Hi all, I have come to a tough decision and need advice from those with more experience with XJ's. I recently purchased a used Hesco twin screw supercharger and Unichip software for my 98 XJ, and have every intention of installing it.

But I have other issues with the front suspension that need addressing. The local 4 Wheel Parts diagnosed some problems with the front suspension that need to be corrected before I can do any more wheeling.

The techs at 4WP said the bushings in all the control arms are shot and need to be replaced asap. Also the ball joints in the steering(all 4), and the ball joints at the hubs have play in them. Figure some play is normal for an XJ used off road.

So here's my dilema; after purchasing the blower for a steal, funds are low, and buying a long arm kit on top of the blower just can't happen within the next few months. So do I keep my rare Hesco blower setup and replace the short arm bushings and ball joints, or trade the blower for all new long arms of my choice and Currie steering? Basically one of the guys at 4WP wants the blower and is willing to do some trading for new parts.

Here's the current front end setup:

-Teraflex short arm lift
-Rock Krawler 6.5" coils
-Adjustable track bar(unsure of brand) for 6.5" lift
-Aftermarket steering setup(unsure on brand), with enough wore out ball joints for everyone!
-locked D30, 4.88's, 35's, ect.


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You drag racing or wheeling? Steering setup won't replace your control arm bushings or ball joints FYI

 

Definately don't let that blower go cheap though.

 

How much did you pay for the hesco stuff?


Long arms $1200, steering $500, ball joints $100.

Rounded up to $2k.

That's just guesstimating.

You could definitely do it cheaper.

Hell you can get rough country long arm upgrade for around $700. Even less if you get a discount.

You could always sell me the SC.

 

Just my 2 pennies, but you'll get more benefit out of the long arms and steering upgrades than you ever will the blower.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Wheeling, but I do daily the truck in the winter wonths. The Currie steering comes with all new ball joints, besides the ones on the hubs of course.

I can't give away all my secrets, but I know how rare these blower kits are since it's the only one that fits under the stock hood and they stoped making them a while ago, so when I found it, I had to have it lol.

You're pretty much right on with the parts value in trade, I was offered $2k in trade for anything 4WP can get their hands on. Very tempting, but if I get rid of the blower, chances are I'll never come across one again. So is it worth keeping short arms on a 6.5" lift amd just replacing the bushings and worn ball joints for just a few hundred smackers to keep the blower?

I completely agree, but what makes the decision so hard is that the blower is so rare and chances are I'll never come across one again, while the long arms and currie is easily available anywhere... Kinda makes me want to fix what I have and install the blower and save for long arms over the next couple months.

 

How much of a power gain will the blower give you? Enough to put a serious strain on your drivetrain? If so, you'll be needing to upgrade more areas pretty soon. My experience has taught me that if you have more power, you'll use it. And that can be a disaster sometimes. I've broken axle shafts, LOTS of u-joints, etc

 

I know a lot about the additional strain boost puts on parts, have owned a procharged Cobra and currently have a 55mm turbo SRT-4. I do agree the likelihood of breaking is greater, and the weak spot of my rig is the transmission, but it's hard to give up a blower that you can't even get your hands on anymore. The axles can handle it no problem, but yes u-joints and drive shafts would be a likely victim. But I've just about talked myself into needing the long arm kit more than a blower on a 128k motor.