2trackin

I just picked up my first xj. Or jeep even for that matter. I love it so far.100% stock 99 classic.
I bought it for a family round town, weekend camping/wheeling vehicle.
I will occasionally drive it back and forth to work.(70 miles round trip) in the winter when my gas sippin like a hummingbird sunfire doesn't wana go through our nasty foot of snow overnight weather we get here in Michigan.
Needless to say I want to retain the ability to drive on a regular basis as well as have some good fun on the weekends.
So far I really like the idea of a long arm kit. 3.5"-4.5" I honestly don't really want to worry about needing extended drive shafts an sye is about the furthest I want to go as far as messing with drivetrain.
My question is, would a 3.5" long arm kit do well for a weekend warrior like myself who is really just getting into jeepin. Been doin the muddin for a few years with a full size truck and am now more interested in involving the family and more technical driving.
Also, advise on any and all other parts to upgrade or replace along with a lift would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

2trackin

Also I know I already touched on the lift subject. But wanted a little more in depth insight into what really goes into the lift I'm looking for. Also finding the right type of lift for my usage.
Usage including trails, light rocks, nothin extreme and not to forget the sand dunes.

ericfx1984

personally I would not bother with 3.5" and long arms...

not saying you can't do it. Just saying most of the kits out there do not offer it...

and in all honesty long arms at that short of a height are going to get hung up on stuff a lot!

so either move up to 4.5 or so and long arms or stay short arms if you are going to be below 4"

I ran a 3" Rough Country short arms kit and it flexed GREAT

basically I am saying, don;t get too hung up on NEEDING long arms... cause you might not actually need them

EvilBlackXJ

A basic 3-4 inch lift with the proper tires and should make your Jeep very capable for what your intended useage is.

93gc40

First things first. What size tires do you want to run? How much body trimming you willing to do? For you usage, this is the determining factor to the amount and type of lift. Personaly I would NOT go LA for under 4" of lift.
Fact is toss a locker in a stock XJ and you will have a nearly unstoppable weekend wheeler. I have taken a stock height UN-locked XJ with 235 tires, on trails rated for Minimum of 32" tires and lockers.

Outlaw Star

I agree the XJ is very capable in stock form. So a 3-4 inch lift with a set of 31x10.50s should be adequate for your needs plus not too high for the family to get in and out of. A locker or posi trac will also aid in your weekend wheeling. Good luck and have fun!

2trackin

Alright guys, I'm convinced a 3-4" short arm kit with 31"s will suffice for my needs. Now its to decide what company to order from. I would like to not have some really stiff bouncy ride. I still want a nice soft quality ride. I'm sure a nice set of shocks will help with that along with a quality lift.
What other items should I look at when lifting? Steering components? Or other moving parts , u joints..etc.
I want this thing to be 100% reliable when daily driven. The ol lady will be driving it doing errands and what not through the week.

On a side note. My jeep had obviously been parked in grass when not used. I'm thinking for most of its life. So there's quite the rust underneath. Already replaced drivers side floor pan(rotted from inside) as the passenger side is completely unharmed.
Anyhow about the underbody rust. Id like to clean it up and coat it somehow. What would be the most cost effective way of doing so? Bead blast and paint or underbody coating?

Illuminator

Since its rusty I'd start by spraying down all the suspension hardware with penetrating lube WELL in advance, to ease removal. You may or may not chose to do a sye on it, I think at 3" you'll be alright, but if you chose to put on a sye you're going to need a new rear drive shaft that's set up for one.

Xj88

If your on a budget go with Rustys Offroad 3 inch full leaf pack. It comes with new coils, 4 new hyrdo shocks, and a brake line relocater. They are pretty reasonable price. I just installed mine and it rides 10x better than stock. Consider getting some new sway bar links, I just ditched my entire rear sway bar and cant tell a difference when driving. Install for me took a total of around 10 hrs (spread out over about a week). I threw some BFG MT KM2s on mine and it is pretty mean looking. Not too high (wanna go higher) but has plenty of clearence. Also may wanna consider recovery points if your gonna be wheeling. Nothing worse than a nice lifted jeep that gets stuck and has no where to pull it from.