98 cherokee new suspension help

[Evan3492]

Well its time to redo some of my suspension the "right" way. Currently i have a 4.5 inch
skyjacker lift kit. That including 3.5 inch coils with 1 inch coil spacers, 4 skyjacker 3 inch
hydro shocks and an add a leaf in the rear with shackles. Now that i Started my new job i
want to go to an 6 inch lift without any coil spacers. I don't need upper or lower control
arms because i have adjustable ones for 4-6.5 inches of lift with drop brackets( upgraded
to longer in near future ). My brake lines are already 4-6.5 inches of extension. Basically I
want to know what kind of 6 inch coils i can find that people say are worth the money. Also
should i just get 6-8 inch shocks with limiting straps to get the full flex out of my coils? What
shocks are getting good reports because honestly I'm not happy with my skyjacker ones
that only have around 5-6k miles on em. Should i get front and rear bar pin eliminators?
Also when it comes to leaf springs would it be better to make my own 5 inch leafs and use
my 1 inch shackle? or should i just make/buy a 6 inch? If I'm buying leafs what brands
should i lean towards? Lastly i need to redo my steering. I'm looking at the 1 ton steering
because of its price. Compared to the other brands is it terrible? does any1 on here have it
on there XJ? or should i not touch 1 ton at all and pay a littler more on a better brand. Thanks'

[HuLuD44]

With all that Id say just save the money and buy a complete 6" kit. Then sell you old components to make some of the money back. As you sit right now it sounds like you will def need new shocks, BPEs are nice but Cherokees arent know to have problems with shock bolts as bad as wranglers. Theres a dozen companies that make 6" springs, both coils and leafs. I would go a smaller leaf, maybe a 4" and spend some money on a high end 2" boomerang shackles. You are going to need adj track bars if you dont have them already. Also and SYE and CV shaft. Steering isnt necessary unless you jumping to 35s or larger and then theres other things which would need to be addressed first. Over all 6"s is pretty damn big... IDK what your plans are or what your looking to do with this thing but I would concentrate on building a SOLID 4.5" suspension first. Build solid for 33". There isnt much you cant do on 33"s if its done right.

[Evan3492]

I'm building it for 35s, I already have the adjustable track bar with a steering brace. That's why I'm worried about my steering and trying to find out a decent brand to go. And when it comes to complete kits i feel like there more pricy then solo and mix matching

[wb joe]

I am running a 6.5 inch rustys front coils springs with 3 inch lift rear leaf springs and a iron man 2-3.5 inch adjustibel shackel . i have great flex in the front but the rear tires hit the body when i am in full flex in the rear . and you will have to do a sye kit
rustys has the front coil springs on sale for like 140-160 for the set and thay got a good sping rate.

[565matt]

Il second that. I have the rustys springs and have had no problems with them. I run them front and rear. If you are talking about doing it " the right way" this time then why even consider Go with new leaf packs. Also dont forget that with 35's you will have to regear otherwise it wont get out of its own way. I hated the stock gears with 33's. I cant even imagine how bad it would be with 35's. Deff a SYE with a CV drive shaft too. As for shocks I have Rustys. They are OK. If you arent getting a whole kit I wouldnt suggest them. Id go for a set of billsteins. Also I think IRO has a good set of BPE for the rears.

[Evan3492]

Okay now about the sye/drive shaft, i was told if i go 6 inchs i can hold out on it without much harm. Something i can prob do in the future. In the mean time i just want to get set up. When you mean billstiens what ones do you mean? i was told by a few people who had the ones with res's on them that they actually snap quite easily. Also i still havent got a any reviews on the 1 ton steering. If im going 1 ton i was going to do above the knuckle for better clearance
.

[Tat2dfreak]

If you going up to 6" i would into going to a long arm set up.

[Goonies.nsd]

Im going to agree with a little of what everybody has said.

HULUs rite about maybe sticking with a 4.5 and 33s. Lower center of gravity and more stable. Higher is not always better. Save the money and regear and put an Aussie locker at least in the front and you will be unstopable. 35s are going to push that Dana 30 real close to the breaking point. Also if you have the Dana 35 then just 33s could be pushing it if you wheel hard. So a super 30 front axle upgrade would be nice.

Tat made a good suggestion but i would do a 4.5 long arm if you that concerned with going the extra mile. If you get a 4.5 long arm you will get the extra travel you think your getting from a 6 inch lift.

You will need a SYE!!!! No if ands or butts. I have an XJ with 4 ACTUAL inches if lift. I grinded my driveshaft so it would not bind and dont have a transfer case drop. If you have 4.5 inches of real lift and a case drop kit your to tall as is.

A leaf pack and shackles is the way i would go in the back. The shackles will lift the pinion angle a little wich will help the driveline angles. Plus thay can improve flex.

On the shocks. Ive kind of noticed that most of the manufacturers are almost the same. Pro Comp, Skyjacker, Rustys, Rough Country. I have Rough Country and they do ride a little hard. I just ordered 2 new fronts for the XJ because they are cheap. But i read nothing but good things about the Bilsteins. The 5100s i believe. Pricey but from what i read it was Bilsteins or everything else. i know there shocks handle great in Cars so im sure there as good in trucks. The 5100s are regular style shocks. the only reason for reseviours if if your desert racing and you cycle the shocks like crazy. There need the extra capacity for cooling.

Steering, Ive seen silverzjs and i installed triplegs Iron Rock offroad steering kit and its a REALLY nice kit. IRON ROCK OFF ROAD: Heavy Duty Over the Knuckle Steering TJ/ZJ/XJ
Im not to familiar with the 1 ton kit. So i cant compare.

Theres alot of ways and places to spend your money that would kick anyones ass with a 6 inch lifted Jeep that had to cut corners. Build a 4.5 with good upgrades and that truck will go wherever you point it.

[Evan3492]

Thx goonies the reason why im still going 6 in my head is because i already have a set of 35s sitting in my garage. I dont wanna have to hack my fenders away do to the fact i want to have the iron rock flares aswell and would like to use em. With 4.5 inchs of lift i would need to remove most of my fender. unlike cherokees that are 96-down i have a windshield whipper fluid in the way so i cant cut as much. The reason im waiting on gears is because i want to pick up dana 40s when cheap ones pop up on c list. Gearing for me wont be expensive do to the fact i have a friend who does gears for a living and will hook me up for almost nothing for installation. My friend has 35s with stock gears and it really isent so bad. Honestly if i have to i could always just build my stock axles due to the fact they only have 86k on them. The iron rock offroad steering kit looks good i was checking it out before maybe ill get that one instead. When it comes to long arm i said previously i have drop brackets for the time being. Once i get everything else ill be looking into the long arm upgrade kits which are farly priced or maybe attempt to make the one that are on a few websites that have great reviews. I have the crystler rear not the dana 35 rear. When it comes to shocks should i order shocks that are in inch bigger then what im going and just get limiting straps? ive seen a few cherokees and wranglers that there shocks are almost full compressed when riding. Maybe only 2 inchs sticking out.

[Evan3492]

Also im not planning on cutting corners, im trying to make a solid 6 inch. I understand with 35s axles should be built. thus why im asking on here. I want to know what exactly i should be looking at for a 6 inch lift. The reason why im trying to push slip yoke away atm is because i need the truck to get to work everyday out in syosset. With the slip kit once i install the kit ill have to meauser how the long a drive shaft ill need then wait a week or 2 just for the drive shaft to return to me. thats why i was asking if i waited maybe a month with everything installed with the kit would i be fine. I'm currently at 4.5 with just a transfer-case drop. I currently have no vibes. What i did notice tho from the transfer-case drop is its putting alot of stress on my motor mounts so ill have to replace them during this new suspension build.