lookin for more

jeeperjoe

Active Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2011
Location
Clyde, NC
hey guys new here and i have no wheelin friends so im trying to learn this stuff. anyways, i have a cherokee with a rough country 3" its got d30 in the front and chry8.25 in rear its a coil lift in front and aal in rear. now my question i want a little more. i dont have the deepest pockets so i was looking at adding a spacer in the front and shackles in the rear but what i need to know is what needs to be done to go over 3" and what the best way to go would be. i want to get a good clean 33 under and still have some flex room. im not a mudder im a crawler so i still want some room there.
 
its already cut and rolled. im looking for more suspension
 
no not yet. i have bought some clevis pins to make my quick discos to free up the front end a lil but i was thinkin about going with 1.5 or 2 inch shackles in rear and maybe a spacer in the front. what im wondering is if i'll have to change the lca or pitman or some other steering or alignment component. or can i get by with 4.5 to 5 inches with out have any issues?
 
is it always this hard to get some help on this subject or am i asking the wrong way posting in the wrong spot? not really sure what i need to do
 
Your steering will def. be affected. How? Not sure, but it will change. You'll need to look into a new adjustable track bar. I'm not an XJ owner so I can't really comment on the lcas. They will be affected, but I'm not sure how much and if it will affect handling.

Your driveshafts will change and so will the brake lines. Look at those close as you don't want to affect those during use.

If you use the spacers, you won't get anymore flex than you do now. If you want more flex, you'll need other springs and maybe some new control arms.

Shackles aren't going to do much for you out back. I'd go with a different set of springs. they are fairly cheap.
 
those seem like they would do a pretty good job. thanks for the input by the way. so do you or anyone have any ideas of how i should go about this? is there a cheaper way to get the extra height and some better flex without dropping a grand on a flex kit? i want this to be a road ready trail killer. I am getting a set of 33's soon and im looking into locking one of the axles im ust not sure if it would be better to do the front or back. and im making my bumpers, rocker guards, partial exo, etc. so any ideas or thoughts would be great
 
If you want better flex get rid of the aal. They are stiff and ride rough because they don't flex well. Get a leaf pack in the rear. That HD piece is nice as well, but it doesn't sound like you are ready for that. Do you already have adjustable lower ca's? You'll need an adjustable track bar so you can make it longer. You'll need an sye or at minimum a transfer case drop. Then a new rear dshaft. I'll need an alignment.

But you don't need more than 3" for 33's.
 
X2 on Adjustable trackbar. Lower control arms aren't a must but They would really help. For the rear you could ditch the aal and build a bastard pack with leaves from an s10 or a dakota. Spacers aren't the best for flex but they will get the height up.
 
so adjustable ca's and track bar to start. so that will allow me to add lift coils and leaf packs? would the adjustable allow me to get up to the 6 inchess range? as far as the locker goes does any one have any ideas of which would be better for on-road as well as off? spool, locker, lsd? and would you put it in the front or back?
 
jeeperjoe said:
so adjustable ca's and track bar to start. so that will allow me to add lift coils and leaf packs? would the adjustable allow me to get up to the 6 inchess range? as far as the locker goes does any one have any ideas of which would be better for on-road as well as off? spool, locker, lsd? and would you put it in the front or back?
Click to expand...

Go with either a spartan or a lock-rite, lsd isn't a locker it it has good manners on the street but it wont stay "locked" in all occasions. A spool should only be used for a trail rig that isnt driven on the street. Also lock the back.
 
so how will it act locked in the front vs the back on the street that is?
 
So i think i going to go with a spartan they look to be built tougher. and i'm going for the back because i heard my front 30 will snap if its locked up with 33's
 
jeeperjoe said:
its already cut and rolled. im looking for more suspension
Click to expand...

I'd cut more if this is a rock crawler. Lower CG is better when crawling.

I'd lock the rear first too.
 
my only fear is not having enough axle clearance, and bustin axle tubes everytime i get in a rocky area. and also there is an open day at the flats in marion for those who want to know its jan 14
 
what did you get your 44 out of? and how bad was it to put in?
 
If you are only doing 1 locker right now then put it in the front. If you are climbing rocks then you will get better results with the locker in the front. You will not even notice it on the road in 2 wheel dr. I ran a locright in the front of mine with a dana 30 and 35's and never broke. 37's were a different matter but rev's fixed that.
 
Truss the HP30, get a good diff cover, and don't worry about messing anything up. I've rammed my axle tubes into rocks more times than I can count, and I'm still going strong.

A front locker will help the most if you can only afford one. Two are better though!
 
the D44 came out of a 88 cherokee with the tow package, its a easy swap over, you'll have to get different u-bolts the axle tubes are differnt sizes going from the 8.25 to the D44
 
Thanks for all the help guys this is deff making up for not knowing anyone who builds. so about trussing, I have heard of it but never seen it does someone have some pics that would give me a good idea how to do it? second will the spartan locker in the front be a good option? and third does anyone recomend a diff cover?
 
For the typical trail rig doing some mild rock crawling, I'd skip the truss and front diff cover and spend the coin on lockers and a winch if you don't have one.

Most factory front diff covers will be sufficient for mild rock crawling, but most factory rear diff covers are thin and dent or peel back easily possibly leaving you with a leaking diff so you might want to replace that one first.

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/825COV.html

If you don't have some sliders/rock rails, I'd put that high on the priority list too otherwise you could end up with a damaged door that won't close properly.
 
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