KorzaXJ Build

[KorzaXJ]

Figured I should post it here so I can get some valuable insight

Heres the rig on day of purchase


and then one after begging my girlfriend (professional detailer) to help clean it up, took a bloody long time!


After installing a 3" coil and add a leaf kit, I also got some wicked nice 31" kumho mud tires,


Noticed the rear was sagging so had to add in new leafs, I thought 3.5" leaf springs would be good, but they're HUUGE! i didnt account for the 1.5" of sagging..
but its turned out, good enough,



Now I am getting the vibes... so next up is a t-case drop and running around adding in all the little things I've purchased but had no time to do (hitch, steering stabilizer, engine tune-up etc.)

Spent waayyy too much money this month haha.
I'll get a before and after lift pic up later on

[cjust]

Sharp looking xj

[raf2379]

t-case drop is a temporary solution, I would recommend to do a proper SYE setup, its a bit more money, but its the right way to do it. if you need help installing it I can help you out, but you will need a proper drive shaft before the install.

what are your plans for a lift? on my XJ I did a RE 3.5" leafs and coil, with ACOS and rear RE shackles which netted me roughly 5" of lift. if I was to do it again I would just buy the leafs and coils and build longarms.

[KorzaXJ]

I was considering the SYE but im not sure on it,  thats quite a bit of money for a curb-crawler

Its on the list, but way at the bottom, tow hooks and hitch are number one so I can finally get out to the mountains

[cLAY]

Before anything else I would try installing some steel shims to tilt the pinion up. If you want more lift you could also try longer shackles which slightly tilts the pinion, or a tapered block, but stay under a  1" block to avoid axle wrap.

3.5" lift shouldn't need a t-case drop or SYE. I was running the stock shaft on my '89 XJ with 8" lift. The older XJs were a bit more forgiving though....

[KorzaXJ]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will look into the shim idea,

Are there any downsides to doing both the raised shackles and the shim?

[cLAY]

If you raise the pinion too much then you will also have vibes. Generally the pinion and drive shaft should not be lined in a straight line, rather the pinion should be pointed slightly down as when you accelerate the pinion will rotate up from the axle wrap. Ideally you want the same angle on the lower u-joint as on the upper but after lifting that doesn't usually happen.

If you are wanting to add shackles anyway then I would put them on first and see if that fixes things, if not try adding shims. Get yourself something to measure the angles with so you can do before and after comparisons.

There are smart phone apps for that, not sure how good they are.

[Pookapotamus]

Also what shape are your u-joints in?

[EEP]

If you installed RE 3.5" leafs you got more lift. Mine worked out to about 4.25" of lift. So far I have shimmed 2 degrees, installed a IRO hack and tap. My pinion angle is still off a bit, installing shackles to add another 1" lift and raise my pinion angle. The hack and tap was 130.00.

[KorzaXJ]

U joints are most likely in worse shape than normal, I have new shackles, looking at what degree of shims will work, front coil spacers to even out the lift a bit, and a TC drop if needed, a SYE is out of the question. if I do an engine rebuild in the future ill do the SYE, as well. I'm definitely more of a budget builder.

U-joints will be replaced soon as well, but I need to take care of the little things first.

The driveline vibes are not as bad as they could be, (slight enough that they are easy to ignore). shackles are always creaking like crazy, so I figure if the shims n shackles things dont solve the problem the TC drop might. (even as a temporary solution)

[TL-Iguana]

Driveline vibes may very well be solved with new U joints if they are worn. Immortal may have a set of coil spacers to sell if you ask him nicely..

[KorzaXJ]

Even if the vibes area solved I should probably replace the u-joints anyways. Im not a "if it aint broke dont fix it guy" im a "fix it before it breaks" guy haha

[Dingleberry]

Even if the vibes area solved I should probably replace the u-joints anyways. Im not a "if it aint broke dont fix it guy" im a "fix it before it breaks" guy haha

That will change. You own a Jeep now, it's only a matter of time

[KorzaXJ]

haha stupid savings account... why is it always going down... 

[KorzaXJ]

UPDATE*

Fixed up the rust on the rear quarter panels

Just grinded them down added a primer and bed liner spray