Project 1999 Cherokee XJ parts gathering journal

Day 1

Today I ordered the parts I know I'll need for the lift kit. Since the Cherokee is a 99 I'm going pretty mild with the lift to try to avoid driveline vibrations and the need for a slip yoke eliminator kit. The 96 and newer XJs feature a way longer than necessary slip yoke on the rear of the transfer case, and a shorter driveshaft than older models, which causes them to be susceptible to driveline vibrations with a lot less lift than the pre 96 models. The fix for this is to install a SYE kit and custom driveshaft with a CV joint, but I don't really want to spend that much or do that much work if I can avoid it. It's a daily driver, so it will see little time offroad.

From Rusty's Offroad I ordered the 3" kit with add-a-leaf, red shock boots for the shocks, a 3 degree shim for the rear end, and their custom lower control arms that include a bend to increase clearance for larger tires. I wanted these control arms for the increased clearance, and because they are supposed to include factory rubber bushings instead of polyurethane. I figure if you want the suspension to flex you should not use harder bushings, and I want to avoid the poly's tenancy to transmit vibration into the body and possible damage to the mounts.

From Summit I ordered a Skyjacker steering stabilizer, trackbar relocating kit, and transfer case drop kit. I don't really buy into the notion that you can get away leaving the trackbar in the stock location without messing up the front alignment, and I wanted the extra 1/4 inch of drop the TC drop kit provided over other brands.

One thing to consider when comparing prices is the cost of shipping. Summit has free shipping but does charge a handling fee on every order, and since I live in Ohio I have to pay sales tax. Rusty's shipping cost around $70 for my order, with no sales tax.

Day 3

The first box of parts has arrived! It's the stuff I ordered from Summit, and most of the stuff looks correct. The TC drop kit was missing one of the drop brackets, so I called Summit to complain. The Skyjacker box was still sealed, so this is not Summit's fault. They were great to deal with and are going to exchange the kit, covering the shipping in both directions. They are making the arrangements for it to be picked up, presumably either UPS or Fedex, and as soon as they receive the bad kit they will send me a new one. I tried to get them to just send the missing part, but they didn't go for it. This is minor since I caught it now, but highlights the need to check all of your parts before beginning the job.

The transfer case drop kit included good instructions, nothing else had any. The steering stabilizer is a straightforward swap, and I'll have to find a picture of an installed trackbar bracket on the internet to see how it's positioned.

Day 4

The second box arrived, and it included some of the parts from Rusty's. The delivery guy said there was supposed to be a 2nd box but he couldn't find it on the truck, so I'm guessing it will show up tomorrow. This would be UPS's fault and not Rusty's, so I have nothing bad to say about them yet. The UPS tracking info lists 3 boxes total, with only 2 of them being shipped so far, so I suspect the control arms will be shipped in a few days. They are custom order, so it makes since for them to take longer.

The box that did arrive included the front springs, shocks and boots, degree shim, rear brake line bracket, and instructions. I think all I am missing from this order is the add-a-leaf kit and control arms. I read the instructions and I have to say I believe they maybe should be described more as guidelines then anything. For example, I didn't see any mention of using c-clamps to hold the read spring pack together while you remove the center bolt and release the pressure. I'd also give them a thumbs down on their use of visual aids, as there were none. If you need detailed instructions I suppose it could be argued that you shouldn't be tackling this project, but you can download instructions for the Skyjacker kits from their web site and use those if you need help along the way.

I assembled the shocks, as they come with the bushings and bar pins in a separate bag. It's fairly obvious how they go together, but a little force is needed. My best tip here is to use liquid hand soap or dishwashing detergent to lubricate the parts to get them to slide together easier. On the front shocks I was able to push the bushing into the shock by hand and use a vice to force the bar pins in. On the back the bar pins are a little longer and don't have bevels cut in the ends to make them slide in easier, so I pushed the bar pins into the bushings first and pressed the assembled bushing into the shock with my vice. Another tip is that if you assemble the rear shocks with the bushing and bar pin before putting the shock boot on you'll feel like an idiot. I spend about 20 minutes working the boot over the bar pin on the first shock I did, and then assembled the 2nd one in the correct order.



Day 4: later in the day

The UPS guy found the missing box and delivered it. It was the add-a-leaf kit.

Day 5

Today I received a second TC drop kit from Summit, along with information on sending back the first one that was missing parts. I looked it over and I think it's missing a couple bolts, but its better than the first one. All of the brackets are there at least.

Day 6

The UPS guy picked up the bad parts that are being returned to Summit, and dropped off the Rusty's control arms. I think that's everything for now.



I now think I have everything I need, so I'll start on the install in a day or so. I'm debating on when to actually start, as I'll be on vacation in another week. I could wait and have all week off to work on it, or I could do the biggest part of the work in a couple evenings this week, and then have all week off to tinker with anything I need to do to get the bugs worked out.