oops, here's the picture

 

Going cheap. I would get some longer shackles for a small lift and some taller tires if it were in the budget. You could put in 31 X 10 tires for a little more added lift so you can air down abit for added traction. The best thing about your 30 year old springs is that they flex well by now. If it's a mild trail or even some of the more difficut trails you can make it with good driving. Most of it is the driver anyway. A REAL cheap version of a limited slip for an open diff...use your brakes when you have wheel spin and give her gas at the same time. But what is a limited budget for you. Some else might consider it 3000 dollars. If someone tells me limited budget, I think they want to know if they have to spend any money at all or what can they get away with and spend little or no money. Move your spare tire to the inside or the back or it will be taken off the hard way and get a gas can. That doesn't mean you have to spend $600 on a rear bumper tire carrier. You also need some sort of tow hooks or shackles mounted on your vehicle incase you get stuck. It drives me nuts when some yahoo gets stuck in his new jeep and has nothing to hook onto easily.

longer spring shackles
tow hooks/ring/shackle
a long strap-30' short strap-10'
a cheap all in one tool set
bottle jack or bumper jack or both from an older vehicle-early 70's Lincolns have them and the bumper jack will work as a real slow winch. Or spend $70 for a High lift Jack
move your spare
Gas can
larger tires for flotation/traction if affordable

 

I agree with the bigger tires. Get something with a fairly agressive tread. BFG Mud Terrains are good off road and wear well on pavement. A rear locker will allow you to go places you never thought possible, it also allows you to back out of sticky situation.

As Walter said tow hooks are a must.

A good CB makes trail rides alot more fun. It allows to to talk with other jeepers and is a good safety tool. If you take the top off get some type of roll bar/cage.

I would go:
1. Tow hooks/strap/high lift/CB
2. Off-road tires 31 10.5 are good for many mild/mid level trails
3. Locker

 

Thats a big question. Walt and POSCJ5 give good recommendations for a basic low budget start. However, I would emphasize that before you even do that, make it mechanically reliable and safe to begin with. Breaking something or getting stuck are bad enough, but walking miles out of the woods because your battery is dead really sucks.

All your specific questions about lift, tire size, axles etc. really depend on what you want to do with your rig. My recommendation is to go to some of the upcoming jeepster gatherings, look over people's rigs, and ask a lot of questions. Ride shotgun on trails of different levels of difficulty, and see how the different rigs perform. Then, before you do any significant modifications, decide about what level of modification you want to do based on the type of trails you want to run and the budget you have. Then build a "balanced" rig, meaning that all components/systems are about equal in strength/capability, with no weak or excessivly heavy/strong links. Don't get caught in the trap of over-building everything because you heard "it" will break if you don't. A relativly small rig can do amazing things in the hands of a skilled and careful driver. A lot of breakage is caused by people trying things they shouldn't. And when those same people build their rig bigger/stronger, they try even harder stuff, and break their rig again. That is expensive fun. Rule #1, if you hear someone (including yourself) say something like "you can make it if you just use a little more throttle," its time to take a second to breath and think.

A lot of decisions depend on the size tire you want to run, so pick that first, with your final overall performance goal in mind. The tire size sort of determines the overall "scale" of the buildup because it will determine how much lift you need, what gears you need to run, and if the stock drivetrain will be able to survive, etc. I've seen many, myself included, run 33's with the stock axles (flanged Dana 44 rear) for years without problems, so staying within that range will save you a lot of money if you don't need to go bigger. Stock gearing is too high for 33's though, so think about that when making your decision about tire size.

Also, much of the discussion about "what fits/what hits" doesn't mention wheel backspacing. 33 x 10.5's will fit with a very mild lift if you use the right wheels. On the other hand, 31's on the wrong wheels will hit the rear fenders, even with a pretty big lift.

Good luck, and have fun

 

Dave is right.Come on down to the Dixie run.We will be camping at the main campground.You can`t miss the commandos.

 

Drayson- Tom came by this morning and dropped off my floor panels and they fit nicely! What's the scoop on the Dixie Run you mentioned?

 

A locker would be nice, but for real low buck traction, just let most of the air out of the tires, you'll be amazed at what you can do and what kind of smoothe ride you will have.
After you wheel like that for a while, decide what you'd like to upgrade to.

 

I agree with all the previous great advice by everyone. But I'll through in my two cents.
After you get your 30+ year old rig "road worthy": brakes, lights, battery, steering, tires, etc. and before going on the trails.
Get a roll cage first! Have a good time wheelin & wrenchin!

 

Not sure what a limited budget is (I've never had one, or at least never managed to stay within it) but tires are the first thing, followed by power steering (if you run any twisty trails). Your arms will thank you for it. Power bakes are not what I would consider esential, but front disc are nice. My personal preferance is to lift as little as possible and still fit your tires. That way you probably won't ever have to test your roll cage (which I assume you know you need before attempting even an easy trail or for the street for that matter). If you are interested in lockers, consider maybe a lockrite in the rear, provided you don't run over 31 or maybe 32 inch tires. The open carriers are much easier on axles as far as breakage goes.

Good luck

Todd

 

I hade add a leafs and 31" tires on wagon spokes. It still handled great and even with open diffs It still did wery well on moderate terrain

 

NO, "You can`t miss the commandos", there a rough bunch, but don't worry, we'll scatter in a few Jeepsters to make it easier on the eyes.

 

One more comment, your jeep is full of 30 year old parts. Plan on everything costing way more than you thought, and get it all greased and running and STOPPING good first! That will eat some of your budget I promise. If you use stock wheels, don't go over 235/75. Are you springs flat? Do you have mono leaf in the back? Some of the mods you mentioned, PS, disk brakes are involved and expensive!