What's up everybody. New to the forum. Been looking around and doing a little research for the past couple weeks.
Just purchased a 97 cherokee xj. All stock with 150k.

I'm planning on doing a good amount of stuff in the coming months.
zone offroad 4.5" lift kit coming in the mail. I'm wondering what else i should try to add while im doing the lift to save myself work.

Help me prioritize by order of importance please! Lol also suggestions for specific parts for each part are welcome

so far I'm thinking:


Rugged ridge sye
Rock krawler or iron rock offroad hd track bar (and bushings?)
Upgraded sway bar (brand suggestions?)
Upgraded tie rod and rod ends
Upgraded ball joints
Braided brake lines
Spartan locker
Gears



Things I'm unsure about:
Drag link?
Ca bushings?
Pitman arm?


What do you all think?
Anything important I should be sure to add?

Appreciate any help and wisdom!




NOTE: this jeep will be my daily driver with moderate off roading.
Goal is to spend around $3 - 4,000 in the coming 2 months so I need to know what's most important for keeping the vehicle very reliable while having a 4.5 inch lift and doing moderate off roading.

 

Even though its not as popular as some other, more visible stuff, but as I am working on my XJ, in addition to a front Spartan locker, while I am in there, I am replacing bearings, seals, the front wheel unit bearings (Timken seems to be the best as far as these go), ball joints, shocks, rotors, brakes etc.

By the time the locker is installed (next week) I will basically have a new front axle. Then I am moving to the back axle.

I have met up with some folks that seem to focus alot on visible stuff like big tires, big lifts and big bumpers, but always seem to be breaking down for simple stuff.

If you are going to be doing ball joints, gears, lockers etc, it would be the best to get all the stuff, then do it all at once since you will have everything apart anyway.

Just my .02 cents.

 

Hey man! Looks pretty good... lots of Zone fans on here. I would not worry about a drop pitman arm... You will probably not need one at that height and should not need one if you do your steering correctly. There are tons of ways to upgrade your steering... IRO/Currie/Rustys/ ZJ upgrade etc. The cheapest way is probably to go the ZJ route. As I have not done it myself, I don't know what it all entails but many have here and someone will probably chime in. The Iron Rock track bar is great... no problems with mine at all. As far as bushings go, I would hold out if they are in decent shape. No use in putting money in the stock arms. I would start saving up for some long arms . If you don't want to go that route, check out the for sale section here and you can get a set of after market (stronger) short arms w/bushings fairly cheap at times. Upgrading the sway bar is not really feasible or useful. Just get some quick disconnects (I recommend JKS) and allow it to flex while keeping you safe on the road.

Your order does not look bad... I would probably get the trackbar before SYE but other than that you look good to go! They include the bushings

 

Just read through the parts included with the zone lift.. so I recant my statement about control arms. They already have em! Long arms are always better though

 

Ohh and i forgot to mention...
this will be my daily driver with moderate off roading.

My goal is to get a nice and very reliable setup for around $3 to 4,000 in upgrades.

So I guess I'm trying to figure out what's most important to keep it really reliable while running a 4.5 inch lift and doing moderate off roading.

 

One more question regarding wheels... . I'm thinking of getting 33" by 11.5" wide all terrains on 16" rims. Will 8"wide rims be enough for all that tire? Lol. Or would 9" wide rims be better? Also, will rubbing be an issue if the rims don't have a negative offset ?
I was reading something saying offset rims cause more stress on the axle. ..

 

Sorry that I'm too lazy to completely reorder your list, but the top 3 items you're going to need right with the lift are the extended brake lines, SYE, and probably sway bar endlinks (you'll want the quick disconnect kind).

Anyways. Here's my opinions on your list.

1. Don't forget that with an SYE, you need a double-cardan style driveshaft. A front driveshaft works well for the rear with this setup. Also make sure that you have a 231 transfer case. Not sure? Does your 4x4 shifter have a FULL TIME option? If so, you have a 242 case and your options for SYE will be limited to a hack-n-tap.

2. This depends on your budget. The Rock Krawler is going to be a better kit, I know 2 guys running it. I myself got the IRO due to budget concerns, and I'm happy with it. The only issue I have with it is that the bracket side bolt likes to come loose. I double-nutted it to prevent this. Also had to make a custom nut strip for the axle side.

3. As stated, no point in upgrading the sway bar, just the end links. JKS are known to be the best. You'll want quick-disconnect kind if you'll be wheeling. I'd assume you'd like to keep the sway bar being a DD, but many people run without the swaybar (myself included) without issue. Mine isn't a DD though, either. Also you'll want to take heed of your state's inspection laws as many will require this.

4. The ZJ Tie Rod is a plug-and-play upgrade. Took me maybe an hour to install. Highly recommend it, and cheap way to beef up your steering!

5. Wouldn't hurt! If you have the cash leftover for it, go for it.

6. These are of utmost importance. Get these before installing your lift.

7. & 8. Worry about these items once you have all the other stuff done and have some experience with your Jeep so you have a better idea of what you'll need.

9. Stock drag link will be fine with the ZJ setup. If you're looking at 1-ton steering, those kits replace the whole works. I don't think you should be looking at 1-tons though if it's a DD and you don't do any serious wheeling.

10. Should be included with your Zone kit.

11. Don't worry about it.

 

Yes, 8" will be perfect. Do they even make 33x11.50? perhaps you meant 12.50? Anyway, rubbing will probably be an issue for you if you don't 1.) consider trimming your fenders and 2.) have good offset wheels. 4" to 3.75" backspacing is the norm. One could argue that it puts more stress on your wheel bearings, but it's not something I'd worry about.

 

Yes they do also in a 10.50

 

33's will zap all your power & gas mileage, might want to consider 4.56 gears if the budget can handle it . if not that will be phase 2 of the build .

 

Sweet. 16x8 for the rims it is.
Fenders will be trimmed and Gears are one of the things I will be doing before I start driving the vehicle.

 

so what offset would you recommend? -12 mm, -24mm?

 

uhh...I'm good with 3.75 - 4". Not sure what that translates to in mm

 

BACKSPACE is all you have to worry about... the 3.75-4 inch thing. OFFSET, which is what you're seeing listed as -12mm or -24mm is different. That is the measurement for the distance from the mounting pad to the center of the wheel. That really doesn't matter as much, although having the mounting pad closer to the center is generally best (ie, smaller offset number), so just get 0 offset if you can.

 

you got a good plan going !