Lift Kits

[MonkUSMC]

So now that I can save for a Lift-Kit, would you recommend any of these? I am looking for a lift that would give me a decent flex and a good height, like 4-5" or so, since I think 33"'s would look ghey on a 2" lift or so.

 

http://www.rocky-road.com/comanche.html

 

or

 

http://4wdtruck.com/jeepparts/index.php ... c41e7286fb

 

I won't really be able to buy the $1000++ lifts, w/o taking out a loan, which I really don't want to unless it would benefit me more in the long run (although I have good credit). I estimated $1300-1500 for lift, tires and the 4"BS wheels, that seems reasonable for me. I am not looking for a body lift, nor a AAL (even though the rough country is one), so any help would be appreciated.

 

Thank you

 

LCpl Select (yay) Monk.

[Geonovast]

Just FYI, body lifts are not available for Comanches or Cherokees, since XJs are 100% unibody and MJs are unibody on the cab.

[MonkUSMC]

Good, because I don't like them lol. I'm still learning about Cherokee's/Comanche's so I want to soak as much information as possible. Thanks for the tip though.

[Eagle]

Wait one -- Are you a leatherneck? If so, what the heck are you doing in the Misery Ozarks? I did Basic Training and AIT at Fort Leonard Wood back during the Vietnam, ah ... "conflict." Last I knew it was an Army post. We didn't allow Marines on base back then, how'd you sneak in?

[MonkUSMC]

The USMC recently made their Motor T/MP/Engineer training in FLW a few years back. It also trains Navy SeaBee's and Air Force for what ever reason I can't figure out for.

[camjeep3]

id suggest a Rubicon Express 4.5" lift. its what i have, its not too expensive for what you get and its reallllllly nice. i got mine with the xj add a leaf and put it in my pack, the back is a little stiff but i like it. hope that heelps

[BLHTAZ]

Definitely saty away from the Rocky Road crap...so out of the two yo posted, the Rough Country would be the choice.

 

I would, however, also advise going with a Rubicon Express kit, something from Motion Offroad, or Hell Creek Suspensions. :cheers:

[MonkUSMC]

Hell Creek doesn't seem badly priced and it's what I am looking for. I just won't spend over $1500 for a 4-5" lift lol. I still have until July to decide on a good lift for my MJ, since I would be in training until then saving up my money for it.

[Pete M]

One more vote for RE.

 

Remember though that lifting is only part of the plan for running 33" tires if you plan on wheeling the truck. You'll want to look into upgrading the gearing in the axles, replacing the rear axle if you've got the Dana 35, upgrading the U-joints/shafts in the front axle (late model XJ/TJ shafts will go right in and have the bigger U-joints), and lockers, lockers, lockers. :D

[james750]

I vote for RE front and SOA rear. But beware, SOA can be unpredictable as I learned this weekend, you may end up with a lift anywhere from 5" to 10" (Still not sure what I am gonna do to level this thing out with only 5" in the front!!!)

[chicofuentes0224]

One more vote for RE.

 

Remember though that lifting is only part of the plan for running 33" tires if you plan on wheeling the truck. You'll want to look into upgrading the gearing in the axles, replacing the rear axle if you've got the Dana 35, upgrading the U-joints/shafts in the front axle (late model XJ/TJ shafts will go right in and have the bigger U-joints), and lockers, lockers, lockers. :D

 

I have absolutely no first hand experience wth any lift but agree with Pete and Taz.

And damn it Pete, don't tell him about any of that until he fully gets sucked in to this black hole we call the CC. You could scare him away and we'd have one less Marine to pick on. :rotf:

[MrSimon]

x2 on what Pete said!!!

 

Do a lot of research before buying anything. There are about a dozen different ways to run 4-5" and 33s. Some good, some bad. Take a few days and read through some of the build threads .... you'll learn a TON!

 

First off though - check your rear axle. If its a D35, you'll need to replace it or the 33s will break it pretty quick. And if you are going to replace it, it would be a good time to do a Spring Over for the rear.

[dasbulliwagen]

How in the world can you get 10" lift from an SOA??? :huh???:

[BLHTAZ]

How in the world can you get 10" lift from an SOA??? :huh???:

:rotf: By adding 4" blocks or 4" lift springs.

[mvusse]

I got 9", but the "stock" leafs I used have evidently been re-arched at some point in time and sit 2" higher than normal. 5.5" from from thickness of spring pack/axle tube/new perch, and 1.5" from the lift shackles that are going to disappear as soon as I get my stock shackles back from my buddy.

[MonkUSMC]

I've already been sucked in the CC lol.

 

Well my Jeep's in Orlando, and I'm about 1159miles away, so finding the axle might be hard unless I catch one of my friends to look under. I won't be wheeling that intense in Florida, there's hardly any hills, so D35's should still hold, or I can just get 31"s, since 2 inches really won't make that extreme of a difference. This will be my DD for a good amount of time, so I was planning on switching the gears to a 4.10 as said in other threads, since my 4 banger doesn't have too much power in it.

 

The RE would be too expensive for me, so I might get the Hell Creek one for $750. I just want to find a good lift kit for my Jeep since there's hardly any kits for that truck, everything else for me is easy and I can figure out, except electrical, I hate that stuff.

[Pete M]

Since the front end is practically identical to an XJ, there are plenty of kits out there. Just be aware that the rear will be different. Lots of manufacturers will let you delete the rear crap and you can do your own.

 

Pick the front end lift you want, then find a rear method to match. :thumbsup:

 

31s will be more friendly to both the Dana 35 and the 2.5L engine.

 

And for what it's worth, I blew up a Dana 35 on 30" tires on the street. :ack:

[Spokes]

this is mine... 4.5 rear 5 front (so it sits level) on 31x10.5

its got some good flex too :clapping: ... has alot more still but it was to muddy to get up on the bigger stumps

[89eliminator]

dude, disconnect your front swaybar next time and you'll really be surprised. :smart: :hijack:

[Spokes]

dude, disconnect your front swaybar next time and you'll really be surprised. :smart: :hijack:

 

 

it wasnt worth it just for that... it did it fine wit it lol there are higher stumpers back there so ill try again when it tries up some

[MonkUSMC]

Well I'm on the RE site to see a build myself. So far I'm looking at 4.5" Coil Springs, 1.75" spacers, trackbar MJ, and 4.5"-5.5" twin tube shocks for $564. They have a front kit for $1200 with SOA, that seems plausible if I have no other good choice. There's a few things I don't like on that kit, like the swaybar/disconnects, since I really don't like running swaybars, even though they help in handling on-road, I figured I wouldn't be going fast enough around corners for them to actually be a use to me, considering I've ran without them on my Cherokee with no issues.

 

I appreciate all the guidance you have gave me in trying to find a good lift for my MJ, this will help me in getting what I want out of my Jeep for the money I can spend for it.

 

Thanks,

PFC Monk

[BLHTAZ]

Where is your Jeep in Orlando? I would be happy to take a look at it if it is not too far away from me. I am in South Orlando right near the Orlando International Airport.

 

I would advise staying away from using spacers on top of lift springs. Just go with the 4.5" set-up and run some 31's. The D35 can easily be broken (as Pete stated) on smaller tires on the street. I have seen them break on 31's when someone took off a little too hard from a stoplight.

 

You can see mine on the RE 3.5" kit with 31's from the links in my sig.

[MonkUSMC]

Thanks. But I think its about 50mi away from that in Sanford on a street I don't know the name of. Since I never payed attention to my friends address lol. Ill just ask him what axle.

 

Alright so no spacers. Out of those 3 then, what else do you think I'll need to buy so the Jeep is properly lifted? I'm starting to go more towards SOA now since it should give me the most lift for lowest cost, that or just get new leafs since it is an 86.

[Pete M]

An SOA conversion (5-6") makes the rear lift cheap, but the front lift expense. A slightly less lift (3-4") and keeping it SUA makes the front lift cheaper, but the rear will get more expensive. I like to first choose a tire and the type of 4wheeling that the truck is most likely to see, and then tally up a list of what it takes to make my truck work great around that.

If I wanted 31s and a lift for mild wheeling, I'd stick with SUA and a 3-4" lift. You can keep those costs down by doing short arms up front (with longer LCAs) and the other items like a longer track bar, brake lines and sway bar links, and then I'd splurge on full leaf packs for the rear (although a 3" MJ AAL will also suffice for the time being if you want to keep costs manageable).

 

3" coils

track bar for a 3" lift

gas charged shocks for a 3" lift

sway bar links for a 3" lift (preferably the quick-disconnect kind)

YJ front brake lines

LCAs for a 3" lift (splurging on adjustable ones can be worthwhile)

3" AAL or full packs

95 Dakota rear brake line

(and then if the front and rear don't turn out quite right, you can add a small spacer to the front or a longer shackle to the rear to tweak that last inch)

 

Other items to put on the future to-do list

-redo the rear brake lines to do away with the problematic prop valve

-upgrading the front axle shafts to the stronger later model ones (XJ/TJ) that have the bigger U-joints and a solid pass side shaft

-upgrading the rear axle

-upgrading the gear ratios

[BLHTAZ]

My 3.5" RE lift gave me almost 5" of lift to start with. Now that it has settled, it is still sitting at 4". I just measured the front about 2 weeks ago and it is at 21.5" from the center of the hub to the bottom of the flare. I added upper control arms and a track bar to mine then got the 3" leaf packs for the rear from Hell Creek to make it set level.