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Best first mod opinions

Keep the tranny as is and add a cooler to it. Regear and install a detroit in the rear. Go to a 4" lift and 35's with some trimming. Get some self recovery gear and extra parts which are commonly abused and go wheelin'. You can always trim more and fit larger tires, 1-ton axles, steering box and frame brace etc., etc. as you can afford/get time.

Keep the 700r4. It will last a long time if taken care of. You will have to regear for it though. 3.07's are going to kill you if you graduate to a 31" tire. You'll want to kill yourself if you go to 35's. (Been there with those gears and tires)
 
It has 31's on it right now and its sort of a dog haha. The truck came factory with a tranny cooler but I will be upgrading that soon. I dont want something real High. Maybe 3 inch lift with an appropriate tire, and locked front and rear. And of course gears. Then id be happy.
 
WOTBandit88 said:
It has 31's on it right now and its sort of a dog haha. The truck came factory with a tranny cooler but I will be upgrading that soon. I dont want something real High. Maybe 3 inch lift with an appropriate tire, and locked front and rear. And of course gears. Then id be happy.
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My second one ended up being a 3" body lift with 35" BFG AT's. It ended up roasting the tranny, although I am not sure of the condition of the trans before running the bigger tires. Do yourself a favor and install the biggest and best trans cooler you can get.

A 4" lift is not that difficult to get in & out of. At 6" you will want a step or some handles inside and/or a non-tilt solumn. After you get to an 8" lift with 39's or more you will want some sliders. That's the only way to get in mine without looking like a moron that can't jump.:D

I recommend a 4" lift, 35" BFG (MT's or AT's depending on your needs) and some 4.56 gears. You will be happy with the end result and the OD in the auto will actually be usable. As for lockers, the Auburn Ected seems like a nice setup so you can turn it off on the street.
 
WOTBandit88 said:
It has 31's on it right now and its sort of a dog haha. The truck came factory with a tranny cooler but I will be upgrading that soon. I dont want something real High. Maybe 3 inch lift with an appropriate tire, and locked front and rear. And of course gears. Then id be happy.
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I agree, gears make a world of difference. My truck couldn't get out of its own way when I bought it with 35"s and 3.08s. Now with the same 35"s and 4.10s my truck flies like nothing.
 
WOTBandit88 said:
awesome guys. Any recommendations on a good lift. Budget in mind. 3-4 inch?
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I know a lot of guys dog on the Rough Country lifts, but mine has been great and it rides like you would expect a truck with a 4" lift and 33's to ride..a little stiff but nothing too uncomfortable. I don't know if I would be confident rock crawling or something but it's been great for trails and mud. The only thing I would change at this point is to swap the rear blocks for a shackle flip, but anyone would tell you the same.
 
remove the swaybar, xj steering shaft, steering box brace, if it has auto hubs convert to manuals, front and rear tow points (not the stock bumpers), some good 33" offroad tires, wheel it
 
Try to have an "end game" in mind. Don't waste money doing things that you'll end up redoing later if you can avoid it. Obviously, needs and tastes change and evolve, but coming up with a plan and only doing mods that fit the plan is a good idea. For example, I wouldn't spend money on an expensive selectable locker for a 3.07 geared 10 bolt axle... if you keep building up the rig later down the road, you'll ditch that axle (or at least those gears) anyway, so put in a cheap (but perfectly acceptable) Lock Right for now.

X3 on the ORD lift system suggestions above... Tuff Country front springs and a shackle flip are awesome, but we'll start even cheaper...

You haven't mentioned your annual budget for this, but assuming you're looking for low budget/high fun/daily driver, here's my suggestions:
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A good set of 33 inch tires, trimming fenders as needed to make them fit...shouldn't take much trimming depending on the backspacing of your wheels. With 3.07's, it'll be a little weak in the acceleration department, but we're assuming low budget here, so deal with it for now.

Find out what's in the rear axle... if it's not a true locker, put in a Lock Right.

Ditch the sway bar.

Add secure recovery points front and rear. Ditching the stock bumpers for something stouter (even if it's cheap-therefore-ugly) with some tow points is the best way to do this, but at the very least go buy some D shackles or tow hooks, some steel plate, and figure out a way to make it so friends can help you out of rough spots. A buddy of mine simply cut vertical slots in the bumpers 3/8 inch by 3 inches and ran a piece of 3/8 plate steel bolted to the frame, out through the bumper, then drilled a 7/8 hole in the end of the plate and hung an anchor shackle on it...that way he's pulling directly on the frame (through some grade 8 bolts) not on the flimsy stock bumper. On a side note, ditching the stock bumpers also gives you the opportunity to "raise" the corners of the truck greatly improving the approach and departure angles at the corners too.

Invest in some gear...trail tools like maybe a Hi-lift and a good strap, and, if you're doing any rock crawling, maybe some spare parts like a rear axle shaft, a front hub, and all the stuff needed to change them on the trail. Make sure you've got a *%&$# spare tire! (You laugh, but you'd be surprised...)

Go Wheeling!!!!!
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for a rear tow point, one of these will go a long way (assuming you have a hitch)
autoaccessconnect_2004_17113113
 
you guys rule, cant wait to start rippin into this thing. Sucks the thing came with brand new 31's Now I dont have a damn excuse to get 33's. But im going to start first with removing sway bar, tranny cooler,locker,tires,trim it, and some recovery gear then go have some fun. Any suggestions on a tranny cooler for the 700R?

Also would locking the front be an option also?
 
You're on the right track...go have fun!

Front locker: I my opinion, lock the back first, go wheel for a while to get some practice with this rig. Find it what it will do in it's current form and learn where the tires are... driving practice with the rig is just as valuable as more capable equipment. If you find yourself unable to go some of the places you want to go after a couple of months of wheeling, then you can start thinking about additional mods like a front locker.

I have a feeling that, if you start running rocky stuff, you'll probably be more interested in doing stuff to help with clearance and/or body protection as the next phase of the project :)
 
What transmission cooler would you guys suggest for the 700R4? I want direct bolt in and a real quality piece.
 
Well as far as "bolt in" it's going to be an auxiliary cooler...not replacing running the fluid through the cooler that's sandwiched in your radiator, so it's going to involve splicing into the hardlines that come to the front of the truck from the tranny. As such, they're pretty much "one size fits all." Most of them come with cheap plastic sort of "ties" that are designed to attach the extra cooler right to the front of your radiator, which is ok I guess, although I've usually built some kind of bracket for the ones I've put in and given it it's own home rather than hanging it off the radiator.

As for brand, I'm sure there's a certain amount of "get what you pay for" and others here may have suggestions, but I've never had any problem with the generic "leading brand" (whatever it may be) carried at the local chain store as far as transmission coolers go.
 
I would advise against using the plastic ties that poke throught the radiator fins. They tend to beat up the rad tubes when used offroad, and they're difficult to remove without damaging cooler or rad in the process. Make a bracket for the cooler. Personally, I like the stacked plate coolers better than tube and fin, but tube and fin are generally cheaper. Stacked plate seems to be more durable and the fins don't get bent up from measy bug collisions.:D
 
throttleissues said:
Personally, I like the stacked plate coolers better than tube and fin, but tube and fin are generally cheaper. Stacked plate seems to be more durable and the fins don't get bent up from measy bug collisions.:D
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Yea, the stacked plate type coolers are better. I would go with one of those.
 
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