Yours is a bit of an exception though - not many people can do all the mods you did, and keep it under $3000.
35" tires & backspaced wheels = $1000
T-Case gears = $500
Front & rear lockers = $500
5.125 gears = $200-$300

And that's not getting into the tube doors, lift & cost of the tracker. But, if you're patient, buy used and have the tools to make your own stuff. That rig is an excellent example of what can be done with a budget. There's not going to be any $3000 Jeeps keeping up with you.

So - by using a spacer, that extra 1" is compressed, and therefore allowing the suspension to travel down 1" further? So - at max, Calmini's squeezed out 1" more suspension travel? Seems someone could you just as easily replicate this effect with the OME suspension by adding a spacer (or strut mount flip?) getting even more out of the already long-travel OME strut? That would be sweeeeet. I still need to get some pics of the stock strut travel, anyone with a Calmini strut laying around want to take some measurements & post 'em up 

Exacltly except the strut spacers are 2" long and give you 2" of extra travel. I'm working on fitting the OMEs with the Calmini kit, the problem is the CVs run out of travel. I think that you can get an extra 1/2" of travel with the OMEs and stock wishbones but you would need to double check.

I'm looking to see if I can fit Porsche 930 CV in somehow to get longer travel... or maybe a Toyota IFS. Mmmmm.... yota IFS.....

And, please - no one link the damn Pirate article. It's NOT an IFS swap, it's just the yota diff.

Yours is a bit of an exception though - not many people can do all the mods you did, and keep it under $3000.
35" tires & backspaced wheels = $1000
T-Case gears = $500
Front & rear lockers = $500
5.125 gears = $200-$300

And that's not getting into the tube doors, lift & cost of the tracker. But, if you're patient, buy used and have the tools to make your own stuff. That rig is an excellent example of what can be done with a budget. There's not going to be any $3000 Jeeps keeping up with you.

My brakedown was this:

Truck: $450
Transfercase Gears: $650
Valve, headgasket kit and waterpump: $160
Tires: Free from friends jeep
Wheels: $50 from junk yard
Tube doors: Trade for Zuki junk
26 Spline front: $45 from junk yard
Home made body and suspension lift: $120
Camber Bolts $25
Autotrans swap $120
Lockers$500
NSX Nitrous System: $200 complete used system on ebay
Header:$45 found on Samurai in junkyard.
The 5.12 gears came with the manual tranny Sidekick , I kept them and switched out to the autotrans. I have a couple of other small dodads, but that was it. It runs great and I still get to keep all the Zuki parts without changing to a Yota front. If you start out small and work your way up, watch for deals and are willing to do the work yourself, you can do a bunch with a little money. That was my goal, im pretty happy now and may build an exo cage for it later this year.

The mechanically inclined save tons of money on install costs

I see how for a few grand what an exceptional rig can be built

I also believe in keeping the body, engine and frame as low to the ground as possibland still clearing big tires, the big tires get you over obsticles with more clearance under the vehicle and keeping it low helps with the center of gravity. you will need to do some cutting of your floorboard and wheel wells, followed by some welding if you choose, or just fold it over on itself. The key for me is to get clearance between the ground and the axles, not the axles and the body. Notice the jeeps taking a different route.