i want to build mild cheap rig what 4x4 would you buy

insane moto

insane moto

wheelinrover
Joined
Jan 18, 2009
Location
mt airy
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i dont really have a budget yet but i would like to get by as cheap as possible (not by choice ) I want something streetable but can hit the trails too.What 4x4 would you buy and modify? dosent have to look good just dependable. thanks for replying its balls to the wall or nothing....INSANE MOTO i found a yota to buy potsted on page 4 help !! yhanks
 
I'd say a Cherokee. I've had to do some cutting in the last few days but it's a great vehicle. Mine has 191k and is fine. Good reliable I6 engines as well.
 
buy something already built. lots of decent rigs around for a good price. trust me, this is the best way to go. personally i would get a toyota with a straight axle.
 
Don't forget about 1991-1995 Wranglers or 1997 and up Wranglers. Easy to modify and tons of aftermarket support for these rigs. You can leave one stock and have a blast wheeling the thing. As you break factory parts replace with better ones.

<><Fish
 
My list:

Mitsubishi Montero/Dodge Raider circa 1984-1991: Rare trucks to find, but there are some listed on Craigslist right now.
- 2.6 Isn't too underpowered, can spin 34" tires pretty well.
- Can fit 34x12.5s stock (t-bar crank can help)
- 2" Body Lift shipped is $115 making room for 35"- 36" tires
- Stock axles are quite strong, rear axle is almost equiv to Dana 60
- Trucks with off-road package came with LSD in the rear
- There are ARB Lockers offered for the rear (and front if you get an 89-91

Solid Front Axle Toyota P'up or SUV:
- Start off with a good amount of room for tires
- Start off with a Sold Axle front and rear
- Good aftermarket
- Not terribly hard to find
- Later down the road they are good candidates for things like dual transfer cases etc.

Jeep Cherokee or Wrangler:
- Cheap to buy
- Have a MASSIVE aftermarket
- Extremely popular, making used parts easy to find
- fairly relaible
- Downside is you have to put a good amount of lift to fit bigger tires

(Of course the list about the trucks I own/know the most about is the most detailed. But you get the idea).
 
FishHunt said:
Don't forget about 1991-1995 Wranglers or 1997 and up Wranglers. Easy to modify and tons of aftermarket support for these rigs. You can leave one stock and have a blast wheeling the thing. As you break factory parts replace with better ones.
<><Fish
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Yeah, the thing with Wranglers is they hold their value well, getting a cheap one in good condition will take a bit of searching around.

Getting a Cherokee on the other hand, dirt cheap, and they are usually in decent shape. Only downside to those is the Unibody.
 
another vote for yota. You can have tons of fun with a stock solid axle yota
 
One mod to yota axles (longfields) an they can handle 38s all day long. Can't do that with a wrangler or a Cherokee plus as stated above you don't have to lift a yota 45" to clear 31s. HAHA.
 
Come on guys, he said cheap! NOTHING is cheap in this hobby :) My latest project, and this is about as cheap as you can go:

88 Cherokee $700
33" LTBs/Rims $500
LockRite Front $300
Welded Rear Free
Lotsa Work Free

Done Deal $1500

Worked GREAT at URE on the test run. But I couldn't leave well enough alone and am finishing up a 231 Krawl Box install that set me back another $500. Still, in this sport, a reliable, capable, go anywhere rig for $2k is a steal, IMO.
 
that sounds really cheap to me . you done good job i think i can afford 3 grand maybe or close you gave me some good advice thanks later........
 
lbyota85 said:
One mod to yota axles (longfields) an they can handle 38s all day long. Can't do that with a wrangler or a Cherokee plus as stated above you don't have to lift a yota 45" to clear 31s. HAHA.
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Dude said cheap and mild.

Longfields are $700 alone plus yotas are more expensive to begin with. I could fit 35s on my XJ and I've got WAY less than $500 into my suspension (aftermarket track bar/bracket, coils, 4-5" lift etc.) Oh, and without doing anything to the axles you can go 35-36s on bone stock '97-'99 XJ axles (to be fair you won't like pushing them with stock gears). Did I mention disc brakes in the rear are super cheap too? Paid under $250 for mine and the XJ on 33s stops better than my subaru.

Put it this way, if you want to build a dedicated crawler I think a yota is a better platform. If you want a mild wheeler/DD then a cherokee is most likely going to be the cheapest way to go as long as you're not afraid to trim sheet metal. If you get a stupid cheap deal on a solid axle yota then yeah, I'd jump on it. But XJs are everywhere.

3" of lift and trimming and you can fit 33s, my first 3" lift cost me $70, and I ordered a little kit. If you had the time to hit junkyards you could do it REALLY cheap.

Oh, and the 4.0 is torquier and as/more reliable than the 22r/e/t what have you variations.

Yotas are badass, just rarely cheap.
 
Archdukeferdinand said:
Dude said cheap and mild.

Longfields are $700 alone plus yotas are more expensive to begin with. I could fit 35s on my XJ and I've got WAY less than $500 into my suspension (aftermarket track bar/bracket, coils, 4-5" lift etc.) Oh, and without doing anything to the axles you can go 35-36s on bone stock '97-'99 XJ axles (to be fair you won't like pushing them with stock gears). Did I mention disc brakes in the rear are super cheap too? Paid under $250 for mine and the XJ on 33s stops better than my subaru.

Put it this way, if you want to build a dedicated crawler I think a yota is a better platform. If you want a mild wheeler/DD then a cherokee is most likely going to be the cheapest way to go as long as you're not afraid to trim sheet metal. If you get a stupid cheap deal on a solid axle yota then yeah, I'd jump on it. But XJs are everywhere.

3" of lift and trimming and you can fit 33s, my first 3" lift cost me $70, and I ordered a little kit. If you had the time to hit junkyards you could do it REALLY cheap.

Oh, and the 4.0 is torquier and as/more reliable than the 22r/e/t what have you variations.

Yotas are badass, just rarely cheap.
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thanks man later......
 
You cannot build a cherokee, the unibody will fold like a taco and turn into a super-massive black hole the moment you slip a tire. Any money you throw from that point on will end up in oblivion. :D




(Implied Sarcasm)
If you want cheap and reliable, the only vehicle you can possibly squeeze into a sentence using those two words is "toyota".

I've built a cherokee, and while my application may be more than you're talking about, I can vouch for them being super expensive. A straight axle toyota is much cheaper than an XJ and more reliable (Even if you buy ifs and convert). I've seen stock birfields (with drivers that aren't idiots) handle tire sizes that the puny d-30/8.25/35 combo, bottom-line, can't. 35's and stock shafts is do-able, whereas on the Jeep, I wouldn't dare. Plus....swapping in longfields is cheaper than a full blown axle swap - ask me, I know (as upgrading a 30 is probably not a "reliable" choice).

From the XJ side, if the biggest tire you're wanting to try on a dana 30/chryco 8.25 combo is a 31, then lock it and wheel it (you are looking at lift prices here, the toy requires no lift for this size, or maybe even 33's with a bit-o-trimming). If you go any bigger, say a 33, you'll probably be okay with a super light foot. Any thing bigger, both axles aren't going to make it long (maybe to the first turn in the trail). Take into account however that with a 33 and bigger, you're looking at really getting into money with the required amount of lift: SYE (MUST), driveshaft, adj. trackbar, control arms, etc.

---A Toyota on 33's is good to go, as would probably be 35's on a light foot (locked).---

Just my opinion and experience.
 
andyxj said:
A straight axle toyota is much cheaper than an XJ and more reliable (Even if you buy ifs and convert).
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You're kidding right?

The private party blue book on a 1997 XJ sport 4.0 in good-fair condition is under $2000. I know because I keep toying with the idea of selling mine.

See above for what JC bought his 88 for. I haven't seen a running solid axle yota for $700, and I've been looking.

Seriously, I have been looking. I saw an '82 or so at high country 4x4 the other day for $1500 but it was already gone when I went back to look at it. So please tell me where I could find a cheap one that's in decent running shape.
 
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