1-2" Lift and upgrade to new shocks. Advice?

[phenryiv1]

I DID do a search...I am sure that someone will tell me that this has been covered 47,000 times before- and it probably has.

 

My 88 4x4 LB is rolling around on dead shocks (still original from when the truck was new), and while I go through the time and expense of replacing the shocks, I might as well add an inch or so in height, since I am going to a 30" tire very soon. I did some searches on budget boosts or budget lifts and got pretty much nowhere.

 

My first question is this:

No matter what method of lifting I choose, how do I choose a shock length that is appropriate for the new springs?

 

Front:

First, I would like to avoid coil spacers, if possible. That being said, I have seen a lot of XJ owners run ZJ V8 front coils on the front of the Cherokee to get about 1-1.5" of lift. This is slightly more than XJ UpCountry/Off Road springs, and I think that I will be fine at 1-1.5" over stock. Will these springs have a similar effect on an MJ?

 

Rear:

I have seen the use of shackles (I guess stock S-10 shackles) to add an inch or so. I cannot recall this exactly. Am I recalling correctly? I would also consider using some form of an AAL, which from what I have read is fine, but a full-length AAL is recommended. Is there a leaf from another vehicle that I might be able to grab and add to the MJ pack to give me about 1-1.5 inches? Will I need to cut off the eyes to do this? Or should I just buy an off-of-the-shelf AAL from a known manufacturer?

 

Thanks in advance for the help. I hope to make the results of this into a sort of FAQ or How-to, to assist other n00bies such as myself.

[702_MJ]

I believe the zj springs will have the same effect, cherokee and comanche are basically the same front end, just i think the comanches have more bracing on the frame so some cherokee long arm kits won't work without some minor cutting. but i don't know about the shackles, i think the comanche leaves are a little bit wider than the cherokee. if i were you and gonna drop a few dollars on junk yard springs and search for an AAL or shackles and shox might as well get the real deal. Rustys offroad has some budget lifts, they got a 3" lift for an MJ for $265. go take a look. rustys has a decent rep.

 

http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchant.m ... sus_xj_kit

 

This probly didnt help with all your questions but just sayn what i would do in your situation.

[johnnyc]

Just be careful if you get used ZJ V8 coil springs. Mine were used and only gave me half an inch. I added a coil spacer (nothing wrong with them) and an XJ main leaf in the rear, with the eyes cut off. I ended up with about 2 inches and am running 245/75/16 tires, which are just a shade under 31 inches.

 

And I'm still running stock length shocks. But my MJ is a street only truck for the time being.

[mvusse]

Buy Rusty's at your own risk. A lot of people here have had problems with their products, and then even more problems trying to get the parts replaced. The quality of their parts sucks. Their customer support sucks even more.

[MJ300]

http://motionoffroad.com/catalog/index. ... cts_id=462

 

Motion Offroad has a kit that addresses most of your problems. Their 1.5" budget boost does use spacers, but I don't see the problem with using them either. :nuts: I have 3/4" spacers up front on mine, and so far they seem to be doing their job quite well.

 

It also comes with shackles, which will give you your rear lift, and it comes with the right sized shocks in order to compensate for the small change in height. It is on the pricey side however, but maybe if you shoot Motion Offroad a pm (he's a member here) he might be able to give you a small discount. :thumbsup:

[702_MJ]

really rustys sux, man that sux. no wonder they are so cheap.

[phenryiv1]

I don't want to imply that I feel that there is anything wrong with coil spacers- jut that if all other factors are equal, I would prefer to go with replacement coils.

 

I went today to get my new wheels and tires (sweet!) and the guy has an XJ with a 3" coil in front with a 1" spacer and a 3" AAL and 2" shackles in the rear. He is replacing it all with new stuff, and offered the coils, AAL, and shackle to me for next to nothing. I need to check on the rear stuff fitting, but the fronts are a definate "go" for me.

 

If that all fails, I still may do shackles or maybe a rear AAL. I just need to fit 30 x 9.50 on 15 x 8 Jeep wheels from a TJ.

[mvusse]

To fit 30x9.50 (which measure the same as 235/75R15), you do not need a lift.

[ComancheKid45]

I have 6 months on my Motion Offroad Budget Boost with no problems...

[phenryiv1]

Quick bump:

 

What do I need to do to find the shock model/part numbers that are correct for a 0-3" lift?

[BLHTAZ]

Quick bump:

 

What do I need to do to find the shock model/part numbers that are correct for a 0-3" lift?

Tell a good 4x4 place how much lift you have and they should be able to figure it out for you. They may want measurements of the distance between your shock mounts after the lift is done to do it though.

[Motion Offroad]

For the MJ's:

 

0-1" of lift we recommend the following:

 

Front: 23" Ext. 13.5" Col.

Rear: 23" Ext. 14" Col.

 

2-3" of lift we recommend the following:

 

Front: 24.5" Ext. 14.5" Col.

Rear: 26" Ext. 15.5" Col.

 

 

*This is just a base measurement, you should measure your MJ after the lift is installed to verify. Also the is using factory shock mounting locations.

[phenryiv1]

For the MJ's:

 

0-1" of lift we recommend the following:

 

Front: 23" Ext. 13.5" Col.

Rear: 23" Ext. 14" Col.

 

2-3" of lift we recommend the following:

 

Front: 24.5" Ext. 14.5" Col.

Rear: 26" Ext. 15.5" Col.

 

 

*This is just a base measurement, you should measure your MJ after the lift is installed to verify. Also the is using factory shock mounting locations.

If I need new shocks now, but don't have the money to actually lift it just yet, ca I use the ones that you recommend for 2-3" and then add the lift later?

[phenryiv1]

So I called up Motion Offroad and Rebecca set me up with an AAL for a temporary fix. This will be paired with the V8 ZJ front coils, which I hope will net 1-1.5" (not including ~1/2" from an optional second coil isolator). I am hoping it settles between 1-2" in the rear.

 

I want to go with something that I can buy locally- gabriels at autozone or monroes at advance auto. That will limit my cost, AND allow me to get the truck back on the road for at or under $200 with another 1-2" under her.

 

So I went to both places and called both manufacturers and got nowhere as far as finding the right lengths for my proposed length.

 

Does anyone know a vehicle cross-reference that I can use for the right lift? Part numbers?

 

Both the AALs and the coils are cheap enough to toss if I want more, or the ZJ coils can be supplemented with coil spacers.What I want is a shock that is long enough to accomodate the lift and short enough to not hit the bump stops upon compression.

 

I just want to grab something that WORKS and stop obsessing over the options.

[mvusse]

I walked into the store an hour before closing Friday night, as they are not normally busy at that time and asked if I could leaf through the paper shock master catalog. It lists all shocks with their compressed length, extended length and type of mounts top and bottom.