Holycaveman's xj question thread

[holycaveman]

Short introduction.

I am holycaveman and I am new to the full-size 4x4 adventure. Not new in the least to off-road, just never in trucks. So I picked up a 2000 xj. This will be my daily driver. Also it will be my hard core off-road rig! LOL.
But here in Ohio there is not too much in the way of rock gardens so this truck wont be a Crawler or a mudder. It may make it to a few Parks in neighboring states but that's about it. Here in Ohio I have literally 100's of miles of trails to have fun on.

So my project. I know lockers rule but not with this rig. Have descided on cutting brakes front and rear. I have a 3in budget lift in the mail(love the stock ride) and I currently have 31×10.5×16 Goodyear mtrs stuffed under the stock xj with 32×8×16 federal couragia mtrs in the works.
Been trailing a few times with it now and am really surprised at the flex bone stock. The 31's clear even fully flexed. They only rub the control arms at full steer. So I imagine a little bump stop adjustment will fix that ? The trails I am on are pretty technical, and a wider rig just wouldn't get it. A much taller rig would be very tippy. And I am kind of worried about removing the sway bars because of the severe off cambers? Yes the open diff's suck but I am hoping cutting brakes will take care of my problems.

Anyways couple pix then couple questions. Thanks!






I have a 3in budget lift in the mail. Would I benefit at all from a quality track bar as far as flex goes, or can I just drill another hole for the track bar?

Can I use stock shocks with the 3in budget lift and stock brake lines?

Best bump stops to use?

Motor problem question:

Sometimes when I start my Jeep after hot, it misses for a while then starts to run fine. Not everytime but sometimes. What's weird is my sister in laws does the same thing, and my escort does it also. Any ideas?


Future plans:

Winch front and rear
Bumpers
Shocks
Transmission support raise by 3 in for clearance
Snorkel
Tires
Cutting brakes
Possibly air lockers

I have done a lot of searching for the answers but nothing concrete comes up. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

And yes I know my pic are not hard core. Lol

[Tigerchief]

In.

[Georgia boy '88]

Originally Posted by holycaveman

Short introduction.

I am holycaveman and I am new to the full-size 4x4 adventure. Not new in the least to off-road, just never in trucks. So I picked up a 2000 xj. This will be my daily driver. Also it will be my hard core off-road rig! LOL.
But here in Ohio there is not too much in the way of rock gardens so this truck wont be a Crawler or a mudder. It may make it to a few Parks in neighboring states but that's about it. Here in Ohio I have literally 100's of miles of trails to have fun on.

So my project. I know lockers rule but not with this rig. Have descided on cutting brakes front and rear. I have a 3in budget lift in the mail(love the stock ride) and I currently have 31×10.5×16 Goodyear mtrs stuffed under the stock xj with 32×8×16 federal couragia mtrs in the works.
Been trailing a few times with it now and am really surprised at the flex bone stock. The 31's clear even fully flexed. They only rub the control arms at full steer. So I imagine a little bump stop adjustment will fix that ?
yes
The trails I am on are pretty technical, and a wider rig just wouldn't get it. A much taller rig would be very tippy. And I am kind of worried about removing the sway bars because of the severe off cambers?
Remove the swaybars, The lack of travel will hurt you more than the added bodyroll. be prepared for more rubbing with the added flex.
Yes the open diff's suck but I am hoping cutting brakes will take care of my problems.

Anyways couple pix then couple questions. Thanks!

I have a 3in budget lift in the mail. Would I benefit at all from a quality track bar as far as flex goes, or can I just drill another hole for the track bar?
Quality track bar, simply drilling a hole will move the tracbar out of parallel with the draglink and cause steering issues.

Can I use stock shocks with the 3in budget lift and stock brake lines?
No, my stock shocks were maxed at ride height with a 1 3/4" bb in the front and a 2" addaleaf in the rear.

Best bump stops to use?


Motor problem question:

Sometimes when I start my Jeep after hot, it misses for a while then starts to run fine. Not everytime but sometimes. What's weird is my sister in laws does the same thing, and my escort does it also. Any ideas?


Future plans:

Winch front and rear
Bumpers
Shocks
Transmission support raise by 3 in for clearance
Snorkel
Tires
Cutting brakes
Possibly air lockers

I have done a lot of searching for the answers but nothing concrete comes up. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

And yes I know my pic are not hard core. Lol

Might want to add some aftermarket control arms to your list. My stock control arms limited me on down travel among other things..

[holycaveman]

Thanks. I will disconnect the sway bars and try it out. If its doable they will probably remain disconnected.

Was afraid that control arms and a track bar would be needed.

OK shocks also. Going to have to work harder to afford this!

Extended bump stops I will need also?

Don't want to cut the fenders even with the 32's

[Georgia boy '88]

You'll definitely need to extend your bumpstops then. On 31's with my lift, I still had rubbing before trimming.

And craigslist is your friend to keep things cheap.

[holycaveman]

So on the control arms for a 3 in lift. Has anyone ran wj arms?

Hoping to get more tire clearance.

Thanks.

[harleyx2]

I have a trac bar extention bracket i bought new and didnt use for a xj I will sell you. send me a pm if interested.

[holycaveman]

Well I got the 2.5" shackles and fat Bob's 3" coil spacers(which is actually 2.5")

Next thing is to raise the rear shock mounts and longer front shocks.

Still have the sway bars connected. It flexes well for what I do.

It looks much better, decent clearance, should work great. Haven't got the new 32" tires yet.

Also going to work on the snorkel.

Thanks for looking!