b-dub

Oh hey how's it going? How nice of you to click.

Anyways my 96 xj is coming along rather.. "nicely" (Hesitant to word it that way)

I bought it stock and the rear springs were sagging a bit... so It now has a 4.5" RE lift on it. I pieced it together and it truly is basically the full lift minus the control arms. I wanted to go LA but ran out of money so I threw on some cheap ebay adjustable LCAs.

I replaced the shocks and tires as well as the track bar so I'm newing pretty good at keeping up with what needs to be done to it.

NOW.. the point of the thread is to try and figure out "What next?"

I have a little money to play with right now and I was really wanting to get a front bumper (I'm currently set on the OR-fab full bumper)

My other big consideration has been going long arms. I only lightly trail this thing in the woods, A LOT of rough gravel/farm roads, and running around the river.

I don't need some super beefy strong flexing to the sky suspension. I want something comfortable but stronger. I backed out on IRO because of the single upper mount on the axle.. I don't feel safe with it. I don't want to blow my entire budget on something overkill (for me) like clayton or tnt. I really think Serious off road is a nice middle ground that would be good for me but I'm open to opinions.. (but please no bashing and driving this away from actually helping me)

I'm planning to get new wires/plugs and want to just do a full tune up on it now. It isn't pretty but I love it and don't plan to get rid of it until it just falls apart.. and then I'll take my lift and other parts and throw them on another one.

yes the diffs are open but for the driving I do I don't really need anything else (yet) Also no SYE but I'm not having any issues as is.

XJmember

Recovery points front and rear, sick of seeing all these XJ's all modded, and no recovery points lol

LaredoBucket

Looks good!

BNJeepsta

Solid tow points should be #1 on the list. After that, steering!

b-dub

I have hitch shackle on the rear that is tied fully into the rear unibody. I've used it for a lot and have abused it plenty. I do need something up front and would sure rather buy a bumper instead of just hooks. Also for what I use the jeep for I never get it in situations where I need recovery (but I plan to change that) it's just dirty due to living on those muddy field roads.

b-dub

I like hearing the tow points.. valid excuse to spend a lot on a nice bumper lol

f1oored

Assuming the hello kitty vinyl wrap is already done, I vote front bumper with tow points.


This would look great on your XJ!

b-dub

LOL that's the same pic I jokingly sent a friend when he asked what I was going to spend my money on.

I like this forum... everyone else told me to do lockers and regear... I don't know how many times I had to explain it isn't some rock crawler or hardcore trail rig lol.. yet no one mentions tow points except here. That's why I have the rear tow point but I've been wanting fronts for awhile. I was going to just get hooks but it'd be stupid to spend the almost $100 on hooks when I can get a good winch bumper..

if anyone has a suggestion on which bumper throw it out there. I've probably already read about all of them since I've been researching my build for the past few years,

I like the or fab. Jcr was a close second. and then there are a lot of others I like as well but the Or-fab just does what I want it to.. basically hide the winch. Look good. and not stick out as bad as some of the others. Plus 560 shipped and it's painted and includes shackles is nice as well.

t_long

I LOVE the JCR vanguard but man it's pricy. Same with the Hanson Stinger. Because of the price I've considered the OR Fab as well. Maybe you want to regear depending on tire size?

BNJeepsta

Something to consider about the OR - fab vs JCR. The JCR comes with their front uni body reinforcement kit. That kit is AWESOME and really provides a ton of extra strength to your front end. Or - fab is a top notch company and I'm not putting them down, just trying to shed some light on how good JCR is

b-dub

yeah If price wasn't an option I'd get the jcr. It's expensive and then I'd want it powdercoated or at least professionally painted (yet my jeep has crap paint)

Gearing isn't really bothering me. Main reason I don't want to do that right now is I don't want it opened up until I can actually buy a locker.



Yeah I'd get jcr but it's just too expensive for me. I'd rather take the $200+ and use it towards some other stuff. Or-fab is still at least better than stock mounts alone like some winch bumpers I ran across.. lol

XJmike0122

I can't remember ever reading anything bad about Serious's long arms. There a good choice.

XJlimitedx99

I would put your money to anything maintenance related before doing any more modding, followed by recovery points.

Firehawk068

Recovery points are a must! Doesn't really matter what kind of wheeling you do.

Also, possibly a control arm drop kit instead of long-arms.
Will help give you a smoother ride, since you don't do extreme rock-crawling.


A really good friend of mine once told me................
"You can spend all the money you want on lockers, and tires, and stuff for your truck, but hands-down..........The best money you will ever invest in your off-road rig is on a Winch." It will allow you to get yourself out of most anything you could get yourself into.

b-dub

Ordered a bumper 530 shipped for the or fab I couldn't say no any longer... the rest of plans right now are just cleaning it up and working on double checking my suspension before I go long arm or anything

What did you have in mind? I'm doing plugs wires and rotor. When it warms up I'm going to do all the fluids in the drivetrain kind of iffy on the trans.