83 Cherokee

[Netters]

Hey all,
Just bought this 83 Cherokee wide track from a friend. It has an AMC 360 with all kinds of goodies on it and a TF 727. Western "turbine" rims, Gibson exhaust. Question is...what do I do with it? I'd like to give it a mild lift (soa?) Ultimately, I want to do some over landing and/or light trail exploring. I use it all the time while camping, so I don't want a mall crawler.

Any ideas with links would be greatly appreciated. I'm totally a noob when it come to FSJs. I'm located in NM so hopefully I'll see some of you in Colorado in July. Also link any FB groups too, please.

[fulsizjeep]

Welcome to the madness. I see it has a 3 piece bumper on the rear. If it is original, your Cherokee will be a 76, 77 or 78 model. Then again, the 727 was introduced in 80. This could be a mashup FSJ. The VIN will tell for sure.

[Netters]

It is indeed a mash-up. The guy I bought it from is my best friend and he's had this thing for 17 years. So, yeah, I pretty much know everything he's done to it.

[TheBeefChief79]

what I did with my current cherokee is i left the junky looking matte rattlecan paint job and i made it reliable. i now use it as a daily driver and I also use it to occassionally tow a small trailer with some dirtbikes and quads, then i fold up the seat to sleep in the back at the campsites. if i fold up my seat and cover the windows it retains tempature decent and i can lay in the back somewhat comfortable even with subwoofers in it and im 6 feet tall. Ultimately, i turned my main fsj into a daily driver party rig and i love it. That being said i personally would do a small lift maybe like a 2 inch body lift. in my experience in stock height fullsize jeeps i can go a decent amount of places as long as you know its capabilities, so unless you really plan on wheelin i wouldnt do too much of a lift. thats just part of my story and my opinion of course. the great part about your cherokee is that the only limit is your wallet.

[will e]

Greetings from Phoenix. That's a good looking rig. Interesting side marker lights. I've never seen one like it.

So, what to do about the lift? If you go SOA it is not a 'mild' lift. It will net you about 6" or so in the front, maybe a bit more. And you will want to do a shackle flip in the rear. There will be some steering work involved as well. Do a few searches and you will get some ideas. SOA's seem 'cheap' but in the long run they can cost more than a spring lift. SOA/SF tends to ride nicer thank a spring lift because you can keep a flat arch on the springs. If it has the original springs you will eventually need to replace them. My original springs lasted about a year or so in a SOA configuration until they finally bent and wore out and made the truck a bit dangerous to drive. So I ended up replacing the springs anyways.

Your rig is a 'wide track' Cherokee so you can fit larger tires in it when compared to a Wagoneer or 'narrow track' Cherokee. Many folks put on a 4" spring lift and can comfortably fit 33" inch tires. Keep in mind when you go much larger than 31 or 33" tires you will need to seriously consider re-gearing the axles. This can be expensive.

So if you are just doing mild wheeling then I would suggest a spring lift. Either 2" or 4" and either 31" or 33" tires. This is the most cost effective way of getting it a bit higher off the ground. There are 6" spring lift kits available but these have fairly arched springs and tend to be a bit more stiff and flex a bit less.

And come on up and join us in Ouray. You don't need to bring the FSJ (I probably won't again this year) but there will be lots of them to look at, talk about and see. It's a great group of folks and we have a lot of fun.

[Netters]

Yeah, my buddy filled in the regular holes and put Saab marker lights farther back. Ugh, I need to correct that.

I think I’ll just go with the 3” lift and not do too much to it.

Now I just need to figure out the gearing. Lol

[will e]

Hey, nothing wrong with the Saab marker lights. Personally, I like how it's a bit different. It's a clean look.

What size tires are you thinking about? Do you know what your current gearing is?

[Netters]

They're 2.?? Something. I can't remember. I was thinking about 3.73 running 33s

[fulsizjeep]

I ran 33s with 3.73 gears for about 10 years. It was a great combo for highway and offroad.

[will e]

Our very own Derf has the definitive gear calculator:

http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html

[78 WIDETRAC]

Those are some wide wheels. 15x10's or what. They fit the look of that Cherokee.

[Netters]

Yeah, 15x10s, but they rub over rough terrain. So I want a mild lift to avoid that.