So I just bought a 1998 wrangler with the 4.0 engine and a 5 speed manual. I am going to have a good bit a work done to it, but not sure of some things. First, I am never going to go any larger than 31"x10.50" tires. I want to redo the gearing just to be sure that it is new. I know that I am going to take heat on this but fuel is an issue. This is going to be a daily driver 98% of the time, but when it does go off-road, it will be fully capable. Should I go with 3.73 or 4.10?
Next issue is with the lockers, well sort of. I want to use the Auburn gear ECTED's which are limited slip/ locker. I am going to keep the dana 30/35 instead of upgrading.Any issues I should know about here? I like the idea of limited slip for daily driving but having locker capabilites if needed. I am also going to use new axles... 27 spline in the front and 30 spline in the rear. Just like some input if this is a good idea or is there something better/ cheaper to get the same effect.
Last issue is with steering/suspension. I want to replace as much of the old with new as possible. I do not want to sacrifice on-road handling. I am considering the rubicon express 3.5" super flex system.
Probably will order new control arms which are not included. Is this a good suspension or is there something that is better or more complete? Is there anything else I should replace as well?
Also, any one on this site from around the Zanesville Ohio area and can recommend a shop that can do this type of work for a fair price.....let me know.
Thanking you all in advance for you info...THANKS!  

Why a lift? 31s will fit.

Replace all your worn out OEM bushings with OEM bushings. Your Jeep will never ride as nice as the stock suspension, with the exception of shocks. Buy good shocks. Look at Old Man Emu. They are the best shock for the TJ.

New control arms are a waste of money. What's wrong with the stock CAs? They are plenty strong.

Selectable lockers and gears will cost you over $2500 by the time everything is installed. Is there going to be that kind of value to you?

Stock 35 axles are weak, and good replacements are inexpensive. Look at Alloy USA. Put new u-joints on the front shafts and they're good to go.

For 31s and a 5spd, 4.10s would be perfect. But if the Jeep has small diff carriers, then 3.73 is the max.

About the gas thing. If it's really that important, why a Jeep for a daily driver? Nobody liked paying $2 a gallon and now it's $4. But that's the price of admission.

Your Jeep is very capable off-road in stock form. And you could buy a lot of gas for the expense of the mods you're talk'n about. So, loose the "fuel is an issue" thing.  

onandoff4wheeldrive.com       they are just outside of Oberlin Ohio and can do any mod you need. All the info is on the web site.  

About the ECTED lockers. Call, or go to Randy's Ring and Pinion web site for advice about traction devices.

I think the ECTED doesn't get a lot of use. I think it was designed for OEM and not built for super strength after-market appeal. And I think I've even seen "New, Stronger" from Auburn. What was wrong before?  

4.10's.... the 3.5" is way to tall unless you're  planning to put 33's under it.

all you need is 1" spacers in the front to level it out and a set of nitro shocks for a 1-3" lift. It'll have all the flex you need and handle very well on the street.  

I know a Jeep as a daily driver sounds crazy, but there is a good chance that I will be moving to Alaska. To me, a Jeep in Alaska sounds like a win-win situation. I am replacing so much stuff just to be sure. There is something broke, and instead of troubleshooting it, I think it will save time if I just replace everything. The lift kit was also to replace stock components like the control arms. My wife is the only source of information I have as I have not driven or seen this Jeep yet. She says the steering is loose and is hard to keep it on the road at highways speeds. So I assumed that the lift kit and replacing the control arms and such would almost eliminate that problem instead of trouble shooting it. Anyways, thanks for the info....keep it coming!  

Lift kits certainly would not address all the components that would cause loose steering.

A lot of lift kits don't even address the things they should just for lifting. It's that old price point thing.

Sounds like routine maintenance is in order. For not much effort you could make a huge difference in worn steering components.

Frequently, the biggest contributors are, ball joints, tie rod ends, unit bearing (axle bearing), and the front track bar. All of these things are easy to discern whether or not something is worn or bent.

Also, could be as simple as tire balance, bent wheel or alignment issue.

None of these things would be addressed with a lift kit. In fact the lift kit would magnify these issue.  

exactly....

tj's wander way more for those who don't care to have to drive one than those who want to....

ya get used to the squirm after a while. they are kinda touchy.

the complaints will never end till the lid comes off in the mild summer days.
my wife used to hate the jeep, my mother borowed it for a day once and said she'll never drive it again cause it wanders all over... lol.. It drive straight for me at 90mph, ya with her in it..  

Jeeps make an awsome daily driver... you can make your own detours!

rockstar: "She says the steering is loose and is hard to keep it on the road at highways speeds."

Thats just what jeeps do!  

i use my '95 yj as a daily driver, wouldn't have it any other way......you might have to remind your wife that it's not a sports car....LOL, jeeps kinda have a mind of their own when it comes to tooling down the highway.  

You guys all need to install Wife 5.0. If you're still running version 1.0, the problems you're having are understandable. I hear that version 5.6 solves even more problems, but they mostly have to do with the cleanup and laundry procedures.

There's a beta version that addresses the tools and shop procedures, but that is rumored to be causing all kinds of problems with the operating system that they can't seem to figure out.  

thats why mine doesn't drive my  jeep,and thats why I call it mine so that nobody even ask to use it,If your never drive a jeep then yes you will be all over the road.  

ftgiles:
You guys all need to install Wife 5.0. If you're still running version 1.0, the problems you're having are understandable. I hear that version 5.6 solves even more problems, but they mostly have to do with the cleanup and laundry procedures.

There's a beta version that addresses the tools and shop procedures, but that is rumored to be causing all kinds of problems with the operating system that they can't seem to figure out.

thats good..
someone has a long explaination on the wife 6.0 on facebook I read a while back...