supershawnboy@gmail.com

Have been reading posts on here, and I'm wondering what's necessary for a decent build. I'm looking at a 1989 with a long arm kit and 35" tires (looks like 6-8" of lift from the pictures).
I used to wheel vintage bronco's on technical rocks, but I didn't Ave the money to really build a rig to do it.
I'm mostly going to run dirt roads in Vermont with my horde of children, and i want super capable so I can get out of trouble, not to do anything really serious.
It has big tires and a little motor, so I'm thinking of 4.56s and selectable lockers. I have a winch, so that will get added. Putting body cladding on it, and a roof rack because they look cool with the aftermarket bumpers.
For what I'm doing with it and the tore size, is it necessary to do a heavy duty steering conversion?
Are frame stiffeners necessary?
I have a chance to get a Dana 44 for the front, should I, or just build up the stock Dana 30?
What am I missing?
Thank you

andrewmp6

Frame stiffeners are needed to take out of the body flex a roll cage can do the same also.With 35s if you beef up the dana 30 with a full truss upgrade the axles it will handle 35s fine unless your a lead foot off road.Swapping to a 44 front isn't cheap since theres not really a bolt in one with out going currie/And being a driver side drop limits the swap options.On the rear end a chrysler 8.25 is strong enough and found in xjs with out abs so if you don't have it its a easy bolt in swap.

supershawnboy@gmail.com

I'm pretty light footed off road, and I won't be pushing the truck hard at all. I'll keep the Dana 30, and see how it drives. Definitely going to put quick disconnects on the sway bars, read a little about that and it seems like a no brainer. Looking more to explore/hunt/fish than to do hard core wheeling.

Fred/N0AZZ

4.56 gears are a good choice for something you driving to the trails on the highway, I run this gear with 33 and 35" tires. A selectable locker in the front is a good idea for the rear I might suggest a auto locker like a Detroit Locker very strong and quiet.


For the type of wheeling that you described for a steering upgrade you could use a ZJ TRE setup from a mid-90's V-8 Grand Cherokee much stronger than stock and a direct bolt-in. I have used it for going on 5 yrs now and still doing fine plus the complete setup is about $100 at the local parts store.


Armor is good on the TC and gas tank and rocker skids at the least. If it has good bumpers with recovery points and a winch mount you should be good to go till you find a weak point and you will.


One other small upgrade but much needed is an aftermarket TC shift linkage to replace the crap stock one. Don't forget your air compressor to air the tires back up when you leave the trails.

supershawnboy@gmail.com

Thank you very much!! The grand Cherokee steering set up is a huge help.
The Detroits are a great piece of equipment, they tend to just work.we used to run them in my Bronco.
I ordered a winch bumper for the front and a tire carrier for the rear. I'll have to see what it has for skid plates but I'll definitely add some if they're missing. The owner put a home made steering set up on it and I really don't like that idea....
Thank you again!!

andrewmp6

If your looking to camp out a while there is some roof top tents you can buy for it.To me it sounds like you want more of a expedition type rig then a crawler right?

supershawnboy@gmail.com

Exactly. I used to have a rock crawler and I have no interest in building another. Looking more for something that can get me into hunting and fishing spots, and bring my kids with me. I'm overbuilding it a little because it's fun....