Originally posted by mr_cheevus:
I am looking costwise, cheap as possible without buying crap.
"Cheap mods" is an oxymoron for an XJ.
A cheap 3" lift is not going to ride very well, though it can be done. You can get 2" of lift for cheap and not have to worry about the trackbar, upper or lower control arms, brakelines etc., but you will probably want longer shocks. A couple of coil spacers and some extended rear shackles, a small block and/or add-a leaf will get you higher.
I'd suggest that you save your money and do a proper suspension lift (new springs, rather than budget boost spacers, shackles, blocks, add-a-leafs or other inexpensive route items) once you have the $$$'s. A cheap 2" of lift is not going to allow you to run tires bigger than 30" anyway, and you can fit them at stock height.
Once you've got the basics - tranny cooler & tow points front and rear, invest in some armor (the rocker panels are vulnerable) and decent 30" tires.
Tow/tug points are more expensive on the uni-frame XJ than on framed vehicles. The front and rear bumpers are like tinfoil.
You can't just drill some holes and bolt a hook or shackle ring in place using the bumpers or the "frame". There are kits available to spread the load across the uni-frame "frame-rails" so that you won't end up tearing hooks out and catapulting them through your friends' windshields.
Custom4x4 Fabrication has decent hooks and/or D-shackle loops for reasonable prices, as does Rusty (RustysOffroad). A Google search will turn both of their URL's up. The cheapest rear tow point is a receiver hitch - but make sure that you try to get the frame rail nutsert plates that fit inside the rails, rather than fish separate nuts in - again, it's an issue of trying to tie as much of the uni-frame together as possible for added strength. A Class III receiver hitch will affect your departure angle, but it'll also afford significant protection to your crappy OEM rear bumper and sheetmetal. The bumpers on the XJ are like tinfoil.....oh, did I say that already?
I have the OEM tow-hook mounting arms that you can have to use as a pattern to make your own, if you want. I gave Dan B the angled bumper re-inforcement bits, but they'd be pretty easy to eye-ball and make while you're making the new arms. It's not a complex thing, but having the arms there in front of you for measurements etc. would be helpful. They bolt right up to holes already drilled in the uni-frame. You might want to just try to install the OEM arms, but the tow-hook mounting platform is bent up pretty badly on both of them from lateral tugs at Walker Valley. The C4x4 design is superior to the OEM ones.
Disconnecting the front anti-sway bar is a cheap and effective way of significantly improving your off-road performance. Driving while disconnected, with OEM springs, isn't recommended. IMO it's dangerous. Even though you may alter your driving style to accomodate the body roll, others may not, such that you'll need to engage in an emergency avoidance manoeuvre and won't safely be able to. I've seen people connect and disconnect their stock links, but it'd be much easier with after-market disconnects, or even home-made ones. There are quite a few sites on the net showing you how to modify the stock links to allow for somewhat "quicker" disconnect times for cheap.
One nice thing about the XJ is that you don't need to modify it much to get it to go places. With 30" tires and some armor you'll be able to keep up with the Jones' just fine - but you won't necessarily have the "look".
See you one the trails!
PS I've got a new Compushift sitting in its box on a shelf. It won't work on my XJ because of the "improved" self-diagnostic computer on the newer trucks. It's a simple device that basically does what the "home-fix" approach does - but gives you a box, a switch, a nifty little "on/off" light for ease of installation and use. If you get 'round to wanting to invest in this mod, let me know. It's not one of the first things that I'd do, but it's up near the top.....nice to be able to hold the tranny in 2nd on those long moderate downhills where you want to be travelling at 25 mph; my auto shifts into first at about 28mph and the revs are too high for my liking for periods of extended driving in 1st gear at 25mph.
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DMMcG
'98 XJ