77 CJ7 - Which 2.5" lift? / what do I need?

[77cj7]

Just picked up a 77 CJ7 today, it's my first jeep, and this is my first post!!!

I'm not looking to go crazy. I want to put a 2.5" lift on it, and stay with 31" tires. From what I have seen, Rough Country and Superlift make nice / INEXPENSIVE lift kits for this vehicle, but there is SOOOO much conflict in the reviews I've seen!!!

I am looking to stay on the inexpensive side, but I also want SOME ride quality, and good bang for my buck!!!

Two questions...

1. What lift should I get (looking for about 2.5") without spending an arm and a leg...

2. What IF ANY other modifications will I need to make with a 2.5" lift... at what point do I run into steering and drive shaft problems? etc etc etc...

Looking to learn as much as I can, so the more long-winded the responses are, the better!

Thanks,
Joe

PS. Glad to be part of this community! cant wait to get started.

 

[bdunnam]

A good lift, i cant really help you with but, all i would do is swap out the springs, shocks, and swaybars, but as far as rough country i run a 4 in kit, i will say it is a little stiff but it handles really well out on the highway.

 

[nickgodwin1]

Im running a rough country 2.5 lift right now. i can say its def. stiffer than stock but Jeeps kinda ride rough anyway. I had 32's when I first put it on and they looked to small IMO. I dont really see you wanting to keep the 31's with that lift but thats your call. My rough country springs gave me over 3 inches of lift due to the sag in the stock springs, so if your springs are original you might want to consider this.

 

[77cj7]

Im running a rough country 2.5 lift right now. i can say its def. stiffer than stock but Jeeps kinda ride rough anyway. I had 32's when I first put it on and they looked to small IMO. I dont really see you wanting to keep the 31's with that lift but thats your call. My rough country springs gave me over 3 inches of lift due to the sag in the stock springs, so if your springs are original you might want to consider this.

Thanks Nick! ...did you have to make any other modifications to the vehicle accompanying the lift? Or will I be ok literally just installing the rough country springs and shocks?

--Joe

 

[nickgodwin1]

When I had only the 2.5 springs installed I immediately had a ton of vibration. Ive heard dif. results from other jeep owners about this you may luck out and have none. I Simply went to the local hardware store and put together about 7 bucks worth of spacers problem solved. I plan on a longer driveshaft in the future to eliminate the spacers but they will get you down the road after you lift. My steering was all good to go with no mods but the flimsy stock shackles bothered me so when I upgraded to the 3/8 heavy duty ones I noticed much more stability and less shaking, they def. improved the handling over the stock ones. Of course this little bit of extra lift increased my bump steer a little which bothered me (keep in mind im OCD and have to have everything drive perfect) so I ebay bought a 4 inch drop pitman for 20 bucks and now it drives 100% better than it did before i ever began to lift it. ANd aside from the springs and replacement items like tie rod ends, drag links, and ball joints that were becoming worn Im less than 30 dollars on top of the lift for the extra things needed. Hope this helps! I also Have pics if that helps

 

[77cj7]

When I had only the 2.5 springs installed I immediately had a ton of vibration. Ive herard dif. results from other jeep owners about this you may luck out and have none. I Simply went to the local hardware store and put together about 7 bucks worth of spacers and problem solved. I plan on a longer driveshaft in the future to eliminate the spacers but they will get you down the road after you lift. My steering was all good to go with no mods but the flimsy stock shackles bothered me so when I upgraded to the 3/8 heavy duty ones I noticed much more stability and less shaking they def. improved the handling over the stock ones. Of course this little bit of lift extra increased my bump steer a little which bothered me (keep in mind im OCD and have to have everything drive perfect) so I ebay bought a 4 inch drop pitman for 20 bucks and now it drived 100% better than it did before i ever began to lift it. ANd adide from the springs and replacement items like tie rod ends, drag links, and ball joints that were becoming worn Im less than 30 dollars on top of the lift for the extra things needed. Hope this helps! I also Have pics if that helps

Wow, yes! Absolutely it does!! That's pretty much exactly what i needed to know... I'd love some pictures too. You can e-mail them to greesemonkey04@Gmail.com

 

[nickgodwin1]

Here is the 2.5 only with the 32's




33 12.50 15's and 2.5 only. this is pre shackles and body lift

 

[whodathunkit]

When I had only the 2.5 springs installed I immediately had a ton of vibration. Ive heard dif. results from other jeep owners about this you may luck out and have none. I Simply went to the local hardware store and put together about 7 bucks worth of spacers problem solved. I plan on a longer driveshaft in the future to eliminate the spacers but they will get you down the road after you lift. My steering was all good to go with no mods but the flimsy stock shackles bothered me so when I upgraded to the 3/8 heavy duty ones I noticed much more stability and less shaking, they def. improved the handling over the stock ones. Of course this little bit of extra lift increased my bump steer a little which bothered me (keep in mind im OCD and have to have everything drive perfect) so I ebay bought a 4 inch drop pitman for 20 bucks and now it drives 100% better than it did before i ever began to lift it. ANd aside from the springs and replacement items like tie rod ends, drag links, and ball joints that were becoming worn Im less than 30 dollars on top of the lift for the extra things needed. Hope this helps! I also Have pics if that helps

Like "77cj7", I too am looking at a 2.5" lift for my '86 CJ7 , and that was some very helpful info. Thanks for aiding my research, as I will take all the help I can get!

 

[dalefan88]

heres mine with a 2.5" pro comp lift and 31" tires.



no mods just lift.