im trying to decide what lift to get for my jeep. im trying to decide between a 3 inch and a 4.5 I was also thinking about 3 inch with long arms. I don't have a jeep yet.. but I will be getting one next week and I will start ordering parts the day I get it. will the shocks in the 3 inch rustys lift be okay for a lot of flex? I plan on running lockers front and rear and im picking up a set of 31 inch super swamper tsl's next week. I want to have a very capable rig but I don't want a lot of height (big lift=big tires= more $$$$ when it comes to changing tires) I will have about 2500 to invest into lift, lockers. so any help will be appreciated!

 

Before a build I'd go with fresh fluids, a full tune up, and fix as many leaks as possible. Then plan for ball joints and u joints when doing your lift.

Whatever lift you decide on, make sure you get full leaf packs and not just an add a leaf.

 

For 31" keep it at 3" but otherwise nobody on this site can tell you how to build your rig because in the end its yours and that's what matters

 

i believe most long arm kits are for 4.5 or taller

 

I already plan on a full tune up, fresh fluids and anything general maintenance wise. im starting with 5000 so I figured after I buy a jeep, general maintnence and wheels and tires I will have about 2500 for a lift and lockers. and I plan on the full leaf kit as most of the jeeps ive looked at have sagging rear springs lol. I will be building the jeep the way I want I just want some opinions on what works best and what parts are good basically.

 

Yea stay with 3in. You can run 33's with a 3" lift no problems. Just trimming and bump stops.

Keep it on the low

 

http://www.full-traction.com/product...ension-system/

^ long arms. and anything is possible with some metal and a welder in my experience haha. I want to build it right the first time. my first vehicle was a xj but I was 15 and I never had enough money to anything more then fender trimming and 31s lol. (ended up scrapping it for as much as I paid for it lol!) now that I have some cash to put into it I want to build it and build it right.

 

I wouldn't lift it any more than 3" if you're only gonna run 31's. To me, 31's look tiny on my 1.5" lift, which is why I'm running 33's. And you don't necessarily need long arms to have a capable rig, I believe long arms would hurt more than help on mine, I drag my short arms over rocks constantly, long arms would just be easier to hit on things.
How to build it really depends on what you want to do with it though. I ride trails, and crawl around on rocks, so I build my rigs as low as possible to keep a low center of gravity, but if you don't do anything but mud bogging, a higher Jeep would probably be better.

Honestly, I suggest wheeling it stock first, and upgrade as needed, instead of throwing a ton of money at it right from the start. Then you can figure out what you need, and decide what would work best for the terrain you wheel. That's how I do it, upgrade as needed, and keep it simple.

 

May I ask where you are from

 

New Castle PA, im going to wheel it pretty hard. there are tons of trails behind my house and there is places to wheel all around where I live (advantage of living in the sticks!) I had a stock xj and it surprised me many times. but I want to build it now when I actually have the money to build it. my old jeep would still always get hung up up rocks and ruts and stuff. I try to stay away from mud if I can (I usually cant resist the urge) because every time I get into it I end up breaking something.

 

what are good lockers (cheaper ones) for Cherokees? the one im getting has a 8.25 rear and d30 front. both open

 

I like Lock Rites, I've had good luck with them in a couple vehicles. A lot of guys on here like Spartan too. I'm going with a Lock Rite in the front of my XJ.
If you want a full carrier replacement locker, I like Detroit (have one of them in the back of my Chevy, I love it).

 

dana 30 lock rights are on sale for 210 on rustys!!

 

Well I made a deposit on a jeep today. 2000 4 door automatic. 8.25 rear end. Completely stock and rust free. Only paying 650 for it!! With no rust! That's hard to find here in the rust Belt. It needs a radiator and a ignition switch. Some other small easy things. The rear hatch won't open. It's pretty clean though

 

Make sure there is no water in the oil, they are notorious for head issues.
Probably why it's so cheap.

Good luck with it.