bowmans86mj Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 well I'm looking online at the moment trying to find a good price on a lift and stuff... any suggestions on a good but easy on the wallet lift???? :dunno:
bowmans86mj Posted August 24, 2009 Author Posted August 24, 2009 prob 3 inches so i don't have to be doing to much other stuff along the lines of brake lines and such
Pete M Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 I would go with about 2" then if you want to keep the buildup to a minimum. 3" starts to require things like brake lines, shocks, track bars control arms etc. Cheapest way will be to grab a bunch of coil spring isolators from junkyard XJs (the alternative being some poly spacers), and then find some Chevy fullsize truck drop shackles (which are a bit longer than stock MJ) or find a used XJ 3" AAL (which would give 1.5-2" of lift in an MJ).
Geonovast Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 Find yourself some front coils for a 4.0. I put 4.0 coils on my 2.5, and it popped it up about an inch and a half. Then use the isolators as spacers after that. You want as much lift in the spring as possible.
bowmans86mj Posted August 24, 2009 Author Posted August 24, 2009 roughly how much you think that will be and also what are the AAL's you were talking of
Pete M Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 3" lift Add-a-leafs for an XJ. Any brand will do. The longer leaf versions are better than the short leaf ones. If you're a savvy shopper, used coils and old isolators can be had for nothing or next to it.
Pete M Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 This guy added a couple XJMJ isolators in to balance out his lift.
bowmans86mj Posted August 24, 2009 Author Posted August 24, 2009 well i just got ahold if a set of 4.0 coil springs for $20 and what would i get out of doing a axle over in the rear???
Pete M Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 Might look a bit funny with 2" up front and 6 out back. :yes:
bowmans86mj Posted August 24, 2009 Author Posted August 24, 2009 good thinking..... so different shackles should level it out???
Pete M Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 The Chevy drop shackles should get you pretty darn close. Since you don't have a bed, the rear should sit higher than the rest of us.
Eagle Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 well I'm looking online at the moment trying to find a good price on a lift and stuff... any suggestions on a good but easy on the wallet lift???? :dunno: Ain't no such critter. It does not exist. Period. It's like one the NAXJA-NAC members used to post. In fact, it might have been in his signature: "We do good work, fast, and cheap. Pick any two." A good lift that's easy on the wallet is a contrdiction in terms. There's a reason why the more expensive kits cost more. Either they are more complete than the cheap kits, or they are made better using better materials ... or both.
MrSimon Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 Eagle is only sort of right. Everyone has a different definition of "good" and "cheap". And everyone uses their MJ in different ways. If you want to safely lift your truck a few inches for a couple hundred bucks or less .... yes, its entirely possible. Sure, it might ride a little rough and you might not have the prefect suspension/steering geometry ... but if you don't mind that - no problems!!
bowmans86mj Posted August 24, 2009 Author Posted August 24, 2009 well i just got ahold of a set of 2006 wrangler front coil springs. will those work??? and also what kind of chevy shackles should i use?? does the year matter or 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton matter??
Geonovast Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 IIRC the wrangler coils would actually end up lowering your MJ.. You need to get ahold of a set of XJ/MJ 4.0 coils. I may be backwards about that, however.
bowmans86mj Posted August 24, 2009 Author Posted August 24, 2009 well that sucks... i can't find dimensions online to see whats the height difference
Eagle Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 Geonovast is correct. Wrangler coils are softer than XJ/MJ coils and actually lower an XJ or MJ compared to a stock 4.0L vehicle. The TJ coils may be about the same as XJ/MJ 4-cylinder coils. ZJ V8 front coils (Grand Cherokee, 93 - 98) are the same part number as XJ Up Country coils and ride approximately 1" higher than stock XJ/MJ 4.0L coils.
bowmans86mj Posted August 25, 2009 Author Posted August 25, 2009 so if i was to have a broke coil spring " like i do" and had a set of 2006 4.0 liter wrangler coils i COULD put them on and atleast get the same height out of stock just to get by temporarily untill i can get a lift kit?????
Geonovast Posted August 25, 2009 Posted August 25, 2009 Yes, you should be able to. Be sure to check the alignment afterwords if you plan on driving it at all. After a potential height change, the toe alignment needs to be checked and adjusted if necessary. Here's a good write-up for it. http://www.4x4xplor.com/alignment.html
bowmans86mj Posted August 25, 2009 Author Posted August 25, 2009 excellent! well the only driving this thing will be doing is down trails and being trailered there and home.. i actually do not have a sway control system on it....
bowmans86mj Posted August 25, 2009 Author Posted August 25, 2009 how hard/easy is it to put on new coils???
MrSimon Posted August 25, 2009 Posted August 25, 2009 how hard/easy is it to put on new coils??? Its not too bad. The hard part is getting the axle to droop far enough so that you can get the springs out and in. Start by getting the frame rails up on jack stands and the axle supported with a floor jack. Then start un-bolting things to get the axle to droop. Start with the brake lines and shocks first. Then maybe the front drive-shaft. Then move on to the control arms if needed - lowers first. Also, you can jack up on one side of the axle which will lower the other side. You can also use spring compressors. Some guys don't like them. I think if you are careful and use them properly, they work fine.
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