BryFin83

Hi I'm looking for a 4x4 charokee, I know a want a straight/solid axel 4x4 I heard to get around a 1995 or older. My buddy said they did not make a 96' but keep did bring the Charokee back in 97' I'm looking to lift it 3in with 33in tires.... Anyone have any pointers? Please let me know? Thanks in advanced....

XJwonders

Welcome

odgreen

Welcome fellow Oregonian.
Your friend is wrong. Wranglers where not made in 96.
Xjs didn't have a missing year.

SatiricalHen

If it were me buying a cherokee again I'd look for a 1999 cherokee with a Chrysler 8.25 rear end in my opinion the 1999 was one of the better years before the cracking heads and usually have less miles and rust than older cherokees plus I prefer the newer body style

1ATony

Thanks for joining.
Tony

BryFin83

I heard the inline 6 is better then v6.... I'd like one without the hatch rear window... I want custom steel front/rear bumpers though.... I'll have to look around though...

odgreen

Wait what? There where only 3 years with v6s 84 85 86.
Without a rear window? A hammer can fix that because a solid rear hatch was not an option. As for bumpers.....buy the ones you want after you get one. They bolt on with 6 13mm bolts holding on the front. And 8 holding on the rear

BryFin83

I'm looking for a 1999-2000 4x4 auto tranny with a solid axle.... I've looked on CL, when I get I want to lift it and put my 33s on... Would I need to trim at all? How much of a lift would I need also? I'm new at this whole Jeep thing... lol so I'm sorry in advance for all the questions... Thank you all for the help...

odgreen

Well your in luck on the solid axle part. All xjs are. 4.5 needed for 33s

BryFin83

So let me specify(sorry for inconvenience), I have 33-12.5-15 tires on 15x8 rims I want to put on my Cherokee when I get it... still go with 4.5in lift? I know the wheels might need to be replaced but tires are BRAND New...

odgreen

Yes 4,5

BryFin83

With trim needed and add fender flares right? Any good places online to get them? Heard long is better with the lift then short, forgot what it's referring to though lol

Ianf406

Welcome to Cherokee Forum! Let me try and answer some of your questions...

1.) Like they said above, there was no break in the XJ (Cherokee) so there is a 96. I would recommend a 97-99 for several reason. They have more HP than their predecessors as well as a newer-style interior. In 2000, Jeep switched their head on the 4.0 and the new one (0331) is prone to cracking. Also in 2000, they switched from a high-pinion dana 30 to a low-pinion dana 30. (Weaker front axle)

2.) Unless you get a really old one (84/85/86) you will either get a Inline 6 4.0 or a 4cyl.

3.) What kind of wheeling do you plan on doing? Long arms are certainly better than short arms when articulation comes in to play. If you are just going to throw it in a few mud-holes, you can save some cash and get a short arm. Check the link in my signature for lift ideas.

4.) To fit 33s you do not NEED a 4.5" lift. You can cut your fenders to pieces and fit them with much less than that. Once again it depends on what you are going to be doing. If you are going to be riding in a lot of deep/snow mud, you might want a taller lift. If you are going to be in a lot of off-camber situations, you might not want to go as high and just cut it up.

5.) Unless you are going purely for looks, Ide worry about making in function before worrying about the bumpers and stuff. Your jeep is not going to like having 33's on it very much without changing the gear ratio.