XJ Build

[xjh3]

Hello all,

After Rausch giving me a good idea of what I need to do to my Jeep to get it to do what I want it to, my head is spinning a little with all the options.

I\'m starting with a 97 auto, D30/8.25 both 3.55 and open, 4.5\" lift, and 32\" BFG MTs. I\'d like to move on to 35\'s and a mid or long arm setup in the front.

My biggest limitation is that I don\'t have a good working space or much money. I either own or have access to all the tools I\'ll need, and have the mechanical and fab skills to do almost everything. This leads my mind to wander on to all the possibilities, but everything has to be done in my driveway on jackstands. Hence, I have been focused more on short term, attainable projects to keep me wheeling for the time being like a rear disc swap, Aussies, etc. until I can figure out a better working space of my own. However, I don\'t want to dump too much money into something I should really be looking to upgrade altogether but I don\'t want to get over my head into something in my driveway either.

D44\'s, 8.8s, Super 30 kits... I guess I\'m mostly looking for someone who\'s done this all before to guide me to a good starting point to get to where I want to be, even if it means just staying where I\'m at for a while I guess.

[MrMindless]

Anything you can do in a proper shop with a hoist can be done with jackstands and determination :)

keep the 30 and drive gently.  put cromos in it if you start breaking frequently.  A 44 is a fine axle in whatever it came in, it is NEVER worth swapping into something else IMO.  Same ujoints as the newer 30, and older 30s can get big joint shafts.

8.8 rear is a good swap but the 8.25 will be fine, they\'re every bit as strong as a 44.

lock it up and enjoy for now.  Long arm lift would be my next step, personally. then probably some rocker guards and gearing.

[smichaelR22]

dont forget a healthy trans cooler for that auto.  Larger tires and lift usually precede the corrective gearing changes, making the trans work much harder.


id suggest first getting a pair of aussies from Bill for it, then grow into the 35\"s later.  Alot of the TJ\'s and ZJ\'s here make the big joint 30\'s last a while with locked 35\"s.  

[CoraC143]

Joints are very important, all of my front axle (dana 44) breaks were due to u-joint failures.

[smichaelR22]

chromo shafts, spicer joints-  thats expected.  

throw in knobby 36\'s, a t18 and a V8, thats inevitable.  

My weak link on the CJ with a chromo 30 was warn hubs.  once i welded up a set into drive flanges, I then broke two ring gears.  

[xjh3]

Mr. Mindless, I have done everything up to this point on jackstands in my gravel driveway. My neighbors think I\'m crazy, I also prefer \'determined\'. But when time and money are short, I could easily see a summer build project quickly end up sitting in the snow not having been wheeled in months.

I think I will stick with locking front/rear and running it the way it is until I\'m ready for 35\"s and 4.88s. I\'m glad to hear D30/35\"s success stories. I also want to build my own long-arm front suspension setup this coming summer. New rhinolined floors and square tube rocker replacements are on the never ending list as well...

Smike, I\'m still learning names... Who is Bill? I meant to ask if there were any club connections to Aussie. I am on the waiting list for an 8.25 locker and was planning to order a front one soon as well.

[ollllllo]

\"Bill\" is Bill Cole Owner of Aussie Locker

He is a Rochester resident and Fingerlakes 4x4 Club member for many years.

I agree with both Mindless and Smike.

Before buying a lift I did everything on Jackstands.
And for building a suspension system from scratch, I set the chassis at ride height with jackstands and build from there.

Dont waste your money on swapping in an axle which is only moderately stronger than the 30. (TRUST US, MOST OF US LEARNED THIS THE HARD WAY)

IMO install a locker or two. The Aussie is a very easy install and can be done in a few hours.

Add some body protection and wheel it.

Your XJ has the ability to run pretty much anything we ran at Rausch Saturday. That confidence comes with more seat time.

Upgrade the 30 shafts if you need to, and more importantly as Smike pointed out...dont skimp on u-joints. A broken u-joint has the potential to destroy the ears of the shafts anyway.

I have run Alloy USA Chromoly shafts in my CJ DANA 30 for years now. I beat this axle pretty hard and when I finally did break a shaft, Quadratec warrantied it. They sent me a free replacement no questions asked, no shipping the broken shaft to the manufacturer. just a phone call.


ALLOY USA

[xjh3]

Ok ok, jackstands aren\'t that bad. Haha. I just don\'t wanna work in the snow!

I think I got a good plan though, thanks guys. My head has stopped spinning. ETA on the 8.25 locker is the end of January. AHH!

[xjh3]

What are everyone\'s feelings on wheel U-joints as far as greasable vs non-greasable? Seems like every time I replace them they are bone dry, so I always try to go greasable. I\'m planning to go Spicer per everyone\'s recommendations.

[Wingman]

If you keep up on them, greasable is the way to go.

[MrMindless]

unless you\'ve made a habit of breaking them, greasable.  that little hole in the middle isn\'t that much for strength anyway, and a dry joint will always get chewed up on a DD quickly.

[bear555]

There are allot of XJs in the club now, a little bit longer and we\'ll give the TJs a run for the money. The first thing you should get is a real pair of front tow hooks in the front if you don\'t have them already. They are kind of a pain to install but your uni-body will thank you.

[xjh3]

bear555, I have front and rear bumpers tied into the unibody using many more bolts that the stock mounting points.

There is a Ford 8.8 already set up for XJ with discs and a heavy duty diff cover that even matches my current gearing that I think I can get for $150. Catch is, the spiders are welded. What are everyone\'s thoughts on that? I do not daily drive my Jeep. If I get it and hate it, it seems like I could just pull the welded spiders and throw an Aussie in, right? (8.8 Aussies are in stock!!)

[luvmyxj]

all set ready to go 8.8 for 150,id jump on that in a heartbeat.mikemike drives the dakota with a welded rear on the street with no problem i beleive

[smichaelR22]

dont count on being able to cut and grind out welded spider gears if it was done right.

with that said, id jump on it too.