What should I do first with $600?

[holyshiat]

Good morning fellas, I have a 97 tj with 2.5l 5spd 31inch and 1.5inch spacer is only mod i have so far. new to this off road scene. I work on my own cars, so labor is free. Im here trying to get an idea of how to spend my first 600 dollars wisely. two directions i want to go is

• 4 inch lift, nothing fancy, just good ol' springs and brackets and shocks. i've already got front and rear shocks, didnt spend money. Found a guy selling 4 inch springs front and back and xfer case drop kit for 200. i've been googling and reading posts, seems like there's whole lot i gatta source, such as extended pitman, xfer case shifter bracket, brake hoses, bump stops, rear track bar brackets, sway bar links. i crunched the numbers, and seems like its gonna b around 600 give or take 50. not including alignment, or any of the steering components, just whats listed on teraflex 4inch lift kit. the $870 one. of course that lift kit does not include brake hoses, and xfer case shift brackets, reason why i rather piece it together.
• winch and bumper. i really like the stinger look bumper, and seems like they are 280~480 range, depending on brand. found one thats not the stinger style on amazon for like 220, which already have the "D" rings, winch plate and LED already built in. its rock crawler (click for link) bumper. Winch, i remember seeing the smittybilt (click for link) for like 280 on amazon. which i'll be hitting about 500. I dont know if the bumper is thick enough. So if i was to save money, y not just get a winch plate for 60 bucks on stock bumper, and get the winch, call it a day.

reading the posts, seeing what people are doing, and knowing i have a 4 banger, my ultimate goal on this jeep is 33inch tires, super35 w/ regeared at 5.10 or 5.13 i dunno which one is correct sorry, about 3~4inch suspension lift. I want to be able to join jeepjamboreeusa some day, as my wife and i love camping, and hopefully that is enough to get me to go mudding little and crawling rocks a little. what are your thoughts? how would u spend the $600? thanks in advance

 

[TheBoogieman]

With a 2.5L, I wouldn't go bigger than 31" tires with stock gears. A winch and front locker would be a good investment. You can keep both of them when you decide on 33" tires, S35 and a regear.

 

[holyshiat]

It totally depends on your needs. With a 2.5L, I wouldn't go bigger than 31" tires. A winch and front locker would be a good investment. You can keep both of them when you decide on 33" tires, S35 and regear.

yea thought about front aussie lunchbox locker for front, now if i was to regear the rear diff with the 5 .10 or 5.13 or whichever correct one down the road, do i need to regear the front diff? or just having the lunch box is good, and just upgrade the axles?

 

[TheBoogieman]

yea thought about front aussie lunchbox locker for front, now if i was to regear the rear diff with the 5 .10 or 5.13 or whichever correct one down the road, do i need to regear the front diff? or just having the lunch box is good, and just upgrade the axles?

You have to regear both axles. 4.88 works well for 33s and a 4 cylinder.
p.s. You can mount a winch to the stock bumper with a winch plate.

 

[Chris]

Skip the 4" lift and 33s. That's a bad idea on your 2.5, especially if you plan to daily drive it. 31s and a 2" lift would be as large as I would go, honestly. However, you'll need a lot more than $600 for that.

$600 won't get you much in the Jeep world, so I'd probably start with a bumper and a winch I suppose, if you're just itching to spend that is.

 

[SvtLdr]

If your Jeep is daily driven on the street, I wouldn't recommend a front lunchbox locker.

 

[Irun]

How many miles does the Jeep have on it? Are there obvious maintenance items that need to be addressed? I always start there first. Not sexy I know, but it beats walking!

 

[SvtLdr]

OP, what kind / style of tire do you have right now? If your current 31s are more of a street tire then switching to an AT / Hybrid / MT will make a BIG difference. A tire upgrade could be done in the $600 ballpark.

 

[holyshiat]

Skip the 4" lift and 33s. That's a bad idea on your 2.5, especially if you plan to daily drive it. 31s and a 2" lift would be as large as I would go, honestly. However, you'll need a lot more than $600 for that.

$600 won't get you much in the Jeep world, so I'd probably start with a bumper and a winch I suppose, if you're just itching to spend that is.

once the diffs are regeared, axles were upgraded, 33's ok tho right? i've seen yours and jerry's post, and seems like you guys approved it with the super35's, reason y i wanna do that 33s. but it won't be done for a very while, its not a d.d. just a weekend drive to local trails (peters mill run va), just got brand new 31s one month ago, it'll take a very long time for us to wear that down. guess my hope for lift was too much haha. so, hows the smittybilt winch? should i stick with the rockcrawler bumper, or just get a plate and mount it on the stock bumper?

 

[holyshiat]

How many miles does the Jeep have on it? Are there obvious maintenance items that need to be addressed? I always start there first. Not sexy I know, but it beats walking!

its got 129500 on it, i've done all the fluids, filters, plugs, dist caps/rotors, tune up is already good to go, minor surface rust on frames and body, no holes, very minor leaks.

 

[holyshiat]

OP, what kind / style of tire do you have right now? If your current 31s are more of a street tire then switching to an AT / Hybrid / MT will make a BIG difference. A tire upgrade could be done in the $600 ballpark.

i had 1 good year wranglers, which i placed it on spare, 2 nexen A/T tire on rear, those three 31's were free, two i purchased were gt advan a/t tires i believe

 

[holyshiat]

If your Jeep is daily driven on the street, I wouldn't recommend a front lunchbox locker.

nah i bought it cuz my wife loves jeeps, and its her toy car, hehe but u know how it goes when it comes to toy cars, its not a daily, just weekend local trail jeep

 

[SvtLdr]

once the diffs are regeared, axles were upgraded, 33's ok tho right? i've seen yours and jerry's post, and seems like you guys approved it with the super35's, reason y i wanna do that 33s. but it won't be done for a very while, its not a d.d. just a weekend drive to local trails (peters mill run va), just got brand new 31s one month ago, it'll take a very long time for us to wear that down. guess my hope for lift was too much haha. so, hows the smittybilt winch? should i stick with the rockcrawler bumper, or just get a plate and mount it on the stock bumper?

A lifted 2.5L Jeep on 33s will struggle at highway speeds. Even after a re-gear. Is trailering your jeep an option to/from the trail?

 

[holyshiat]

A lifted 2.5L Jeep on 33s will struggle at highway speeds. Even after a re-gear. Is trailering your jeep an option to/from the trail?

no... not an option... can't afford trailers and big enough trucks to haul... even now the 5th gear is useless, if its straight, its ok, slightest uphill, i see speedo dropping, so i have to down shift to 4th. reason behind the 5.10 or 5.13 gear

 

[SvtLdr]

i had 1 good year wranglers, which i placed it on spare, 2 nexen A/T tire on rear, those three 31's were free, two i purchased were gt advan a/t tires i believe

That's gotta be some kind of record.
How does your current tire concoction perform offroad?

 

[SvtLdr]

no... not an option... can't afford trailers and big enough trucks to haul...

It's one of those things that you may choose to "just live with" after giving it a try. It also may end up being unbearable for you. Just keep in mind what's in store with your current combination.

 

[Irun]

its got 129500 on it, i've done all the fluids, filters, plugs, dist caps/rotors, tune up is already good to go, minor surface rust on frames and body, no holes, very minor leaks.

What about the cooling system? Is that original? Keep in mind, if it is, it's now 23+ years old.

 

[holyshiat]

That's gotta be some kind of record.
How does your current tire concoction perform offroad?

dont get me wrong, i didnt get buy 2 get 3 free deal LOL, i run a repair shop, and when we took over 4 yrs ago, those three tires were there from the beginning, so im used it now haha. well, only trail i been on is peters mill run in va, seems like its rated 2-4 on badge of honor app, and i mean, i didnt try anything dumb, cuz i needed that car to take me back home, but i thought it performed well, tires and car

 

[Steel City 06]

5.13 gears and narrow 33s might be tolerable. Think 33x10.5 or narrower. 33x12.5 will require more power to turn, and will be noticeably worse.

You would definitely want a Super 35 if you add a locker to the rear axle.

The cost to regear, Super 35, and lock both axles is probably on the order of $3k.

 

[holyshiat]

What about the cooling system? Is that original? Keep in mind, if it is, it's now 23+ years old.

looking from the outside, water pump and thermostat been replaced, but rad, is old haha yea coolant i drained and fill, didnt see no rust, nice and green.

instead of looking to raise, i should consider recovery gears first...