Thanks... I was mainly worried about the hydraulic line, but I think I have that figured out - with only a couple dollar investment. What I am going to do is to relocate the rubber line to the top of the spare tire hanger (I am chopping away most of that, as I will not be using it now), and then re-routing the harrd line to the center point, where I will re-attatch the lines together. That will give me plenty of lose for any travel I might get. I hadn't looked real closely at the e-brake cables, but I am only going up about 2" so they probably won't be a problem. If so, I can always make some extensions.
Well anyway, today I managed to get my leaf springs re-done. I removed the flat helper leaf and added an overload leaf (one of those cheap ones from Auto Zone). It sounds funny, but I began running that setup on my Ranger when I needed to haul some gravel, and it turned out that they work really well off-road. I can turn them inside out - they flex well, and they give about 2" of lift the way I installed them. Good part is that if they bend, I get new ones for under $35.00.
I also changed the shock mounts around just a bit and added some 5" over Ranch RS9000's. I might need to extend the top mounting point just a bit to get total down travel, but I will have to flex them out to see what happens first. If the shocke are the limiting factor, then I will make some changes as needed. I can fabricate my own stuff, and making extensions or relocators is no big deal.
I also boxed my spring plates with some 1/4" diamond plate (sort of made some mini-sliders) which will definately strengthen those plates and let them slip off a rock. I am still pretty uncomfortale with the spring under thing, but for now, I don't have the time or money to go big...
Monday, I install new lower ball joints, new wheel bearings, brake rotors, pads, and the XJ front brake lines. While I'm in there, I am also installing a set of XJ lift coils that will give me about 18" of front travel, along with some 8" longer Rancho RS9000's on F250 shock towers. I am making sway bar disconnects for the front, and am running without a rear bar right now. I may make disconnects for the rear, I am not sure yet. Have to see how it goes down the road. I am also putting on Warn lock out hubs (another great purcahse for cost!) and I am doing a Lock Rite in the front axke for the trip. That should let me do some pretty good trail running.
(I scored the Ranchos FREE - it's great to have a kid work at a 4x4 place! Some dude came in and wanted new ones because they had some surface rust on them. Prettyboy street stuff... His loss, my gain!)
Finally, I am having a set of 1.75" tubes custom bent to make rock sliders for the sides. I have a ton of 2x2 tubing and will use the round and sqare to make up something that will keep my doors intact. Oh, and there will be custom bumpers front and rear, plus a new grill of 1x1" tubing and expanded metal. (I purchased this EX for $500 with a wrecked front end, so I am just chopping off the old plastic and making it pure fabbed off-road style.)
It sure does feel good to get outside and working once again after being cooped up in the house for the past several months!