tmgrant

It's been a while, but I am just now starting to really get into restoring my 96 XJ. What I am looking at is raising it 3" (suspension is still stock and getting rough). I was wondering if anyone who has done this before had any advice. When I am restoring it, I want to do it right, and get an idea of what all I may need to include with the cost (Example: new brake lines, SYE, brakes, speedo gear, steering stabilizer, sway bar, etc.).

I'm pretty new to this. I'm planning on keeping this Jeep for a long time and willing to invest in it. I'm not looking at rock climbing or anything intense, it's going to mostly be used for camping, semi light off-roading, dirt trails, grass fields, winter driving (Illinois), and light-medium mudding.

Any advice, words of wisdom, guidance, etc. would be appreciated. What I am currently looking at is a 3" Skyjacker Standard lift kit with rear leafs and nitro shocks; 31" tires.

Xj88

Please never consider skyjacker lol.

Do it right..you said you don't mind spending..so do it on QUALITY PARTS.

My suggestion for a mint 3" lift?

3" Rustys Coils
2" old man emu medium load leafs,
Small drop shackle.
Bilstein 5100s
Quality upper AND lower arms (iron man Andy, rock Krawler, Clayton, rubicon express)
Extended brake lines
Extended quick discos.
adjustable double sheer trac bar (iro, rock Krawler, re)

96XJ13

Holy cow man he said light off roading and camping. Try something like rough countrys 3 in lift kit. Very easy simple to install mine came with an add a leaf or you can opt out for and get the rear springs.

Here's the rough country link(below) for the one I bought. I went with this because it came with the LCA. Was a nice simple install for the most part except beware of your rear shocks those bolts don't like to come out wd40 the **** out of them.

You can fit 31's fine no rubbing and up to 35's with some serious trimming but I'm keeping in mind you said light offroad so I would stick to 31 at's. For your brake lines, I did not need to buy extenders with this lift. I found that straighting your brake lines in the front ( so they don't look like a mountain turned upside down) works fine, no issues in the rear.

An alignment will be needed either diy or take it to a shop plenty of how to videos and writes up how to do it if you want to try your hand at it. Anyways hope this was helpful as I have just done almost all of this in the last 2 mnths. : ) Gl

http://www.roughcountry.com/jeep_xj_3x.php

SeriousOffroad

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f10/re...t-sale-169000/

NatetheOgre

This... Quality parts that will also ride well on the street.

Rough country...I would avoid, not a fan of their products.

acewingman89

I bought a zone 3 inch lift with add a leaf. So far no issues with the lift. Just have death wobble that I am currently fixing. I went with the zone 3 inch simply because it was basic (shocks, springs and add a leaf) and it was simple to put on

Xj88

Yea..
He also said he wanted to do it RIGHT. If he wants it to last, and maintain a stockish ride rough country isn't the answer.
I've ran tons of different lifts and ill say each time..rough county sucks.

salad

Xj88's list is fantastic, though I'm not so sure of UCAs required for a 3". SeriousOffroad's deal is also awesome, the RE SuperRide kit with full leafs is well received.

If you're really in for the long haul, build in costs of rebuilds and little upgrades as you go. Do bearings and seals in axles and transfer case. Disc brake swap will save you aggravation, improve safety, and actually work after mud. If you're going to be driving it a lot you may want to look into regearing to fit the tire size for fuel economy - 31s with an automatic transmission would work great with 4.10:1, which were in axles on 4 cyl XJs. If you can find recenty rebuilt stock axles with those gears it may be worth your time. Save fuel and transmission wear.

Don't forget armor and recovery

ta2tony

The mix build xj88 recommended is a good one and similar to what I did. If you are just wanting a 'kit' I'd look at both Rusty's and Zone's 3" lift kits, for suspension only. If you want to spend a little more money I'd look at a 3" OME lift kit, probably one of the better riding kits.

For any linkage items (control arms, track bar, etc) go with IRO or RE. If you only want a 3" lift on 31's, do not go with the RE lift kit, it will really be closer to 5" lift in the rear and will ride stiff. Their stuff is made for "extreme duty" offroading, but their arms and trackbars are a good value.

jhampton

i like my rough country never gave me any problems check em out do your own research cuz in the end its you wallet and your jeep and remember it fun!

tmgrant

Thanks everyone for the feedback, reading through some reviews and looking at everything everyone has posted. I think it would be best to go with a kit, and then work my way up to what XJ88 posted as I get more confidence and experience in doing all of this. That being said, what are decent lift kits, that I can get and then what additional parts would I need with them? I am thinking steering stabilizer, etc. Right now I am looking at both Zone, Rusty's, and kind of torn on rough country with the reviews. So I guess this has switched from best set up to best kit for starters, that I can slowly improve on over time. Forgive me for my inexperience on these things, I am just getting started, and still trying to figure everything out. Thanks everyone!

ckysodkorn_xj

go with what serious posted. RE has superior products. they're great. a bit pricey but youll be happy and most times, you get more lift than they say =P

Dirt Diver

I was about to order a Rough Country 4" lift from 4wheelparts. I was on the phone with a guy at their corporate office this past Sunday. I was debating between the RC and Skyjacker. The guy told me, "Whatever you do, stay away from RC. We got rid of them and stopped selling their products. We have to keep covering warranty issues because they have been refusing. Their products are garbage. If you haven't noticed, there's a reason eBay and Amazon have been flooded with their lifts." So, I ordered a 4" Skyjacker lift for my Rubicon (through Amazon, saved over $100 and got free 2day shipping). I'm not bashing anyone's lift, I'm just relaying what the guy told me on the phone. I will probably wind up ordering a RC lift anyways for my XJ just cuz my budget just took an unexpected hit...Good luck with your options. I know how hard it is to commit to a lift. I've been shopping for 2 on 2 different Jeeps and I'm wracking my brain in the process...

96XJ13

You said it "RIGHT" not EXPENSIVE that lift is over 1400$ for someone who wants light offroading. No doubt in my mind that's a great lift for 1400 it better be for 3 inches. Which doesn't include shipping and handling let alone tires for this mans light offroading.

There is no right perfect lift its all about what you want and how much your willing to give and take.

Ianf406

Hey man check out the link in my signature for a list of available XJ kits. Pic a few in your price range off there and do some research on them.