I've been an avid motorcyclist for 10+ years, but now I live in Colorado and I'm getting into Jeeping. I just bought a '98 Cherokee SE w/ upcountry package and 120k miles.

I've done hours of research, but wanted to get a sanity check before I start punching in credit card numbers:

• 4.5 inch rubicon express superflex kit (full leaf packs, upper & lower LCA, sway bar disconnects) - seems like a very complete kit
• Rubicon express stabilizer.
• advanced adapters slip yoke eliminator & stock front drive shaft to use as a rear shaft
• Durango steering box (stock box is leaking badly) & frame brace
• Possibly ZJ tie rod ends - is this worth it?
• Elite Affordable Offroad bumper with winch box - anyone have experience with the quality?
• 31 inch tires - recommend me some! Not a DD, so OK with cheaper options
• Wheels - Can I use stock SE wheels? They look goofy but I would definitely reuse them if I can. Not sure if I need wheels with more offset.

Am I missing anything? The goal is decent/good flex, 31 inch tires, a roofline below 6'1 (no roof rack), and reasonable road manners for the wife. I'd like to get the parts ordered so I can have time to install and shake things out prior to a trip to Moab over memorial day (hopefully).

This is a "budget" build in the sense that I'd like to keep the total of the lift and tires less than $3 grand, but I'm not interested in cutting corners to save $200 bucks.

Does anyone have any input? I was really on the fence between a 3 inch kit and a 4.5 inch kit? Tring to balance function vs. total cost. I tried to do a lot of research before making this post, hopefully its not too ignorant.

 

A 4.5 lift would be good with 31" tires and a stock body . If you use a 3" lift you will have to cut your fenders .

 

I would go 3" of lift w/ 31s. On 31s you shouldn't need to trim. My 90 was on 2" of lift and 31s when I bought it, looked good. With no trimming it had plenty of clearance. If you do need to trim, should be minimal. I think the 4.5" lift w/ 31s will look funny. You want a lower CG for better on road and off road manners.

On your stock wheels you will likely have clearance issues to the suspension. Backspacing is important. I would suggest you buy some 15x8 Cragar Soft 8s w/ 4" of backspacing. I have them on my 90 w/ 33x12.5s and they fit good. You could use a 15x7 wheel with a 31x10.5, but the 15x8 will give you room to grow (tire size is like a drug, you'll want more). The Cragar Soft 8s run $35 a piece or so. Cheap, quality.

I like my General Grabber AT2s in a 33x12.5. Quality tire at a fair price. Depends on your plans for the Jeep. I use mine on the beach, trail riding, and daily driving. The Grabber AT2s work great for that. They do great in the sand and on trails. No humming on the road, nice and quiet. ABSOLUTELY suck in the mud, they slick over quick and will not clean out even if I rev it to the moon. In the Southeast it would be good to have mud capability, but MTs suck in the sand and are noisy on the road. I'm on asphalt and sand more than mud. In the mud I get a running start and skim across the top. Makes for a wild ride.

Add some JKS disconnects to the front sway bar, love mine. Lose the rear sway bar (if yours came with one), don't need it. You'll get a better ride off road disconnected, wife will like that. Will also flex better. The JKS's are super easy to use, quality made product.

 

I 2nd this. I have the same tures in 31/10.50/15. I like them alot. they do suck in the mud. and they suck bad. but daily driving is nice and quiet and they do well in the snow

 

you can't reasonably expect any all terrain to do good in mud. Their designs of small, tightly compacted tread blocks don't allow them to.

 

I agree I never expected them to do well in mud. I am simply agreeing with Bad_idea and making sure the point gets noticed. Not that the thread starter FromTexasInColorado is clueless or anything but some people see all terrains and instantly think "mud tires" because they are more aggressive than street tires. No disrespect meant to anybody

 

a steering linkage upgrade is a good idea, the stock parts are weak.

 

I second TrailerTrash. I knew when I bought them they would suck in the mud, by design. I was making the point that you need to select a tire based on your intended use. I did that and I am satisfied.

 

I'm going to be wheeling in Colorado, Utah, and the surrounding areas, so mud isn't a huge concern. Bummer about the wheels, they weren't in my original list of required parts but now I can buy a set online somewhere that's already been mounted and balanced and they look like they are pretty cheap. I'll have to noodle over the all terrain vs. mud terrain options.

I think I will stick with the 4.5 inch lift. I hate to focus on looks, but the 4.5 inch really gives the "look" that I like. Plus, I'll have the option to upgrade to 32-33inch tires later on if I decide to build the rig up more. Although I'll probably go for some sort of front locker before going for more rubber.

I'm off to get the emissions tested and the vehicle registered. If that goes smoothly, I'll be ordering the steering box, brace, zj tie rods and lift kit tonight.

 

Sounds like a solid plan. I ran 5.5/5" of lift on 31s, stock wheels and fender flares. It looked just fine, lots of compliments. The two things I would strongly recommend are control arm drop brackets (CADs) and shackle relocation boxes. Those two items will allow you to keep a factory like ride and handling. They made the biggest change to how it rode.

 

I second that emotion. I really like my CADs, makes for a smooth ride. If you go with the SRBs (good idea), you'll want to look into the 'no lift' ones to maintain same rear height.

 

Resurrection!

I am finishing up my lift installation hopefully in the next day or so. I'm working alone and it was definitely harder than expected. I had to buy a torch and a ball joint press (track bar and sway bar bolts would NOT come free) and I've been taking my time, but I its coming together. No broken shock bolts!

A couple of questions for you experts:

• How do you guys deal with ABS lines? My kit came with extended brake lines, but it sure seems like the ABS lines in the back will be stretched pretty good at full flex.
• Centering the axle - my driver's side is exactly 1 inch further out than the passenger side. For the life of me I could not get it to center any more by just using the steering wheel. It bothers me some aesthetically, but is that safe to operate?
• SYE - I'm leaning towards the hack-n-tap, honestly because it looks like its much easier to do. Is that crazy? I haven't been able to find any anecdotes of people breaking theirs or having issues. I also like the idea of using another front drive shaft
• Should I take the jeep to a 4x4 shop for an alignment after I am finished or can any shop do it?
• The rubicon express instructions say to torque to "factory specs" when I am back on 4 wheels. Where's the easiest place to find all these specs?

Lastly - I've decided to go with Dick Cepek Extreme Country 31x10.5r15's on trailmaster steel wheels.

I'm putting a hold on the Durango steering box for now. After struggling with the lift a little bit, I just want to get the new tires on and actually have some fun with it.

I also learned my jeep was a former Pitkin County, Colorado municipal vehicle, which is kind of cool. That explains why it has the upcountry package and no carpets.

 

It's great you updated the thread with your progress. It kills me when threads die out without resolution.

 

Thanks for the info! I wanted to take pictures, but I'm working in a dark, small garage in Denver (most of the work done with a headlamp).

I've got an adjustable track bar, but it doesn't have an adjuster that will push or pull the body. It has to be adjusted before its mounted. So, my process is to try to move the body with the steering wheel until the tires are lined up, measure, adjust the track bar and mount it. The bummer is that I can't quite get the body over far enough to actually center it.

I'll check out the how-to on the alignment and see if its something I'm up for.

How hard was the PORC SYE to install and did you have to pull out the T-case?

 

Do you have a ratchet strap? Should be able to grab the frame on the DS and the axle on the PS, ratchet them together. Shouldn't take a lot of force to pull it over. Grab somewhere that won't interfere with putting the track bar on.

This is the kit I used: . You don't HAVE to take the TC out, but I did. I'd rather spend the hour pulling it out and putting it in, than to lay on my back under the jeep doing the work. It was easy work, not bad at all. I watched BleepinJeep's video. He does a comprehensive install of a SYE. I took the laptop into the garage, played a few minutes of the video, paused it and did that step, rinse and repeat. Hack n Tap is definitely going to be easier. Not sure if you NEED the full SYE kit, but for me - I'd rather do more work (assuming same cost) to have a beefier end result.