Badmunky

Long story short, I bought a nice XJ that was set up as a mall crawler. It looks good, drives good, and runs good. And its not totally crap off road. But the suspension is not set up for wheeling, and so it has some problems.

It has a D44 front axle, and a chevy 12 bolt rear. But all the mounts on them are all wrong, and will not work with any bolt on long arm kit. And there open diffs. I would love to fix both of those things, but I don't have a 220 welder, or access to one. And I have a set of nice built axles with ARB air lockers in them. So I need some help with a few things to get them under the Jeep

I need a little help with trying to figure out what to do for some new wheels for my 2001 Cherokee.
I am putting the new axles under it soon and will need new wheels do to a change in the bolt pattern. (6-lug back to Jeep 5x4.5)
These are the wheels I am looking it.

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Wheels/Se...pn=PCW252-6866

But I am not sure if they will fit or not?
I will be running a long arm kit with around 5" of total lift, and 265/75/16 tires I already own.(Have plans for 33x10.5 later down the road tho) I have Napier flat fender flares coming for it, and I want the tires to sit about flush with the new fender flares. But not stick out past them. (A little is ok I guess, but not to much)
I bought a set of stock Cherokee wheels and was going to use them, but they will not work. New front axle is D30 HP and has a WJ brake conversion on it, and they will not clear the brakes, also there to small to use my current tires as there for 16s. New rear axle is a ford 8.8 from an Explorer with disk brakes.

I also need some help figuring out the new lift.

Right now it has a custom long arm kit on it, and is sitting right around 6.5" of lift. It's to high, and it will not work with the new axles I plan to run as the upper mounts are not in the stock location, and I would need to rework the arms. So I want a whole new system.

This is the kit I am looking at.

http://www.roughcountry.com/jeep-xj-...kit-laxj4.html

I will be going with there full rear leaf pack option with there 3" leafs, and using a shackle relocation kit, and longer shackles in the rear. This should give me 5" of lift in the back. The shackle kit I have is adjustable tho, so can dial it in.
And then I will be adding a 3/4" coil spacer in the front.

So what do you guys think?

I'm on a budget here, so I don't have the cash for a bunch of high end parts, but I am open to suggestions for sure!

I need to start ordering stuff soon, so I only have a few more days to get this all figured out.

Here are a few pics of the Cherokee as it sits now.








Thanks for the help!

shooptube

Off topic I know but I have seen your Jeep before if those pictures are at bundy hill...

XJwonders

Keep the d44 and replace the rear axle

kyle96xj

A few notes and suggestions I have are, I know you are on a budget, although it seems fairly large, but I would suggest staying the hell away from rough country. I have no personal experience with rough country and there is a good reason for that, everything I have ever read or heard is people replacing all or most of their rough country parts sooner or later. It may seem a couple hundred dollars cheaper now but in the end you're saving money by going with a better kit, I've even heard of RC brake lines blowing out so you may end up saving your life by not choosing rough country, that may sound a bit extreme but really you could shave off a couple hundred dollars by getting some standard steelies instead of those fake beadlock ones. Also wj knuckle swaps should work with 15x8 3.75 in backspacing wheels, and at 4.25 BS those wheels you picked out may not work even though they are 16" idk for sure but they probably won't stick out past your fenders at all. Additionally I may have missed it but you're also going to need a sye at that lift height.

Rogue4x4

I HAVE had experience with RC and let me tell you...GARBAGE. Their product sucks, their service sucks more, and I can't recommend them at all.

Plenty of other options out there. Buy quality, cry once.

Badmunky

Yes that is Bundy Hill.

Not an option. I don't have the tools needed to fix the D44 so it can be used.
It needs a LOT of work to make it right, and I was quoted almost $1,900 to fix the mounts and steering problems with this axle. I have no other option but to pay to have the work done, as I have no access to a welder that can handle the job, and I do not trust my welding skills on suspension parts.
I would need more then $1,100 in parts alone. The steering system is not safe, and every mount on the axle needs to be replaced.
Rear axle would have to stay, there 6 lug axles.
And its a drum brake axle. (Sucks, I have to fix them all the time!)
They came from a 77 K10.

Dude its not 2 or 3 hundred cheaper to use the RC kit. Its like $1,000 cheaper then almost every other kit I can find with the same stuff in it.

I missed the standard ones, but I am now looking at those.

From everything I have read a 15" wheel will not clear the WJ front brakes. I could be wrong tho. From how it was explained to me, 4.25 back space would move the wheels farther out then 3.75 would by 1/2". Do I have that wrong?

It currently has a TomWoods SYE and drive shaft.



Not what I wanted to hear.

I think at this point the cry once will be watching the new owner drive away with it.

I have a total budget of $2,700 to fix this mess.

I need a full suspension kit with long arms as my stock control arm mounts are long gone, wheels, bump stops, cat back exhaust, and fluids.

Everything under this Jeep has to be replaced.

I would love to buy the top of the line stuff for this build, but I have already sunk more in to this thing then I could ever get out of it. And I only have $2700 to spend.

$400 has already been spent on the fender flares.

That leaves me with $2,300.

If I can not fix it for that, I'm selling it and I give up.

Badmunky

Here is a link to my photobucket album with picks of the messed up steering and suspension.

http://s5.photobucket.com/user/Badmu...?sort=3&page=1

Have a look.

I suggest you not be drinking any thing when you look at this, you might need a keyboard if you are.

And NO, I did not do any of that to it! LOL

andrewmp6

15 inch rims can fit the wj brakes but it depends a lot on the back spacing,But remember wj they ran two different brake calipers that are different sizes http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=908951 What i don't understand about your jeep why they spend the time and money to retube the dana 44 but did the rest of the swap all jankey like that.What all lift companies have you looked at besides rough country ?Sometimes its cheaper to piece together a lift vs buying a kit look in to that if you need a budget lift.And also look at our vendors some sell everything and have sales and forum member discounts.

Basslicks

*Sigh*

Well, here's the thing. You messed up spending $400 on flares when you have a Jeep that needs that much work. My advice there, is to return them. You don't need them right now and you can buy them later.

If it were ME and I didn't have a welder and the immediate means to fix the problems you've stated, I would park it. Park it and take the $2700 bucks you have now to buy a beater to get you running around in and in the meantime, start saving your money for a 220 welder and whatever else you need to fix it RIGHT.

But - you're you, and you're probably not going to do that, so give us a little more information here.

1. What's the suspension like in the rear? Why can't you just use the leaf packs that are already in it with the axle you want to bolt in? If you're wanting more droop out of it, look at a set of shackle relocation boxes. You can get SRBs that will lift the rear a couple of inches -OR- no-lift SRBs that are bolt-in that won't lift it at all. Then you can either re-use what's there, or get a set of leafs from the junkyard out of an s10, dakota, or durango and make a bastard back which - combined with adjustable height shackles and a set of SRBs - will net you the amount of lift you're looking for in the rear.

2. Have you considered just buying components? Why worry about getting a "kit"? Like I was saying, if you can use what's in the rear - at least for now - just get a long arm kit for the front to replace what's there and make it useable until you can afford to get something more desireable. There are plenty of options for long arm fronts (and I don't see why you couldn't reuse those coil springs either)

- http://cavfab.com/CavFab-Jeep-Cherok...Link_p_61.html

- https://www.claytonoffroad.com/produ...m_upgrade_kits

- http://www.4wheelparts.com/Suspensio...-NDBoCykDw_wcB

- http://www.seriousoffroadproducts.co...6d80d0a43e1ccd

Shop around and explore all of your options. But stay away from the cheap junk, and don't buy stuff you don't need.

3. What kind of steering is on it right now? If you're looking at long arms, you're going to want something with more vertical movement than the stock inverted y-link setup. The more your front suspension drops away from the pitman arm, the more the two ends of that "Y" are going to be pulled together and rather than your front wheels working in unison, they're going to be fighting each other - which is going to put strain on your knuckles, u-joints, and steering joints. This is going to be the case whether you go with that RC junk or not.


Honestly, you may be better off selling that Jeep or trading it to someone with a stock Jeep (or something with stock control arm mounts at the very least), and lifting THAT. 'Cause I think you're in for more of a headache than you've really bargained for. What you have IS fixable, but it's not going to be a quick job. It's going to take weeks.

Fred/N0AZZ

With your skill sets and lack of the proper tools, budget and shear amount of work required it might be best if you found someone that didn't know a lot about XJ's and sell it. That may be the only way you may be able to get some of your money back, then look for a nice "Stock XJ" and build it properly the first time, not someone else's headache and half done jobs.


Don't mean to be harsh but that's a lot of work and little money to do it with, if done cheaply you will do it over and over costing more money than having done it right the first time.

TRCM

OK....I'm confused......

IN your original post, you say it drives good, then in a follow-up post, you say the steering isn't safe (quoted both above)

Which is it ??

And there is a reason rough country stuff is so much cheaper........


And reading your posts above, I'd have to agree with Basslicks & Fred/N0AZZ above..........bail while you can and before you sink a lot of money into it.

XJwonders

So both axles are from a Chevy, eh? Don't know if u know this but Chevy front axles are passenger side drop. Meaning the pumpkin is on the passenger side. Jeep Dana 30's are drivers side drop.

So.... To swap to a Dana 30 in front, you are gonna have to find another transfer case and swap that in place.

TRCM

If you look at the pics, he has a drivers side drop axle under it...chevy or not.

From those pics, someone re-tubed the front axle....as the inner side of the pumpkin has a pad on it for leaf springs......

tcase would be good, but the axle....not so sure it's worth fixing

Outlaw Star

Here's the thing in short, you purchaced a trail rig only in hopes of making it streetable on the cheap. Sorry, but NOTHING is cheap in this hobby. I know you're young so don't sweat it as we've all made some type of this decision as well. Your cheapest and easiest option is to just get another XJ to use as your platform. It would be more reliable as a student as well. Not saying you can't have a decent ride to go on trails with but your education and reliable travel to should be priority.

On the upside, there are a vast number of members here, some have posted, that can help walk you through some affordable and dependable mods as you progress. As great as it would be to have a built rig from the start, remember, Rome wasn't built in a day. Besides, with a fresh platform that YOU personally built/upgraded, you will have a better sense of pride and joy once completed.

Badmunky

Ill look in to the rims, but I have no idea what back spacing I would need to make them fit, and I have no idea what calipers those are. There are pics of them in the link I posted to my photobucket album.
Also I already have a good set of tires for 16" rims. So it may be cheaper to buy 15" wheels and tires over 16" wheels and tires, but seeing as I have the tires already, it will probably be cheaper to do just wheels as my tires are almost new.


Ill start with the flares, I ordered them because I keep knocking the stock ones off, and I placed the order before I realized just how screwed I am.
I had everything picked out using the RC kit and everything fit in my budget.

I tried to cancel them, not sure if they will or not we will see.

Welder is out.
Not only do I not have the funds for one, but I have no place to use it ether. I have no 220 access here, no garage, and I am working on my car trailer as my driveway is rocks and mud.
I called around today and I'm looking at any where from $1,200 to $1,900 to fix the brackets on these axles. And I would still need to spend $700 on fixing the steering before I even think about the lift. (And that would have to be done right after the brackets are fixed as the current long arm kit is junk.)

Rear suspension is the stock leaf pack, with an add a leaf. The spring mounts the PO built then give you another 3" or so of lift. So there rear matches the front in how stupid it is. Rear shock mounts are wrong, and the rear shocks are failing.
Parking brake dose not work correctly, and I have no idea how to fix this. The Jeep parking brake system did not need as much cable travel to work as the GM system. So the parking brake works, but the handle tops out and the bake is only at about 70% apply. Adjusting it is not the problem. I tried that.

The drum brakes in the rear are about shot as well. Needs new shoes and drums.

I did consider buying all the parts I need and building it from there. It ends up costing me more that way. But I get better parts. I would love to go this rout, but my budget is already pushed to its limit.

As for the steering, look at the pics. Its crap, and it dose not work right. The geometry is all wrong. I hit the stops in the steering box LONG before I get to the stops on the axle. I only get 70-75% of the steering lock I should get. This makes DD a pain in the butt. And trailing even more so!

The entire steering system is scrap metal. (I also need a new steering box, but that's not part of this budget. Sector shaft is leaking, box is also lose.)

Also if you look close, the PO used the STOCK track bar, and simply moved the axle side mount to make it work. Not cool at all.


Here is a list of the parts I already have.

D30 HP built with ARB air locker, 4:10 gears, JW knuckles and brakes, OTK HD steering, chrome molly shafts, HD mounts, diff cover, all new brakes, and so on.
Ford Explorer 8.8 built with ARB air locker, 4:10 gears, chrome molly shafts, TnT U-bolt eliminator kit, HD shock mounts, all new brakes.

Ironman4x4fab shackles, and shackle relocation kit. (New)

Rustys off road 4.5" lift rear leaf springs. (Almost new)

I have extended brake lines for the D30 and 8.8 as well. And a bunch of spare parts for the axles all new in the box.


I have $2,300 to fix this rig. That's my limit give or take $100.

I can not park this thing and buy another car, I have no where to park it. I would have to sell it, or pay to store it some place.
I do not have cash ether. I am planing to put this on my credit card. So buying another car is out.

This is my wife's DD right now. She only drives it 1.5 miles each way to work on city streets, and never gets over 40mph.

If some one would buy the WRX I am trying to sell I would have more cash to put in to, but seeing as I have been forced to park my 8 month old 2015 Silverado while I sue GM over how big a POS it is, I have to drive the WRX every day right now, so that's not going to happen any time soon. (Silverado is a long story, but the short is that its broken, and GM has tried for 8 months to fix it, and its still broken. And they are now trying to blame me for there screw up.)


So that's where I am at.