Low budget build goin here. I'm not sure if I really need a lift on my Jeep. It looks like it already has a small amount of lift already. I want to start goin on trails but not sure if a small amount lift will get me on the harder trails without breakin something. So lets hear some ideas.

 

make some rocker panels, steel bumper, a winch, trim the fenders, get so steelies with 3.5" backspacing, put on some 30x9.5. take off the rear swaybar. make some quick disconnects for the front swaybar. maybe a locker in the rear.
call the bank, tell'em you're going on a hard trail and might need a line of credit by the end of the day...
what kind of a budget are you thinking?

 

HAHAHA

 

Right now I am goin to try to get all the quirks out of it, Then I will get parts here and there, low low budget at the moment. But want to get at least a 3 inch lift under it and go from there.

 

Moved to chat

 

If you don't have a line of credit or a trust fund, decide on the size of tires first. Then lift to accommodate those. The higher the lift, the more you're required to spend on tangential items such as shocks, bump stops, track bar, control arms, brake hoses, SYE, driveshaft, etc. to get everything to work right. And you'll want a large line item in the budget for "armor" although I've seen well-lifted XJs with next to no skid plates. Necessary skid plates include the transfer case, gas tank, and maybe rocker panel rails and diff cover protection. Leave the differentials open and have fun trying to climb. No challenge is no fun.

 

just make sure that you wheel within your means and capabilities. if you're unsure, always go easy on the gas pedal. i have made it through the hardest spots on trails with moderate acceleration and got to laugh at the $20-30k rigs that were stuck because of the "ballz out" mentality.
but either way, keep one thing in mind, wheeling, just like racing costs money. like i said keep a line of credit close to your warm spot.