Wrecking yard XJ 3" Fabalift...

[mopar440]

Started with a stock '92 XJ 2-door with 216,000 miles on it... removed flares and front air dam/wind deflector/weed scraper...
added the following wrecking yard parts...

'97 Grand Cherokee V-8 front coils and shocks... $20.00
'99 S-10 P-up 2wd main leaves........................... $20.00
'8? Comanche rear shocks (new, Autozone)....... $29.98
'85-ish Dodge D-50 rear bumpstops................... Free
'97 Grand Cherokee front bumpstops and cups.. Free
'76 Dodge 1/2-ton p-up wheels and hubcaps..... $40.00
31-10.50-15 Savero MT tires............................... On hand

First removed rear swaybar, and retained axle mounting brackets for later use as a free barpin eliminator for rear shocks...

Measured and cut S-10 main leaf eyes and used as an Add-A-Leaf, sandwiched between stock factory main leaf and remaining stock leaves from the Cherokee...

Installed rear shocks, using afore-mentioned BPE...(pic shows old shocks... installed new ones next day)


Then cut stock rear bumpstops as pictured below, and installed D-50 bumpstops on axle, using 2 1/2" muffler clamp (don't laugh... they fit a D-35 perfectly, and work sweet!!!)...


Up front, I simply removed stock coil springs, replaced them with the V-8 Grand Cherokee springs, as well as the shocks, and tapped the existing hole in the stock bumpstop cup to accept a 3/8-13 bolt, 2 1/2 inches long and bolted the V-8 Grand bumpstop cup to it, and used the stock Grand bumpstop...

To date, I have exactly $109.98 into the lift, which netted 3 1/2" out back and 3" in the front, no rubbing anywhere with 31's, it rides like stock and flexes really well... no driveline issues, but I think I'll do a YJ slipyoke on the rear 'shaft... they're a little longer than the XJ 'yoke... this was done with no fender trimming whatsoever... the bumpstops are responsible for the no-trimming... and the longer shocks added to articulation, as the Grand front shocks are 2 1/2" longer and the Comanche rears are 3" longer... I also made a couple of brackets to lower/extend the front and rear brake lines, for added peice of mind...

Before...


After...


;D

[Wing Nut]

nice write up!

i know of a couple lurkers here that would be able to put that info to good use!

[lilbko]

Cool

[mopar440]

Works for me... meow I just have to lock it with an Aussie, rocker it with AJ's rock rails and bumper it with some homemade bumpers...

BTW, Wing... hope shoes don't mind me using "Fabalift"...

[Wing Nut]

thats okay i'll tack the copyright infringment fees onto your mempership dues..


and i win. i ordered aussie's front and rear for my jeep about a week ago and today i ordered the rest of the stuff i need to finish the 4.56 dana 44 conversion!

booya!

but as far as doing things quickly.....its taken me years to get where i'm at.

right meow shoes're sitting where i was a few months ago!

and i think shoes just got that thing.

so if it was a timed race.

i think shoes'd already won


but hey. this isnt jeep speed. lets just wheel!

[mopar440]

Yeah... only had it meow for 2 months... but it's not a race! Locker for mine will be a month or two away, as well as the rest of it... just wanted to get the 31's under it and away from the body, so I can play... the rest will come, but for meow I'll wheel it as is, and I'm old enough to know what I and the Jeep can and can't do... I have no problems letting others hit trails I won't attempt... 2 weeks ago @ Goat Mt. was a good example... hit some trails with the guys, and stayed @ trailhead when it got sketchy... it's a DD, so I need to be sorta conservitive for meow...

[Wing Nut]

i hear ya. mines finally going to be to the point where i can do some things and not worry about as much breakage as i did before.

i'm without DD right meow.

but soon it'll be back on the road. along with my camaro!

[ati2ude]

keith ur ride does go some places as i found out today. thanks a ton for all the help with the clutch in my wrangler. couldnt of done it without shoes lol. well probably could have in a few months with a few cut up knuckles and lots of cuss words lol. i ordered my quick disconnectes right when i got home

[mopar440]

Thanks, and shoes're welcome... good on ya' for ordering up the disco's... and, yeah the Grape does pretty good out there, for what it is... see ya soon!

[Wing Nut]

lol i see shoes updatede your sig.

[mopar440]

Why yes. yes I did...

[Slammed Shadow]

Why did shoes use the s-10 leaf as a add-a-leaf instead of throwing in the entire S-10 leaf pack? I hear that works no problem. and what is a bar pin eliminator? never heard of that. Hey to all sorry I have been a gohst for so long I have been out of it with finishing my bachlors and meow that I unemployed I have more free time )meow if I had more money I would be in good shape). oh wait I have 3 kids and a mortgage I will never have "more" money. anyone that can clear this up lemme know. both the money and tech question ;}

[Wing Nut]

not sure on the entire leaf pack. i do know that the pin for the leaf pack is off center in cherokees. cant say if s10's are the same or not.

and a bar pin eliminator squishes the bottom of your front shock bushing together, so to speak.

i really dont have a good way to explain this. but i saw some at rusty's website and read up on them.

basically supposed to eliminate any slop in the bushing

[mopar440]

S-10 pack is much stiffer, thus a harsher ride... and a "Barpin" is the shock mounting pin on the bottom of a stock Cherokee front shock, and the top of a stock Cherokee rear shock... pain in the ass to upgrade shocks to aftermarket (i.e. Rancho, Black Diamond, etc.) because they don't come with the barpin in most cases... limits shoes're selection of shocks, as well as they allow the shock to move around alot...