Greetings,

New to the forum and 1st post, but not new to wheeling. I've snared an '07 Off Road model with a manual trans, and will be prepping it for duty. The ultimate goal is to have a vehicle happy on both street and trail, but still pretty capable. Here's my thoughts on parts:

2-2.25" Daystar lift (coil spacer/shackle kit). This should get me right around 12" of clearance which should be sufficient for my purposes without making it ponderous on the street.

Full Shrock rails and skid package to protect the tender underbelly bits.

..and that's about it. I think this will be a good compromise package - I'm not looking to make a hardcore wheeler here.

I do have a few questions. With the 2" lift, will I still have the ability to get proper alignment with the stock components (the older torsion-bar X kits included UCAs), or will I need cam bolts? Will stock steering components incur accelerated wear, or should they be okay?

I also wanted to ask about brush guards, known to some as 'damage multipliers'...what do you think about them? I don't want something to interfere with approach angles or possible cause additional damage, but the extra protection would be nice (I don't want to go to a full replacement bumper).

Last but not least...with the 2" lift, I assume I need to install longer shocks to take advantage of the additional travel, and to ensure I don't explode a shock on the trail.

Parts seem kinda tough to find for Gen 2 Xs...Googling doesn't get me very far. Resource links would be great if you have any. Any other thoughts, advice, or opinions are welcome - thank you!