some guys run manual locking hubs up front with spool, keep one hub unlocked till ya need it fully locked then turn er in.

this is a really bad idea on the stock front end though.  

so wuts the easiest ones to use? or would i have to replace the stock front end no matter wut kind i got?  

nope, if ya get bigger than a 32" tire the stock d30 takes a beating if yer not light on the pedal.  

idk if i have a d30, or is that just wut the 2.5L came with stock? im sorry im totally clueless.  

yep, dana 30 up front and a d35 rear  

unless you are in this just to build it up as you go and get money you may want to consider selling the jeep and purchasing a rubicon. you will have everything you need already and it will be pretty darn near as capable as you get right out of the box. if you want to make your right capable its kind of like making a non 4 wheel drive truck.. 4 wheel drive. your really just better off purchasing it from the beginning. if you had a rubicon you would have a 6 cyl to start with not to mention dana 44s front and rear that are fully locked. you also get a t-case that is super low geared (4.1). its really not worth it to make your jeep capable when it might just be cheaper to go get a rubicon.... just my 2 cents.  

yea i think your right. thats probably wut im gonna end up doing. o well, i will just have to wait. thanks for all your help.  

don't knock the stock perfomnance of a stock TJ... I ran the same trails back then as I do now, just much easier... here's a few pics. notice the smashed up nerf bars...




 

you'll always want more, like me, now I'm after 37" rubber that pretty much takes the d44's to the limits.

figure out what yer after and stick to it.
in my case 33's were all I ever planned on then when I got it there I wanted more.

a 5000 dollar tj 4 or 6 can be a good start if yer takin it way beyond the rubicon, and for a mild occasional trail rig.
want it all right now? for about 12-18k ya can get a lifted rubi and wheel the crap out of it.  

Pics look good there mud. My son 6yr old and I run our tj in a lot of various places, that would be surprising to some people.  Mine is an 04 tj sport with dana 30 and dana 44 with the 4.0 liter engine. I run 31's with ox lockers front and rear. I have poison spyder rock sliders with tube and some rusty's bumpers  

thanks, those are old old pics, it took me a while to find em...

the ox lockers alone make your tj a great machine, it'll last a long time if ya don't abuse it. I don't remember seeing any pics of it though....  

i am not knocking anything. srry for the misunderstanding. what im trying to say is that a jeep such as this guy has is really not capable the way it is, 4 cyl, dana 30/35, no lockers. and to get it where it will be a capable machine will take some serious upgrading not to mention..money. i was actually saying a stock rubicon such as what you showed in the pictures is VERY capable in stock form. a stock rubi will out do a lot of rigs out there. im also saying if the man plans on modding the jeep he has it might be cheaper to find a rubi and sell the jeep he has now!  

no worries, we gotcha and I agree with ya, thats why I got a rubi myself...