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    Quote from altierior

    I'm not sure where to start. Wait, yes I do.


    You want to wheel it, but did not mention armor. I'll guess there are elements of your build that you did not put in your described plan, and hopefully armor is one of them. Wheeling an armored stock rig is far preferable to wheeling a naked built rig. IMO

    that's my plan to just get it up and rolling instead of sitting on jack stands for eternity. Tentative armor plans are jcr quarter panels with rub rails and tail lights, diy winch bumper but unsure what as of now, and of course rock sliders and fuel tank skid plate but haven't done research to pick one type / brand over another yet

    Quote from Bkovey21

    Tentative armor plans are jcr quarter panels with rub rails and tail lights, diy winch bumper but unsure what as of now, and of course rock sliders and fuel tank skid plate but haven't done research to pick one type / brand over another yet

    Yes and no. First should always be diff guards. Of course, rock sliders. Oil pan and transfer case skids are FAR more important than fuel tank.
    imo

    ~ JD
    * WARNING - The above post may contain trace elements of biting sarcasm. Those with known sensitivities should avoid staring directly at it.

    Quote from altierior

    Yes and no. First should always be diff guards. Of course, rock sliders. Oil pan and transfer case skids are FAR more important than fuel tank.imo



    Diff guards meaning skids plates on top of heavy duty diff covers ? And ok I'll look into those too. That stuff is easy and can be done once the thing is rolling. Mainly focused on axles, gearing, lockers now to get the thing rolling but I'll definitely armor it before taking it out. Thanks !

    Quote from Bkovey21

    Diff guards meaning skids plates on top of heavy duty diff covers ? And ok I'll look into those too. That stuff is easy and can be done once the thing is rolling. Mainly focused on axles, gearing, lockers now to get the thing rolling but I'll definitely armor it before taking it out. Thanks !

    Oh, I didn't see mention of heavy-duty diff covers. No, you don't need additional. Some people like to protect them differently other than replacing the covers. The covers are the best method.


    and yeah, when I talk about the armor being paramount, I mean before taking it wheeling.

    ~ JD
    * WARNING - The above post may contain trace elements of biting sarcasm. Those with known sensitivities should avoid staring directly at it.

    Quote from altierior

    Oh, I didn't see mention of heavy-duty diff covers. No, you don't need additional. Some people like to protect them differently other than replacing the covers. The covers are the best method.
    and yeah, when I talk about the armor being paramount, I mean before taking it wheeling.



    Heavy duty covers come with the ox lockers, but otherwise thatd certainly be something I'd do while i had the whole thing apart.

    A little late to the party but welcome.


    In regards to OX vs ARB vs nonselectable....having run all three (well, the cable/manual version of OX) I'd have to agree with Billy in regards to the rear axle. With the wheelbase of an XJ personally the reliability of most auto lockers reigns supreme. The one thing I noticed running selectables F&R was that I tended to just leave the rear locked when wheeling unless I explicitly needed to unlock it. IMHO you're money ahead at that point to just use a selectable up front.


    As far as one type vs the other...well, they all have positives and negatives. I ran the OX's for a long time in a D30/D44 and broke them both several times. I replaced the spiders and locking ring a couple times before grenading the D44 OX beyond repair. I'm pretty sure that the internals are the same between the cable and air versions so I don't think those weak points are any different. My wife's TJ has ARB's and other than the occasional air leak and o-ring replacement (currently needs the front's replaced) they're pretty rock solid. The one you didn't mention were E-lockers which I've got in my front D60 and several other members run...you can check out the negatives on that one in a current thread in Jeep Talk.


    --Ian

    so you would reccomend A Detroit for the rear and arb for front ? Is Detroit generally a higher quality than Aussie ?

    Quote from Bkovey21

    so you would reccomend A Detroit for the rear and arb for front ? Is Detroit generally a higher quality than Aussie ?

    Yeah, that'd be a solid combo....nothing wrong with an aussie but I'd personally consider a detroit stronger. The benefit of the lunchbox lockers is usually if you're not regearing as they don't require touching the gear setup since they use the existing carrier.


    --Ian

    Quote from clendaniel

    Yeah, that'd be a solid combo....nothing wrong with an aussie but I'd personally consider a detroit stronger. The benefit of the lunchbox lockers is usually if you're not regearing as they don't require touching the gear setup since they use the existing carrier.
    --Ian

    thanks i appreciate it ! I'll think about doing that instead, it's certainly cheaper

    Quote from clendaniel

    Yeah, that'd be a solid combo....

    Agreed. Detroit rear and ARB front is my setup. It was my DD along with wheeling it once or more per month for seven years or so before I took it off the street altogether.


    If money were no object whatsoever, for a street-mostly XJ, I would have preferred selectable F&R. I agree with Ian that the rear would simply remain locked most of the day when wheeling it, but for the street (which I assume is where your XJ will be most of the time), you can't beat having the ability to just turn it off front and rear and leave it off. The Detroit is okay on the street for a DD, but open is better.


    I found that my Detroit would chirp the tires when accelerating into a turn from a stop. I think a Detroit on the street contributes somewhat to tire wear and poorer fuel economy to some extent. It also affects handling - it's not too bad and you'd quickly become accustomed to it, but it's another consideration, especially if someone else (wife, gf, SO, whomever) sometimes drives the XJ.


    I'm not trying to talk you out of the Detroit for the rear. As Ian aptly said, ARB front and Detroit rear is a solid combo. I've been happy with it. Just offering my opinion.

    ~ JD
    * WARNING - The above post may contain trace elements of biting sarcasm. Those with known sensitivities should avoid staring directly at it.

    Quote from altierior

    Agreed. Detroit rear and ARB front is my setup. It was my DD along with wheeling it once or more per month for seven years or so before I took it off the street altogether.
    If money were no object whatsoever, for a street-mostly XJ, I would have preferred selectable F&R. I agree with Ian that the rear would simply remain locked most of the day when wheeling it, but for the street (which I assume is where your XJ will be most of the time), you can't beat having the ability to just turn it off front and rear and leave it off. The Detroit is okay on the street for a DD, but open is better.


    I found that my Detroit would chirp the tires when accelerating into a turn from a stop. I think a Detroit on the street contributes somewhat to tire wear and poorer fuel economy to some extent. It also affects handling - it's not too bad and you'd quickly become accustomed to it, but it's another consideration, especially if someone else (wife, gf, SO, whomever) sometimes drives the XJ.


    I'm not trying to talk you out of the Detroit for the rear. As Ian aptly said, ARB front and Detroit rear is a solid combo. I've been happy with it. Just offering my opinion.

    yeah that was my reasoning for doing both selectable. Thanks for the input ! All is welcome

    Quote from Bkovey21

    no I'll be creeping my way along, I don't want to go out and break everything in one shot . Do you like the 4.88s better than if you had 4.56? I was on the fence on which to choose and elected 4.56 since it'll be a DD and figured if I needed more gearing I could get a t case doubler or the atlas 2 later on

    im pretty happy with it even though it does run pretty high RPM on the highway. the xj has better aerodynamics, so you would probably be ok with the 4.56's. it may be different for you with an automatic transmission though. Also, my engine is a bit tired, yours is likely a little stronger.


    and im going to echo the above statement about armor. good skid plates are invaluable

    Quote from Erock

    im pretty happy with it even though it does run pretty high RPM on the highway. the xj has better aerodynamics, so you would probably be ok with the 4.56's. it may be different for you with an automatic transmission though. Also, my engine is a bit tired, yours is likely a little stronger.
    and im going to echo the above statement about armor. good skid plates are invaluable

    when I plugged my info into grim jeeper it showed about a 4 mph difference at 2500rpms or something so it's a difference but not much. Thanks for the input! And copy I'll get some before I hit the rocks !

    "I'm guessing there was a sad day for your steering box? How do you reinforce it? Replacing the aluminum spacer with a steel one ? Skid play ?"


    Look at page 255 of the "What have you done to your Jeep today" thread, about half way down the page, and follow the thread from there. You'll see what happened to John's steering box and what he did to fix it.

    hey welcome aboard!


    Former 2001 XJ guy here... had a TNT 6" longarm on 35s, 8.25 rear (Detroit) and HP30 front (ARB, but never hooked up). If you're planning on doing work to the 8.25 internals, I'd suggest switching to the 29 spline shafts instead of the 27spline that came in the 1996 and older models. Small upgrade, but shouldn't cost anything since you're already changing out the differential.


    A lot of good advice above... I'll add to inspect the leaf spring mounts carefully as the ones on my 2001 rusted out at the shackle mount 2 years ago. Also, if you switch to a different company for the longarms, replace the factory crossmember (transmission/transfer case) with a stronger one (BDS comes with one).


    Gearing wise, I never had a problem with 4.56 gears and 35s although if you drive aggressively or plan on towing anything you might prefer 4.88s. It'll handle ok on the street with an auto locker like a Detroit, but you'll notice it in curves when you get on or off the gas. A selectable will be nicer for a daily driver, but the auto lockers are cheaper and a simpler install.


    A few trail shots of my XJ when it was on 32s when the lift was just installed.

    XJ

    Jerry / Whatevah

    2020 Gladiator Mojave - 33" Falken mud tires, LoD side steps, Zroadz bed rack, Quadratec QRC winch bumper, Superwinch EPi 9.0, Kleinn on-board air, Kleinn air horns, lots of lights, Yaesu ham radio with GPS tracker.

    Gone- 2012 JK Rubicon with stuff. Long gone- Long-arm 2001 Cherokee with stuff.

    Quote from whatevah

    A few trail shots of my XJ when it was on 32s when the lift was just installed.

    XJ


    Ah, the requisite Yellow Jacket Ridge pics. :mrgreen:


    We had some good times back when you had that XJ. :thumbup:

    ~ JD
    * WARNING - The above post may contain trace elements of biting sarcasm. Those with known sensitivities should avoid staring directly at it.

    Quote from whatevah


    ...replace the factory crossmember (transmission/transfer case) with a stronger one...


    Whatever happened to that HD crossmember that you had? :thumbup:


    and in case you were wondering: Yes, I somehow managed to dent it up pretty good. :innocent:

    ~ JD
    * WARNING - The above post may contain trace elements of biting sarcasm. Those with known sensitivities should avoid staring directly at it.

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