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[mark-xj00]

Hey guys,

I have owned my jeep cherokee for a year now. Last year i put in some bad situations and this year i have decided to make some upgrades to keep my jeep safe on the trails.

i dont have much to invest i figure around 500 a month on the parts so it will take me many months to get to where i want to be.

Everything is stock on my jeep. i have been reading as much as i can for the past couple months to know what im getting myself involved in.

Ok. now that the inroduction is done here is my question.
In what order should i go about to upgrading my jeepfor off roading in some nice deep trails on the weekend while being able to still drive it to work.

heres what im thinking i could start off with a
-budget lift and tires ,
-then work my way to some armor(bumpers, skid plates)
-winch
-then look into upgrading the diff. and gears
-lockers
-and a bigger lift and tires that will be added to my budget lift.

so how does my game plan seem? am i missing anything, im sure i am.
like i said i have a stock 2000 xj 4.0.
so i want to go ahead with the budget lift first, is this a good idea and if so what do you guys recomend?

thank you for reading!!
Mark K.

 

[Saurian]

Recovery points.

I wanted more than anything to lift it into the sky and throw some huge tires on it, but I followed the sage advice of others, and took care of front and rear recovery points... Tow hooks, trailer hitch, whatever floats your boat. If you get stuck and don't have any tow points, there are few and expensive places to hook a strap to; front swaybar (hopefully it doesn't tear off and go through a windshield), axle (that'll get expensive really quick)...

Here are a couple pics of what I did for mine. This is a 2000 XJ, 4.0, stock.

Rear 2" class III reciever for trailer hitch, makes good solid rear tow point.

Front Warn Trans4mer Grille Guard (later added front 2" reciever). Pull capacity of 9000 pounds, if I recall correctly, works with your existing bumper.

Tow points are important, after all, if you don't get stuck, you weren't trying hard enough urple:

My next mod after those, and it was 2 years in coming, was the 4" lift, it's sweet...

Sounds like you're going about it the right way, thinking objectively and taking it one step at a time... A Jeep is never truly "done", as I see it, so there is really no rush to get it done, since you can't.

Welcome to Jeepz.

 

[bchcky]

def recovery and armor first. front and rear recovery are both key. skids for the t-case, gas tank and radiator are a good idea. they can be found cheap/used at a boneyard, but the stock gas skids arent too strong.

and don't EVER pull off the sway bar or axle, terrible idea. if you absolutely need to on the rear of an XJ without recovery, you can hook onto the shackles, much better than the axle.

and you've got the right idea going in stages. recovery and protection are the best initial investment. a budget lift and small tires is a good place to start. once you get more comfortable, and more knowledgable, then move up.

and if you're thinking about upgrading the diff and gears, you should probably look into different axles. but thats another bridge to cross when you get there. no sense in polishing sh!t.

 

[mark-xj00]

thx for the pointers.
its pretty dumb that hooks where optional on the 2000.

im going to look around and see what my first purchase will be. im thinking a front steel bumper with hooks, a rear tow and the budget lift all at once, im thinking of getting a 3" budget left so that i can add 31" , should i be woried about other parts not functioning properly at this height?

 

[prariepunk]

Welcome!

 

[mark-xj00]

hey guys,

i have been doing a lot of research since the last time i posted here. because of my fixed budget things are moving slow but moving never the less.

i just ordered hooks for the front and back of the jeep. now i think im going to go with skid plates. here is a website that i found what i believe are good skid plates, i also found that store in my city so im hopping this si the next big buy for me this week.

what do you guys think, is there a better skid plate out there for my money?
http://www.skidplates.com/products_84_01_XJ.htm

thx for the info
Mark