Advice on next step

[Carl S]

I have only posted here a few times, although I have had a Comanche for about six years and have been working on it slowly, ever since.  It is an '89 long bed with a 4.0, auto, 4-WD base (i think) model.  I bought it with several minor mechanical problems, but otherwise it is a solid, straight Arizona truck.  I really got into the project at first, thinking I would get it fixed up and sell my '87 XJ within a year or two, but got stalled with finding the time to paint it.

 

Fast Forward to now, I am semi retired and finally had the time to paint it, a two tone silver and gray metallic clear over base, and put it all back together again.  I am just about ready to get the license and insurance on it and start driving it.  But first, I want to do the suspension and tires.  I have a set of 15 X 8 Ravines and was originally considering 33" tires with a 5 - 6 inch lift, but I am reconsidering and thinking I do not want to screw up the road manners by lifting it too high and going with big heavy tires.  I also don't want to have to do any fender cutting after spending hundreds of hours and over a grand on materials for the paint.

 

My current thinking is to stick with about a 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 inch lift with 31" tires like I have had on my XJ for years.  I have to consider the extra length and wheelbase on the MJ while making a decision, which is why I was thinking higher in the first place.

 

The question I have (and I know I will get a lot of different opinions on this) is, which company's suspension should I be looking at?  I will probably only four wheel it occasionally as I also have a '53 CJ-3b for hard core off roading, but I will occasionally take the MJ into the rough stuff.  Mostly it will be a street driven truck.

 

Thanks,

[ghetdjc320]

There isn’t really a company selling a complete kit for MJ’s. For the front, pretty much anything that lifts an XJ will lift an MJ. For the rear your options are: add a leaf (1-1.5”), longer shackles (one inch longer lifts .5” and so forth), replacement leaf packs (2-4”), Spring over axle conversion (5-6”) or a 4 link style suspension which requires a fair bit of fabrication. 
 

You can have excellent road manners with a 5-6” lift on 33’s but it will cost more than most people normally anticipate to get it dialed in just right. 
 

As for particular brands, once you sort out the kind of lift you want for the front (leveling kit/puck, short arm, drop brackets, long arms etc) you can get very good direction from those with experience with what you are looking for. Same goes for the rear but there are far fewer options since the typical XJ lift will not fit the MJ rear. 
 

Here are my $.02: if you want to run 31’s do about a 2” lift and no more. Old man emu front springs/shocks and maybe a replacement rear 4 leaf pack from General Spring or maybe just a small shackle lift if you prefer a more “level” look. WJ front lower control arms (to prevent those 31” tires from running on the control arms while turning) and replace all the front end bushings with some quality rubber replacements. Replace the tie rod with one from a 1998 V8 Grand Cherokee (other ZJ bars are the same but the parts guys also ask for a specific year make model). And replace your ball joints with the Dana/Spicer kit and replace your tie rod ende with some quality pieces. If the rest of the rig is solid that will be a very nice overall performer. The next consideration is your axle gearing. For 31’s the lowest gears I’d go with are 3.55. Some have run 3.07 but it’s not a nice experience. 3.73-4.10’s are even better for 31’s 

 

Once you exceed 2” lift more mods are needed. 

[Warren99]

Here are some pics of mine if you want a reference(only thing is its a short bed).The back is literally just taking the axle out, cutting old perches off, welding new perches on the top, then putting it back on under the springs. This ended up sitting perfect(as far as I could see and with basic measurements) with the front which was just new lower control arms, and taller coils. I bought the front end setup from some guy parting out a Cherokee. The sway bar links were simply but crudely extended to fit from the last guy. I believe they made a new hole on the axle a few inches over for the track bar, because the track bar was a stock one, perfectly matching my old one, and it did its job correctly with the lift. I don't actually know the technical measurement for the front lift but I'd assume between 3-4 inches. It has 31s and doesn't scrub anywhere, and leaves enough room for a decent amount of flex. The biggest downside is it doesn't take bumps/potholes very comfortably bc of how far down the control arms are, while still being in the factory place on the unibody. Rly this is just a good way to lift it on a budget.

[Carl S]

I'm not TERRIBLY concerned with the budget.  I'm more concerned with the outcome.  I know a long arm will give me the best ride and overall on and off road manners, but I'm not sure I need it with only a 3-1/2" to 4" lift.  Doing a spring over conversion looks like it will net me almost 6" in the rear, which is a bit too much.  Part of the issue is that even though I mostly still feel like I'm in my 30s, I am actually 65 and I'm just preparing myself for when it is going to get harder and harder to climb into a too high lifted truck.

 

I have Old Man Emu springs and shocks on my XJ, with Daystar spacers and shackles along with a pair of Rancho lower control arms.   I got about 3-1/4 inches of lift out of it but the angles make the ride a little bit harsh.  I think with the longer wheelbase etc, I need to lift the truck a little bit higher.  I could even go with 32 or 33 inch tires, but I think 31s would work better for me.

 

If I can go with an XJ short arm kit and either new rear springs on an add-a-leaf, I would still like to shoot for nominally four inches of suspension lift.  Definitely open to suggestions.

[ghetdjc320]

I’ve got 2 MJs now and after having lifted one SOA with 6” front coils and all the accompanying mods for a great smooth driver, I’m going to just get the other one to stock 4x4 ride height. If I was going 3.5” or more agin I’d go long arm front and rear. 

[dasbulliwagen]

I'm 6'1" and have lifted mine 6" on 32's. I can get in and out with no issues. Getting out is easiest as the seat is at just the right height without having to fall or jump. I used 5.5" Rubicon Express springs, Core4x4 control arms and track bar, RRO drop brackets, extended sway bar links that can disconnect, YJ stainless brake hoses, Bilstein shocks, and spring over in the rear with Bilstein shocks, and longer shackles on 2wd springs. It rides almost as good as stock with the drop brackets keeping the front control arm angles closer to stock, and the Bilsteins keeping it all under control. A long arm setup will get similar results, but youll need to do more in the rear with the leafs if you don't go a full 5-6" in the front.

 

[jamcomanche]

On 9/27/2021 at 12:01 AM, ghetdjc320 said:

There isn’t really a company selling a complete kit for MJ’s.

 

What do you mean by "complete?"  Are you saying you need to buy other parts separately to support the lift?  I've been looking to lift mine about 2-3" to get rid of some tire rub that's happening and I've come across these two places.

 

Rusty's Offroad
Jackit (Rough Country kits)

 

Their kits look pretty complete, but I might not be considering everything.

[Pete M]

are you regearing?  have you upgraded the rear axle?

[Carl S]

The truck has 3.55 gears, so I will eventually re-gear, depending on the tire size I end up with.  I never did re-gear my XJ with 3.55s and 31s, and it has been okay but not great.

 

Rear axle is a non c-clip 35 which I am on the fence about.  I don't plan on beating the crap out of this truck and will definitely not go over a 33" tire.  The XJ has a 44 rear axle that I may swap out, or I might try to find a 35 out of another Cherokee, swap it out, and swap the 44 into the MJ at my leisure.

 

 

 

[Carl S]

So, I ended up ordering a Zone Off Road 4-1/2" lift kit from Quadratec.  IT seemed like the most complete system at a reasonable price.  The add-a-leaf seems a little short, but we'll see how it works out.  I just might add an additional longer leaf to the spring packs depending how it all goes together.

 

I won't have a chance to work on installation for another couple of weeks, but I will report back once I get it done.

[Pete M]

12 hours ago, Carl S said:

So, I ended up ordering a Zone Off Road 4-1/2" lift kit from Quadratec.  IT seemed like the most complete system at a reasonable price.  The add-a-leaf seems a little short, but we'll see how it works out.  I just might add an additional longer leaf to the spring packs depending how it all goes together.

 

I won't have a chance to work on installation for another couple of weeks, but I will report back once I get it done.

 

 

link to the kit?