97 jeep wrangle?

rtj731

Active Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2009
Location
Fayetteville
My daughter just picked up a 97 jeep wrangler sharah(sp), with a 4.0

1st? is this a YJ-TJ or what?
2nd? what size lift and which brand to fit 35's, follow up I just happen to have a good set of 35 maxxis creepy crawlers on my EB and want to go up to 37's.
3rd? Will the jeep handle 35/s with out a gear swap,-up graded axles, or is that asking to much for the stock drive train?
Just looking at it for the fist time, seems 33's would fit but as noted I have some 35/s

Thanks for any advise,
new to the jeep world
 
It is a TJ, a 3 -4" lift will clear 35's depending on what kind of if any offroading it will see. re-gearing would be ideal, but depending what gear it has now, maybe a 3.73, you can get by but will lose some power and economy( not that economy was ever there in the first place) and 5th will not be used as much. Telling us what it will be used for will get more info as far and lift recommendations and drivetrain durability.
 
Thanks for the input.

She will begin to use it to complete her college classes, here in NC, after that my son-in-law wants to be able to wheel with me, so not looking for a beast, just something that will handle Uhwarrie, and a little more. If it could handle both ledges of daniel, that would be a decent start
 
keep in mind its got the dreaded Dana 35 axle in the rear. Adding 35"s will just accelerate the time til failure. With the turdy5, its not a matter if it breaks, its when.
 
If your lookin at wheelin on 35's i'd strongly recommend upgrading the rear to an ford 8.8, ecgs sells a bolt in kit for a pretty decent price and you can pick your gearing/diff options. It'd be worth it to upgrade to a 4.10 8.8 then just regear the front.
 
RenegadeT said:
I'm pretty sure the option didnt happen til 20XX, a 97 TJ is gonna have had a 35 from the factory
Click to expand...

According to my research the Dana 44 was an option on 4.0 equipped TJs for the 97 model year with a build date after 7/7/96. Easy enough to tell though. If it looks like this its a 35:
aimg.photobucket.com_albums_v238_rjcourt_D35.jpg

If it looks like this its a 44:
aimg.photobucket.com_albums_v238_rjcourt_D44.jpg

Whether or not your rear axle is a 44 you will definitely want to regear for 35s.
 
Thanks for the info. Looks like fro now I'll just change all fluids, regular maintenance, check, grease shafts, and just get it road worthy. She will still have to get new tires, maybe for now a good set of AT poss. 265/70/15 or something similar. Just jumping into a possible new project without thinking ahead. After coming home and seeing the jeep siting in the garage I started a build in my head, then common sense took over realizing this isn't my jeep. I'll help her out as much as she needs but will keep in mind it's hers not mine. O'well maybe someday I will do a jeep project. But I will take this opportunity to learn more about them.
 
rtj731 said:
Thanks for the info. Looks like fro now I'll just change all fluids, regular maintenance, check, grease shafts, and just get it road worthy. She will still have to get new tires, maybe for now a good set of AT poss. 265/70/15 or something similar. Just jumping into a possible new project without thinking ahead. After coming home and seeing the jeep siting in the garage I started a build in my head, then common sense took over realizing this isn't my jeep. I'll help her out as much as she needs but will keep in mind it's hers not mine. O'well maybe someday I will do a jeep project. But I will take this opportunity to learn more about them.
Click to expand...
:beer:
 
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