BDS 8.5" Long Arm XJ Suspension

[Cody]

8.5" is a ton of lift for any full bodied vehicle. 35's can be run pretty easily on XJ's at the 5-6" range, and the rig will work better and be more stable. I run 35's on my current ZJ at 6" and at about 5.25" on my last ZJ. Wheel travel is less important than stability.

explorer: my rig is similar to what you have in mind. the only downfall is that if I were to take it into Mexico or Central/South America, it would stick out like a sore thumb. It's prefectly road worthy and reliable, just draws more attention than a 2" lifted LC.

Anyway, pretty XJ and the suspension looks nice. My personal oppinion is that it would work better at 6.5 vs. 8.5. Now go wheel it.

 

[FshTaco99]

You'll start beating it up on the trail and that unibody will start pulling in every which direction. Brace everything. Even for mainly street purposes. I remember when my steering box starting pulling away. T&T's stiffeners made a world of a difference. Either way, bad looking rig my friend.

 

[Cody]

ya, I've broken 4 steering boxes off of the frame of my various ZJ's. 4 bolt box, hdyro assist, steering brace......or any combo of those is deffinately a good idea.

I've actually never had any problems with unibody, and I've taken a ZJ as far off the deep end as they can go. I don't know if the ZJ unibody is any stronger than the XJ unibody. Maybe it is? It's deffinately not a convenient platform to build from thats for sure.

 

[Starscream]

:iagree: I totally agree with your theories concerning a lower center of gravity. That is the same philosophy I have adopted with my Land Cruiser.

This install simply came down to what our customer wanted, so we got him what he wanted. He is not a hard core rock crawler nor a long road tripper..... he just wanted to have a bad *** XJ.

 

[FshTaco99]

sounds about right. I had someone come and look at my Cherokee last night. Seventeen year old kid with his mom. Was going to be a graduation present. First thing is "Wow, it's even got a snorkel!". I responded by saying "Yes, and a Detroit in the rear with Dutchman shafts..." So, after a half hour of explaining what I was speaking of, all I received was a blank stare from the kid. It's cool to be high! It was when I was sixteen, but it's not when I cannot fit anywhere or even remotely twist it up in the woods.

 

[Cody]

This install simply came down to what our customer wanted, so we got him what he wanted. He is not a hard core rock crawler nor a long road tripper..... he just wanted to have a bad *** XJ.

Hey, you guys have to pay your bills, and the reality is that there are far more people that are interested in having a cool looking rig than having a rig built for a purpose.

No shame in that. 8.5 isn't that far beyond the realm of function. More rediculous rigs have surfaced over the years.

 

[FshTaco99]

Hey, you guys have to pay your bills, and the reality is that there are far more people that are interested in having a cool looking rig than having a rig built for a purpose.

No shame in that. 8.5 isn't that far beyond the realm of function. More rediculous rigs have surfaced over the years.

You're absolutely right. There's more of a craving here in Delaware for such rigs then actual wheelers. God knows how many fellow Jeepers have asked me at the gas station "Why's your Jeep so muddy?" "Why are there dents all over it?". I install more suspension systems here for street use then people who even go close to the trail.

 

[efuentes]

I think 33s with 3" of lift is where is at in a Cherokee, And a little love with a hammer.

 

[Starscream]

IMO, that is what a Jeep should look like...nice and muddy!

 

[cshontz]

IMO, that is what a Jeep should look like...nice and muddy!

Nonsense. A little (hub deep) mud is fine on the trail, but should be washed off shortly after returning home. A clean Jeep is a happy Jeep!

 

[Cody]

I also avoid mud like the plague.

It seriously takes like 4-6 good rain storms to get most of the mud off.

 

[adventureduo]

Nice kit.

What did they do for the steering at that height? I didn't see any mention of it. At that height the steering turns to crap real fast.

Also, how stiff are the rear springs? Is it a full pack? Partial shackle lift?