Taking a small leap towards offroading

[Jay2001]

So i got a 2001 ex and its been okay so far. I gave her a full tune up from spark plugs and wires to liquids and filters. 31×10.50 tires on limted edition ex rims, also a police interceptor push bar. Now the bad,,,,i have noo idea on lifting or sway bars or locking diff knoledge... except for what lock diffs actually do, but i dont know what kind to buy can someone steer me on a not so crazy expensive way to get this 2wd truck some hope in the mud thank you for any help.

 

[Machine090767]

you really need a 4x4 if your going to play in the mud.
Sure, beefier tires will help. and a locker will too. even a lift helps. Just try not to get stuck in a really deep part.

 

[Jay2001]

What locker is offorable and fits our trucks

 

[Jay2001]

Ive been mudding before in jeeps and my old f150 its about reading the terrain i do stuff in the ex my jeep buddys do, with no locker! i do want that extra comfort of having one. My control arm will need work soon too is there offroading control arms?im a nube to modifing offroad cars been mostly a speed junkie with street cars and motorcycles thanks..

 

[Jeff213]

i have a thread a few pages back. if you have open diff an aussie locker is a good option. i went with a powertrax no slip for my lsd.

 

[Jay2001]

i have a thread a few pages back. if you have open diff an aussie locker is a good option. i went with a powertrax no slip for my lsd.

Yess please i dont mean to bother but i need as much advice as possible and explained detailed with a rookie in mind i want to do aussie locker but dont know what it does. Does it enhance the original, or is it a new diff also what is a good 4 inch shackle for cheap thank you?

 

[Spoon91]

Hey Jay,
Your best bet would be to buy 4in lift spindles and superlift 4in rear leaf springs if you want to go that tall.

I'm not even sure if there is a 4in shackle for our EX's?

I did what most do and put Warrior lift shackles on the rear and a torsion twist lift in the front end to get me around a 2in to 2 1/4in lift and put on a 1in body lift just for A LITTLE extra tire clearance for my 33's, And yes I'm 2wd as well.
She works wonderfully for what I need and use her for.

I do a LOT of Off-roading and mountain driving with it and she's NEVER let me down even with having just the factory LSD rear end.

 

[Jay2001]

Hey Jay,
Your best bet would be to buy 4in lift spindles and superlift 4in rear leaf springs if you want to go that tall.

I'm not even sure if there is a 4in shackle for our EX's?

I did what most do and put Warrior lift shackles on the rear and a torsion twist lift in the front end to get me around a 2in to 2 1/4in lift and put on a 1in body lift just for A LITTLE extra tire clearance for my 33's, And yes I'm 2wd as well.
She works wonderfully for what I need and use her for.

I do a LOT of Off-roading and mountain driving with it and she's NEVER let me down even with having just the factory LSD rear end.

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Your my man dude im gonna go with your second choice with torsion lift and shackles but i really want that locker please giv me afforable options. By the way i can only wish my ex will look like yours in 3 months or less

 

[Jeff213]

you have to figure out what differential you have right now to know what locker to put in. The locker goes inside of the diff, fairly easy install, but the different diffs take different lockers.

 

[Jay2001]

you have to figure out what differential you have right now to know what locker to put in. The locker goes inside of the diff, fairly easy install, but the different diffs take different lockers.

Ok now onto the shackles, i found some for a 99 to 05 offering a 3-4" lift but for 2.5" leafs will they fit

 

[Spoon91]

Thank you Jay but believe me Brother, I've been building on the ole girl for about 2 1/2 years. Slow but steady. I have my new "Rock crawler" style bumpers for her, I just have to found the spare time to custom fab the mounts to fit them up. They are for a TJ Jeep Wrangler but I know I can make it work with a little careful planning.
Don't rush it Buddy. Take your time and build it the way you want it from the start so you don't jump the gun and have to redo something again.

As far as your shackle question goes I thought the '95 through '01 would be the same and then '02 through '05 would be different??? I may be completely wrong. I'm sure someone else can shine a better light on it then me.

 

[Jay2001]

Thank you Jay but believe me Brother, I've been building on the ole girl for about 2 1/2 years. Slow but steady. I have my new "Rock crawler" style bumpers for her, I just have to found the spare time to custom fab the mounts to fit them up. They are for a TJ Jeep Wrangler but I know I can make it work with a little careful planning.
Don't rush it Buddy. Take your time and build it the way you want it from the start so you don't jump the gun and have to redo something again.

As far as your shackle question goes I thought the '95 through '01 would be the same and then '02 through '05 would be different??? I may be completely wrong. I'm sure someone else can shine a better light on it then me.

Yeah man just had to pay 200$ on unexpected electrical problems for the a/c think it could have happened from offroading/water? Honestly i dont know exactly what years the shackles are i just know it said 2001 dakota included?

 

[Jay2001]

Yeah man just had to pay 200$ on unexpected electrical problems for the a/c think it could have happened from offroading/water? Honestly i dont know exactly what years the shackles are i just know it said 2001 included?

Also so is the bumper easy to remove theres a steal on a bumper off a yj i can snatch up but im a welding fan love it i welded my push bar instead of unreliable brackets..guestion is can i weld steel bumber on to the ex

 

[Spoon91]

Also so is the bumper easy to remove theres a steal on a bumper off a yj i can snatch up but im a welding fan love it i welded my push bar instead of unreliable brackets..guestion is can i weld steel bumber on to the ex

Yeah Bud,
The factory bumper is crazy easy to get off. It's just 4 bolts that hold it on.
The old TJ Jeep front bumper is fairly easy to mount up as well.
All you need is a 2x4x3/16in or 1/4in thick tubing cut to whatever length the inside of the bumper is. I'm building mine to be a direct bolt-on so down the road I can un-bolt it and change it out for something else if I want to.

Now the rear bumper is a completely different story. There is going to be A LOT of custom fab work to get that thing to fit, Not only to the bumper but to the back of the truck as well.

 

[Jay2001]

What makes it so bad is there steel to weld back there and call it even i dont care if i cant go back i really am set on a offroad theme and dont care for resalebased on how stock i am...if i do sell

 

[Spoon91]

I agree Bud.
The reason for me making mine bolt-on is if I hit something going off-road or find a different bumper down the line that maybe a different width I can just make a new mount and un-bolt one and stick the other one up and BAM!!! I'm but to doing something ignorant in no time

 

[2TimingTom]

It's a slippery slope. Careful. I started out doing minor things too.