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Thinking about buying JEEP

B

Ben B.

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Location
Central PA
I have an '87 K5, 4" lift and 35's, really nice exterior condition, but pretty rusty inside. I really like it alot but I can't afford the gas as a college student.

I've been thinking about selling or part exchanging my K5 for an early-mid 90's Jeep YJ wrangler. The plan is to put 4" suspension, 2" body and some fender trimming to clear my 35's.

Now all bias aside...and in all honesty, Will a jeep with 6" [or so] of lift, 35's, and a HO 4.0 mated to a 5 speed standard go pretty well offroad?

Thank you for the *honest* opinions.
 
i have wheeled with a few jeeps in some twisty stuff and there so tipsy compared to the k5. its funny watching them. but at least go with a toyota, jeeps are for pu$$ys, sorry to those that do have em.
 
If you want a heep, get one, it'll do fine, but don't expect much if any improved gas mileag turning 35's. Sorry
 
YJ's

Listen allya'll,
I love my k5. It is roomy and stable, and has some amenities. But if you want to build a wheeler quick and pretty cheap you can't beat the YJ jeep. You can do the same things you can with a blazer, swappin for different length leaves, and steal parts from GM stuff, plus you can buy anything. One of the reasons I like K5s is that we build so much of our own stuff, because you can't find it. that is cool, but means some trial and error and hassle. The YJ you can buy anything you need. The YJ has some electrical issues, Painless WIring has harnesses for them and that might very well be worth it's weight in gold for an 87 YJ. You need to do a shackle reversal ASAP. if you get one because without it they can wander pretty bad going down the road. Plan and looking for a good 5 speed, a bunch of them sucked.

Recommended improvements:
Spring over axle w/shackle reversal
wiring harness
tranny

Ditto on the gas mileage, 35's jeep is like a worse than stock k5.

okie
 
If you want a cheap wheeler, buy a 'Yota. YJ's are cool but without some big mods they don't flex very well and they're pretty spendy compared to a Toy.

Besides, one of my buds wheels a YJ on 33's and he gets 11 mpg. I could probably muster 9-10 if I street drove my rig.
 
my suburban on 36" tires with 6" lift gets 11.4 combined city/highway which i don't think is "too" bad.
 
I had a buddy building his YJ the same time I was building my trail rig. He went from 33s on 4" suspension lift (10-12 mpg) to 35s (10 mpg) then spring over on 38.5s (7-8 mpg). Its fairly capable, but has broken about every part on it, including 3 transmissions and 3 engines in 2 years.

My Isuzu Rodeo got 15-16 mpg on 33s, and now that I'm regeared on 35s, it actually gets 19-21. Thats with a 190 hp v6, so its not really underpowered either. I keep up with my buddy's YJ anywhere we go. Lot less aftermarket for me though, gotta fab. :D

I like Toyotas too, but for the same price range as my rodeo, you got a choice of underpowered 4 cylinder or underpowered 6 cylinder that blows head gaskets. :doah:
 
I am getting 35mpg with my 88 Suzuki Samurai......5" SOA, 3/4" shackles, RUF spring swap soon to be CJ rears, detroit rear (3.73s), ARB front (3.73s), 4.16:1 t-case gears, sitting on 31" Bridgestone MTs. I dumped the stock 1.3l engine for a VW diesel (1.6NA). It will soon have a 1.6 TD out of an '85 Jetta. Great milage and it will out wheel a heep any day of the week :D It is also comfortable enough to use as a DD once the inside is finished off.

Kevin

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I LOVE my burb... LOVE it... definitely gonna build it into a serious wheeler... But if I ever find a cheap zuki, I'm probably gonna jump on it if I have the cash... nothing wrong with building 2 wheelers.
I don't think I would sell a k5 in favor of a Heep, but that's just me... If I wanted a heep, I would just save my money, no matter how long it took, then buy it one day.
James
 
The other option I was looking at before a Blazer was an FJ-40. Of course it would have a SBC, TH350, and dana 44's...pretty much a chevy with Toyota sheetmetal.
 
mouse said:
The other option I was looking at before a Blazer was an FJ-40. Of course it would have a SBC, TH350, and dana 44's...pretty much a chevy with Toyota sheetmetal.
Click to expand...
So you're turning a FJ-40 back into a fullsize then? :rolleyes:

Mileage is a combination of displacement, gearing, tire/drivetrain weight (rolling inertia), and vehicle weight. Sprinkle in a little aerodynamics.

As soon as you start modding up anything for offroading, most of these factors are exactly what you change. You put in bigger engines (more displacement), lower the gearing (gearing) to compensate for bigger tires (which dramatically require more engergy because of increased rotational mass), and make the rig heavy because of al this stuff. Start putting lifts on, and big tires, and you increase the frontal surface area of your rig a good bit (aerodynamics just got flushed down the toilet). Voila, recipe for really bad gas mileage.

I would suggest if you really need gas mileage buy some really crappy beater for a few hundred bucks. Besides (and I'm in college too, graduate in 3 weeks, so I've been through it all) all that money you will spend getting a J**P and building it up to your liking will have bought many a tank of gas. Just drive less, and drive real easy when you do. You'll make out nearly the same in the long run, and get to keep the best rig around, the K5.
 
Jeeps ride like ass too! I owned a YJ for about 6 weeks. Only non-gm I've ever owned and ever will.
 
I know this is the wrong place, but please understand I love full size chevy's. Anyways, I owned a '95 wrangler for the first 3 years of my driving and loved the thing. I didnt do any mods to it and it was only a 4 banger running 235/75s, I dont think I ever broke 18mpg highway. My friend had a '91 renegade with a 4" lift and I think he was running 35s no problem and he then added a 2" body into it, his had horrible milage. Another friend is running a '90 4 banger SOA with 33s, winch, welded rear, and almost no frame; That thing really has some decent flex to it. My friends are jeep people, I broke it and bought the K5. With what you'll spend to get a decent one and mod it up, you'd probably be better to keep the K5. A good running wrangler not beatn to $hit is going to run you probably $5k.
 
I've inquired about buying a YJ tub and frame many times. I usually get answers that range anywhere from $1k-$2k depending on condition. I bought my entire K5 with pretty fresh rebuilds on the engine and transmission for $1500
 
I read so much smack talk about Jeeps on CK5. Brand loyalty is fine, but keeping your mind closed to anything else is ignorant. I have had many GM trucks, Blazers, Burbs, a Tahoe, and own a GMC truck right now. I also wheel a Jeep. A Jeep is the best choice size-wize for most trails around here. While the full sizes are making multi-point turns and bashing the crap out of their bodies, I can usually avoid that. Not that mine has not been bashed, but that's from the extreme stuff that you won't see a full size on anyway.

As others said, you won't be improving your MPG with a Jeep on 35's. A stock 4.0 liter Jeep gets around 14 mpg. I agree with the idea of getting a beater car to drive for MPG and keep your K5, if you like it.
 
Keep your'e K5, and get a Subaru to drive. 4WD, comfie to drive, 30+ MPG, cheep, & if U ever get board with it U can slap in a 4" or 6" lift in a day and throw on some 29" swampers :D My turbo wagon got 26mpg with 28" muders on it and a 3" lift.
 
A good friend of mine has a nice YJ that will go anywhere and I am jealous. Every now and then the wheelbase thing bites him but other than that he can flex as good as my long arm TJ. He put in an 8.8 rear and stock front with larger U-joint axles.

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He out wheels any rig in our club except for one super modified TJ on 39.5's. He has about 1/3 into his jeep as I will have in my full size rig. :bow:
 
If you cant afford the gas for a 87 TBI K5 Then the Jeep will kill you. An Fj40 & 350 will put you in the poor house. :D
If MPG is your concern. Your K5 is prolly the best bet to keep. I have an 89 K5. I wheel with a few Jeepers with 4.0Ls and 350s. I get way better MPG than they do. On or Off road.
Jeeps can get thru tighter places and they are better on the rocks than my K5.. But I can out climb them on Shi**y chopped up mountains and run circles around them in the mud and Deep snow. You have to do a lot more to a Jeep than a lift and big tires to make them work good off road.
 
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