300 on the look - is that they can't take much of a beating. They secure very poorly and have a small protection area. They're good for small sticks - just like the name implies. Trees or hitting a deer? Forget it. You'll be relying more on your insurance than your brush guard.

Okay a few things.

1. That winch's capacity is about half of the XJ's GVWR. It is so undersized it isn't even funny. Good for moving an XJ on pavement... that's all. If you need to use it, it won't move the Jeep. Seriously. it will overheat and die. A $70 winch is the kind of thing you'd use on a trailer for hauling non-running vehicles up onto it. Not a lot of stress and not going to kill someone if it breaks.

2. Winches don't mount with zip ties. You need a proper bumper or tie-in system like the Warn Trans4mer or Detours USA Backbone. Even a little 2000-pounder will rip apart the stock bumper.

At what cost though? Steps on an XJ robs ground clearance and promotes rust. Unless you have difficulty getting into your XJ you will regret this purchase as soon as you do anything. Rock sliders are a much better option and will improve the strength and resiliency of your vehicle.

If your XJ has airbags (1996+) you will have clockspring issues.

Well these rims are the exact same dimensions as the OE rims. 15x8 with 4" or 3.75" backspacing is recommended for larger tires. 7" rim is the minimum recommended for 31x10.5R15. Anything larger should be mounted on an 8" wide rim.

Does your XJ have fog lights currently? The wiring harness isn't present on all models.

Excellent stuff to have but those little air compressors are not exactly reliable. If you plan on getting lost find one that clips onto the battery.

Those are still legal? Seems like driving around the speed limit would save money in gas too...

https://www.google.ca/search?q=xj+3%...tires&tbm=isch

I assume you mean that you'd LIKE to run trails. The list of stuff here is so non-functional that any sane trail guide wouldn't let you do more than stock exercise, such as gravel roads.

Again, harsh, but I don't understand how you can have budgeted so much money and not actually accomplished anything.

My suggestion to you is to READ. Read, read, and read some more. Then read some more. Build threads are your friend. (go here: https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f46/) Look at some action threads. Modified Tech section is also a lot of fun. Look at other modified Jeeps, how people work on them, what they do with them, and how they perform. Once you do that - it'll only take a few hours of you looking around here - come back to this page and you'll see how utterly silly this list is.

Cheers

Rogue4x4

@ salad: WELL SAID

ParkerM6

That wasn't harsh at all, exactly what I needed. Some stuff on there i.e brush guard was to remember something and get a rough price on it. Thanks for the lift images, and the rim desc. with tires. The Jeep I'm looking at doesn't have fog lights, so I assume I'd need a wiring harness as well?


As for the detector, that was really a "I've always found it neat" and not a "I need one badly". I'm really just thinking of finding someone with one, and trying it out.

Thanks for the long post ripping apart everything I worked on last night lol. This is exactly what I needed, gonna go see if I can't expand this list and modify it to more... budget and quality standards.

fritzthekatt

Chicks dig chrome.

ParkerM6

I hope I'm not bogging down the Cherokee Chat forums with all this, let me know if I'm in the wrong section, I just want to make sure this is right.


I've been doing some looking, and have taken all of your responses, and put it into the list. I'm really liking the BFGs, but I have one question and that's about rims. Salad was talking about backspacing with 3.75 to 4 inches, and I'm unsure of how to find rims that will fit the BFGs, gonna do some crawling tonight to see if someone's linked anything on here about them, unless one of you wants to break it down/send me a link.

Lifting is something I'd love to do but not really sure of how to do properly, on my list it has the "Do I need" and it's just that, what do I need to lift? And because I am so mechanically stupid, should I take it to professionals to put on?

If any of you could recommend a winch for the BG and bumper. And... I actually think that's all my question for now. xD So sorry if I'm asking way too much. I'm doing some side research but it's getting a bit... thick. I need someone to dumb it down, if you know of an article like that. I've looked at the lift thread but that's over 1000 pages, a little too much to read.

BFGs A/T - http://bit.ly/1sHAzn8 = 639.96
Roof Rack - http://amzn.com/B001WRRK4E = 338.99
Light Bar - http://www.detoursusa.com/led-head.php = 185.00
Hitch - http://amzn.com/B000E28EK2 = 113.44
Recovery Receiver - http://amzn.com/B001CF1A7O = 29.99
BG & Bumper - http://www.jcroffroad.com/product/XJB/XJFV-T.html = 699.00
Side Step - http://www.rocky-road.com/rock-sliders.html = 309.00
Heavy Duty Floor Mats - http://amzn.com/B000BQL9XA - http://amzn.com/B000BRMS48 = 74.39
Rims - Need to figure out = ---
Fog Lights - http://amzn.com/B002PQS8Q0 = 61.95

-- Lift Mats --
Rubicon Super Ride - http://www.quadratec.com/products/16300_818.htm = 584.99
Do I need: http://www.quadratec.com/products/16300_82X_A_PG.htm = 199.99
-- Optional --
Road Kit - http://amzn.com/B005TTZ1GK = 58.11
Air Comp - Coming Soon = ---

SeriousOffroad

Vendor Forum...............

andrewmp6

And a hitch hit the junkyard find a good used one for 20 bucks or a little more.And if you want to play in mud you really need mud tires,All terrain tires are ok to a point then they pack full of mud and don't self clean like a mud tire so you can get stuck.If you love bfg brand look at their km2 they are a mud tire.

Lowrange2

That list looks much better.

1. You've picked a nice front bumper. There are more affordable ones out there, though, if you're wanting to save a buck here and there.

2. That looks like a pretty decent price on the Tires. Don't forget, you still have to get them mounted. If you check around locally you might be able to find something a little more aggressive for aroundt he same price. I run a set of Cooper ST MAXX that I bought for cheap as "Blemished".

3. The "LED BAR" link you posted isn't $185 for the light bar. That link is for the LED bar rack. It's for a 42" light bar. The original light you linked to is on the cheap side but for under $150 I feel like they're almost disposable. I've had decent luck with the ebay special light bars. If you want to spend a few more bucks on a much better light bar check out www.olympusoffroad.com

4. Yes, that's a decent starter kit and I'm sure it'd last you a good long while. I'm glad to see you chose a lift with full springs instead of an Add a Leaf spring. Unless you want to cut your fenders all the pieces to fit those 31" tires you're going to want at least a 3" lift. A lot of folks piece together a lift kit but I'm thinking that a ready to go kit would work for you.

5. Yes, you need new shocks.

6. You're definitely going to want an adjustable track bar. I've never run it but I hear this is a decent one.
http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/Merch..._Code=IR-STBCK

7. For a 31x10.50x15 on a 3.5" lift I would run a 15x8" wheels with 4" backspacing. Backspacing is the distance between the back lip of the wheel and wheel mounting surface. The smaller the BS number the farther the wheel will stick out from under the flare.

My current DD Jeep is set up just about how I'm telling you to do yours except I have a set of stock Jeep wheels so my backspacing is ~5".

Here's mine:
99 XJ 134k miles, Ice cold a/c. - $2,450.00

31x10.50r15 Goodyear Duratracs - ~800
15x7 5"BS - ~150
3" Rusty's springs - Bought lightly used springs - $200
RC N2.0 shocks - $199.00 (These suck, don't buy them)
Rugged Ridge slip yoke eliminator - $160
Auto Jeep front drive shaft being used for rear drive shaft - $20
Grand Cherokee lower control arms - $50 with modification
Adjustable Track bar - I built mine so I don't have a price.
JKS sway bar disconnects - $75
Custom built bumper - $cost of materials
Itty bitty cheap light bar - $40
Yakima cross bars - $150
Warn Rock sliders - $150
Curt Hitch - $120
Remove rear swap bar - free.

Parts - $2,034.00

With the Jeep, $4,484.00

There's a 1,000 different ways you can do this. lol Read, read, read, read.

ParkerM6

Alright, thanks for all the responses, still figuring this one out. Am I correct in thinking the shocks and the lift kit will work together? Also thanks for pointing out the light bar and the tires. Still reading up on all of this, now to figure out if I need to cut the fenders for the tires lol.

Edit, just read the post you made, I assume "unless you want to cut your fenders up" would be the answer to my question, wouldn't it.

Lowrange2

Yes, with a 3" lift you're going to want 3" longer shocks.

Yes, with a 3" lift you will clear 31's just fine. You'll probably want to correctly set your bump stops to keep from rubbing while articulating at full turn.