New dd...

[Firebird67dude]

So I bought a 91 Jeep Cherrokee Sport from my cuzin. I bought it for $500 with 182,000 miles on the clock. I did front brakes and a trans line so I'm $800 total into it. The color is "Black Cherry" or as the gf says some shade of purple. Runs awesome. Passed NJ inspection in Paramus. All the emissions where either half or more than half of what was allowed. I want lift is so anyone know a good lift kit?

[Knipps]

How much lift do you want is the question.. look around you can do from 2" up

[Savage_Messiah]

... is that the one with my old amp?!?!

Seriously if it is, can I buy it back? :lol:

[Tru2Chevy]

Start reading: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89273

Do a front axle swap from a mid-90's Cherokee before you lift it. Get rid of that damn vacuum acuated 4wd. I believe you can swap just the axles for later ones and not worry about swapping the entire differential.

How much lift and what size tire are you thinking about?

- Justin

[r0nin89]

Or you could just buy manual hubs for it and flip the ADD vaccume unti around on the axle....

[Tru2Chevy]

Or you could just buy manual hubs for it and flip the ADD vaccume unti around on the axle....

Manual hub conversions for a d30 aren't cheap - he'd be looking at over a grand just for parts. Swapping axles would be far more cost effective.

- Justin

[GP99GT]

doesnt this make you an honorary admin?

[jims69camaro]

welp, i've been looking at skyjacker for their 2" for the wife's liberty. that will allow me to get a 31" tire in the wheel well.

don't know what you have planned for it, but let me know if you have any small dings you want knocked out. i will start to do jeep vehicles for free at the meets. i use very little bondo and cover it with self-etching primer. i just did one of my step-son's friend's wrangler today. he just had a little push on the front of one of the fenders. easy job: start to finish 20 minutes. smooth as a baby's tucous when done.

[maroman88]

:ttiwwp:

[Firebird67dude]

I was told it has a dana 44 rear in it. I'm looking to lift it 4 1/2 inches. My friend has a 91 4 dr and she says to just copy her lift and I will have NO probs with it.

[Tru2Chevy]

If it's a Dana, it's been swapped in (and you're lucky). They didn't come from the factory in '91. Easy to tell by looking though.

With a 4.5" lift you're most likely gonna have to do a slip yolk eliminator, and maybe a t-case drop to keep it from vibrating. Planning on running 33s?

- Justin

[79T/A]

i've been looking at skyjacker for their 2" for the wife's liberty.

Don't know much about lifting Libertys, but I've had some experience with Skyjacker and all of it was bad. A lot of the parts in their lifts appear to be sub-grade metal (Seen a transfer case drop crushed) and everyone I know who went with them in other Jeeps complained about the ride (Way too rough and uncomfortable). I would look around and find something else if you can.

As for lifting the Cherokee, I've heard nothing but good things about Rubicon Express. Quality parts and rides like a Caddy on the street. Justin's right; if you're going that high, be prepared to drop a good chunk of money. The SYE is definitely needed. He's also right about that Dana 44. There were a handful of them out there that came with a 44 in a towing package, but I'm not sure '91 was one of those years.

Jeeps are just like F Bodys: They end up costing you a ton of money to do it up right, but the end results are ridiculously satisfying. Come talk to me if you ever want to take that Jeep out on the rocks. :mrgreen:

[Firebird67dude]

My buddy Garret is all bout Jeeps. He told me that if the diff. is round its a dana and if its oval is the crap diff. Mine is round. My boss also said that its a dana fractory from jeep.

[Tru2Chevy]

Here's clear pics of many common axles so that you can tell for sure: http://www.xjjeeps.com/tech_reference.asp?section=2&ID=3

The Dana 44 was only in some 87-89 Cherokees with the towing package. Did not come from the factory in '91.

Also, if you are planning on hanging onto this Jeep for a while and modifying it, buy this: http://www.ericsxj.com/book.htm

I picked it up a few months ago and read it cover to cover in a few days. TONS of good info in there.

- Justin

[79CamaroDiva]

i dont have much to add except :w00t: for jeeps!

and we should give hte club a sub title...

New Jersey F-Body Owners Association
...or Jeeps in bad weather

[trashman01]

i dont have much to add except :w00t: for jeeps!

and we should give hte club a sub title...

New Jersey F-Body Owners Association
...or Jeeps in bad weather
what bout my K10?:lol:


With a 4.5" lift you're most likely gonna have to do a slip yolk eliminator, Planning on running 33s?

- Justin

damn jeeps do suck, 4.5" lift u only get 33s? and u gotta get a SYE and poss a TC drop? haha

Don't know much about lifting Libertys, but I've had some experience with Skyjacker and all of it was bad. A lot of the parts in their lifts appear to be sub-grade metal (Seen a transfer case drop crushed) and everyone I know who went with them in other Jeeps complained about the ride (Way too rough and uncomfortable). I would look around and find something else if you can.

we put a Skyjacker on my buddies 96 F250 and we've got no problems for it and its a lifted vehicle, its gonna be rough and uncomfortable, it meant for off-roading. want a ride like a caddy, go buy one and stay on the road:roll:

[jims69camaro]

Don't know much about lifting Libertys, but I've had some experience with Skyjacker and all of it was bad.

i'm glad you spoke up. i have zero experience with SkyJacker, lifting Liberties (or any vehicle) and was just trying to dress up my wife's car for her. larger wheel/tires, side step bars, bull bar, perhaps the chrome kit. the only reason why SkyJacker is that they have one of the few complete kits around. anything you buy from them is also upgradable, so a 2" lift today could turn into a 4.5" (with the purchase of more stuff) tomorrow.

knowing that their product tends to be rough is a good heads-up, as my wife would not tolerate a rough ride. i wonder how much of that reputation is deserved, though. most people who lift their vehicle tend to not care about road manners so much as how much more they will be able to tackle off the road (in my experience, limited as it is). i have seen advertisements for liberty-only trail rides, and i heard quite a while back that kenne bell was supposed to have a supercharger kit for the liberty, but i have not heard anything recently.

[Tru2Chevy]

i'm glad you spoke up. i have zero experience with SkyJacker, lifting Liberties (or any vehicle) and was just trying to dress up my wife's car for her. larger wheel/tires, side step bars, bull bar, perhaps the chrome kit. the only reason why SkyJacker is that they have one of the few complete kits around. anything you buy from them is also upgradable, so a 2" lift today could turn into a 4.5" (with the purchase of more stuff) tomorrow.

knowing that their product tends to be rough is a good heads-up, as my wife would not tolerate a rough ride. i wonder how much of that reputation is deserved, though. most people who lift their vehicle tend to not care about road manners so much as how much more they will be able to tackle off the road (in my experience, limited as it is). i have seen advertisements for liberty-only trail rides, and i heard quite a while back that kenne bell was supposed to have a supercharger kit for the liberty, but i have not heard anything recently.

If you haven't already poked around JeepForum, see here: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=28

That's the entire section on the Liberty, with a FAQ at the top.

I don't know any details about lifts for them, but I see in the FAQ that OME (Old Man Emu) offers a lift, and in the Cherokee world OME lifts are considered to offer the best on-road ride and handling.

- Justin

[Tru2Chevy]

damn jeeps do suck, 4.5" lift u only get 33s? and u gotta get a SYE and poss a TC drop? haha

Short wheelbase means far more drastic driveline angles than the average full size truck. Cherokee's aren't known for being able to stuff lots of tire under them without plenty of lift/trimming/bumpstops, but there are some guys that make it work. There is a guy on JeepForum that uses his XJ as equal parts pizza delivery and trail rig, and he's got a 4" lift and has 37s.

- Justin

[Teds89IROC]

nice score, we need pics!

[trashman01]

Short wheelbase means far more drastic driveline angles than the average full size truck. Cherokee's aren't known for being able to stuff lots of tire under them without plenty of lift/trimming/bumpstops, but there are some guys that make it work. There is a guy on JeepForum that uses his XJ as equal parts pizza delivery and trail rig, and he's got a 4" lift and has 37s.

- Justin

wow, thats gotta be a sight 2 see, my K10 cant be that much bigger then a cherokee but i kno the wranglers u basically need a 90* driveshaft if anything over 40s haha. i think im gonna do a 8" lift and 37s on the K10 and get rid of the 6"/35 combo

[Tru2Chevy]

wow, thats gotta be a sight 2 see

Yea, he's done some trimming ;) :
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/ktmracer419/deliveryjeep-1.jpg

Here's the same truck with only 1.5" lift in the front, same tires (trying to prove a point about flex):
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/ktmracer419/nolift37s_0046.jpg

- Justin

[r0nin89]

That dana 30 has gotta be screamin... Those things cant hold 35's let alone 37 boggers...

I wasnt aware that the dana 30 needed new wheel hubs inorder to install manual hubs. My experience dates a little further back with 4x4 components where you pull the old hubs out and slap manual hubs in in 20mins.

In that case you would be better off pulling a junkyard 30 with manual hubs, and just using the outers to make sure you retain proper gearing.

@ Trashman

8in is way too much for 37's. I run 36s with 4inches and have the same truck as you. I'd say run 6in for a street queen or run 5.5in and do the right thing and move the axle forward an inch, cut fenders, and go if you actually wheel.

[Tru2Chevy]

That dana 30 has gotta be screamin... Those things cant hold 35's let alone 37 boggers...

Yea, he's had it for a while though I believe, and I haven't seen anything about the d30 breaking. Maybe he's just one of the lucky ones.....

- Justin

[bad64chevelle]

I have skyjacker shocks on my Ram, and I like them so far. Its a 2500 so its going to drive like crap no matter what. My buddies 1500 Ram has a skyjacker lift on it and it has NO problems. and whats with these damn big lifts and fitting 36s....pshh 35s on a 3" kit, definitely coulda fit 36s.

[Tru2Chevy]

Ya know....my brother is just doing a 2.5" leveling kit on his Ram to clear 35s.

- Justin

[bad64chevelle]

yeah, its all ya need to clear 35s on a ram. my 3" was over kill by a little bit and should have gone with 36s. If my suspension didnt sag so bad, who knows maybe would be a little taller :-)

[r0nin89]

I have skyjacker shocks on my Ram, and I like them so far. Its a 2500 so its going to drive like crap no matter what. My buddies 1500 Ram has a skyjacker lift on it and it has NO problems. and whats with these damn big lifts and fitting 36s....pshh 35s on a 3" kit, definitely coulda fit 36s.

Body style and brand to brand is always different. Dodges have huge wheel wells will the axle located nice and center stock. If you take a look at a 70s/80s chevy pickup,blazer,burban you will notice that the axle actually sits an inch or two back from center and has crappier clearance in the rear.

4in is really low for 36's on a chevy. Lots of guys run 4in and 33's. Hell I bought the truck with 7in and 35's ICK.

[Savage_Messiah]

Justin: in those pics you posted.... how many "e"'s does that guy have on the "jeep" on the nose?? :lol:

[bad64chevelle]

Body style and brand to brand is always different. Dodges have huge wheel wells will the axle located nice and center stock. If you take a look at a 70s/80s chevy pickup,blazer,burban you will notice that the axle actually sits an inch or two back from center and has crappier clearance in the rear.

4in is really low for 36's on a chevy. Lots of guys run 4in and 33's. Hell I bought the truck with 7in and 35's ICK.


I know I was just busting Justin really thats all.

[79T/A]

knowing that their product tends to be rough is a good heads-up, as my wife would not tolerate a rough ride. i wonder how much of that reputation is deserved, though. most people who lift their vehicle tend to not care about road manners so much as how much more they will be able to tackle off the road (in my experience, limited as it is). i have seen advertisements for liberty-only trail rides, and i heard quite a while back that kenne bell was supposed to have a supercharger kit for the liberty, but i have not heard anything recently.


Not everyone who lifts their rig does it to go wheeling. Some folks just really like the look. And no, you don't need a ton of lift to go just a little bigger on tire size. I've been running a budget boost with 33s for several years now and am extremely happy with it.

What people really need to consider when building a Jeep (Or any vehicle, for that matter) is what you're going to use it for. Trashman, I'm sure that Ford looks badazz with all that lift and tires, and maybe the rough ride doesn't matter to you, but I spend way more time on road than off. On average, I'll wheel once a month. I don't go mudding; I rockcrawl. I wheel all day on a Sunday, then I hop in Monday morning and do my 80 mile round trip commute. My Jeep doesn't exactly ride like a Caddy, but it's comfortable on short and long trips and does what I need it to on the rocks. And my kidneys stay intact. I'm getting old. I don't need heated seats, but I do need to keep my teeth where they are.

Also, I should have mentioned that any and all experience I have with Skyjacker is Jeep related. They might spend all of their time on research and development on their products for big trucks and give us Jeep owners the crap left over for all I know.

Jim, I've wheeled with a handful of Libertys, from stock to as big a lift could be found or fabbed at the time. Just as capable as anything else in the Jeep lineup (With exception of all their low-clearance mom-mobiles).

[V]

i miss my 82 bronco now... :-(

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/668000-668999/668312_21_full.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/668000-668999/668312_22_full.jpg

[Knipps]

Justin: in those pics you posted.... how many "e"'s does that guy have on the "jeep" on the nose?? :lol:
:rofl: I didn't notice that the first time

i miss my 82 bronco now... :-(
Paul, Al's got one he's dying to get rid of ;)

[trashman01]

79T/A next time he has it out ill have to get a picture, hes got a dumping flat bed on it now cuz he uses to to help his father out at his farm. hes also go a 79 Bronco on 38s but it need some help be4 he can drive it again. he does wish he had gears in his truck tho, the 5.8L/5spd helps but still wants them gears.

and one thing that i hate the most is these preppy/rich dudes who lift there truck and put a low profile 35" tire on like a 22" wheel, wtf? i kno that 2000$ per wheel combo wont see any off-road and i think its a waste, if ur gonna lift it, use it.

[Tru2Chevy]

Justin: in those pics you posted.... how many "e"'s does that guy have on the "jeep" on the nose?? :lol:

I believe it's 3 extra, so it says "Jeeeeep".

- Justin

[jims69camaro]

If you haven't already poked around JeepForum

- Justin

yeah, i had, but i hadn't been there in a while: http://jeepspace.jeepforum.com/jims69camaro

there is also: http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=163

[jims69camaro]

Not everyone who lifts their rig does it to go wheeling. ... Jim, I've wheeled with a handful of Libertys, from stock to as big a lift could be found or fabbed at the time. Just as capable as anything else in the Jeep lineup (With exception of all their low-clearance mom-mobiles).

yes, i had thought about putting it in the weeds, too, with an airbag system. the only problem with that is that things are very tight under the liberty, and much more time would be spent making clearances than actually installing the airbags and compressor. then i thought about going sky-high with it, but i have to remember that my wife is only 5'3", so any change in height would have to come with a ladder. that's when i resigned the project to a 2" lift, slightly larger tires with some really nice wheels and side bars so she could climb up in there with little to no extra effort. she is stuck on the way the front end appears, so any changes made there (with a bull bar, winch, extra lights) would not be able to detract from the stock look.

i understand some legislators are trying to get bull bars and front bumper brush guards outlawed, for whatever reason. so, anything that i change would have to take that into account which is why i settled on a small bull bar that would attach to the front bumper underneath or the front frame rails.

taking it out to play is something i would have to get the wife warmed up to, since she only thinks of cars as point-A-to-point-B transportation. she has even said she didn't want me racing, but once she sees how safe it is on the track i am sure i could get her to change her mind. same thing with the off-roading, i am sure she would warm up to it, but it would take some time.

the liberty, when we bought it, was unique in look and size. now every manufacturer has one in that size - some a little bigger, some a little smaller. i wouldn't need an extra 100 horsepower to go rock crawling, and i know stock liberties have been on the trail, but when i heard about the kenne bell system, i knew that would be the compromise. unfortunately, i haven't seen it since, and most of the informaiton i gathered is way out of date (over three years old at this point).

[79T/A]

and one thing that i hate the most is these preppy/rich dudes who lift there truck and put a low profile 35" tire on like a 22" wheel, wtf? i kno that 2000$ per wheel combo wont see any off-road and i think its a waste, if ur gonna lift it, use it.


AMEN!!! If you're gonna run 22" wheels, you should be running 40" or bigger tires and you should be OFF ROAD! Love the big trucks; in addition to the T/A, I've also got an '84 K-5 I'm going to build with a mild lift for my wife to use as a grocery getter and it'll plow the driveway in the winter.

Jim, I hadn't heard about the legislation, but it wouldn't surprise me. :-?

[Tru2Chevy]

Eh....My wife wants a brush guard for her '04 GC, but I'm hesitant to put one one. If she was actually gonna drive it through the woods I would get one to save the grill / headlights from damage, but I've seen them often cause more damage than they prevent in on-road accidents.

I'm trying to talk her into an aftermarket bumper instead with a little hoop for mounting some lights if she wants.

- Justin

[maroman88]

Eh....My wife wants a brush guard for her '04 GC, but I'm hesitant to put one one. If she was actually gonna drive it through the woods I would get one to save the grill / headlights from damage, but I've seen them often cause more damage than they prevent in on-road accidents.

I'm trying to talk her into an aftermarket bumper instead with a little hoop for mounting some lights if she wants.

- Justin

i saw a lady in a tahoe use hers to push thru a bunch of shopping carts yesterday at work lol

[Savage_Messiah]

... is that the one with my old amp?!?!

Seriously if it is, can I buy it back? :lol:

Ignore that post, just went back and saw I sold it to Matt for his cousin's jeep, not you... my bad. too many friggin jeeps :lol:

[trashman01]

AMEN!!! If you're gonna run 22" wheels, you should be running 40" or bigger tires and you should be OFF ROAD! Love the big trucks; in addition to the T/A, I've also got an '84 K-5 I'm going to build with a mild lift for my wife to use as a grocery getter and it'll plow the driveway in the winter.

i had some kid from highskool next to me at a light, in his 89 F350 lifted on 38s and i kno the kid cuz i use to be a mechanic and i mounted his 38s on the wheels and i asked the kid if he been off-roading yet and he goes nah, its only for the look:evil: the thing would kill off road, dana 60s, 4.11s, C6, 460 V8. just ashame he'll never use any of it

i understand some legislators are trying to get bull bars and front bumper brush guards outlawed, for whatever reason. so, anything that i change would have to take that into account which is why i settled on a small bull bar that would attach to the front bumper underneath or the front frame rails.


thats gonna suck cuz i think the front of my K10 would look naked wit out the bull bar. the safari bar(similar thing, just different name) would be perfect and couple KC lights wired up.

i saw a lady in a tahoe use hers to push thru a bunch of shopping carts yesterday at work lol

thats using the head!:rofl:

[r0nin89]

Hehe no liberty short of one with a solid axle swap could ever perform in much more than a novice level offroad condition. You need wheel travel to keep all your wheels on the ground and IFS just cant perform, ESPECIALLY in the rocks.

It doesnt matter how big your tires are when your popping CV joints and axle shafts left and right cause you only have 2in of travel in your front suspension

[Tru2Chevy]

Oh Tim, almost forgot this: http://jeeptalk.org/jeep_wave.php

- Justin

[jims69camaro]

Hehe no liberty short of one with a solid axle swap could ever perform in much more than a novice level offroad condition. You need wheel travel to keep all your wheels on the ground and IFS just cant perform, ESPECIALLY in the rocks.

It doesnt matter how big your tires are when your popping CV joints and axle shafts left and right cause you only have 2in of travel in your front suspension

i think you'd be surprised what a stock liberty can do...

http://z.about.com/d/suvs/1/8/3/2/-/-/LibertyRear3q245x166.jpg

[Squirrel]

Yea, he's had it for a while though I believe, and I haven't seen anything about the d30 breaking. Maybe he's just one of the lucky ones.....

- Justin

my 10 bolt didnt explode...and you know how i drove that thing... lol