Best lift for a cj
JosephCj
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Best lift for a cj
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Old Dog
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we could use some more info, like...
depends on how much flex you want.
whats the cj going to be used for?
depends on how much flex you want.
whats the cj going to be used for?
JosephCj
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Im going to build it for rock crawling not extremely but light I want to be able to go to moab and run some light trails
Old Dog
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The OME kits give the best flex for leaf springs.
going 4 link would give more but will cost alot more.
If I were you i'd stay with leafs for your intended purpuse.
Just my 2 cents.
going 4 link would give more but will cost alot more.
If I were you i'd stay with leafs for your intended purpuse.
Just my 2 cents.
JosephCj
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Thank you so much. Also should I put a locker in the front or back first?
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If you are going to run just one locker you always want to put it in the rear.
JosephCj
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Well I will put two in I just can't afford to do both at once
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Than do the rear first.
richardoutwest
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Do not want to hi-jack this post, but I am learning also and this still puzzles me. My rear end locks up pretty good but basically have one wheel drive in front. Besides hard steering in the front with a locker, wouldn't it be better to pull than to push? You are able to move the steering wheel back and forth to bite or hook-up that you can't do in the rear, and the weight of the vehicle is in the front for traction.
Don't get me wrong, I am not arguing the point, I am just curious as to what (I) see and in need of more information. I hear this quite a bit but my ignorance on this is getting the best of me.
Old Dog
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This is one of thoes questions where if you ask a dozen people you will get 6 people saying front and 6 saying rear. I'm not sure there is a right answer. It probally depends on how you wheel your jeep.
I say do both.
I say do both.
Sasquach
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Old Dog gives sound advice. 
Do both eventually.
Do both eventually.
BC CJ
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Another reason to do the rear first is reliability due to the axle strength. The front will have a lot of strain on it if it is locked (doing most of the work)and the rear isn't. The front axle has the weaker components required for steering... er, unless you have the 2 piece AMC20 axle. In that case I'd go 1 piece shaft conversion and locker in the rear. That would be a good upgrade.
my whole argument goes out the window if you have beefy axles swapped in
my whole argument goes out the window if you have beefy axles swapped in
GatorBate
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I did the rear locker first. It seemed to be the easiest axle to learn on. Defiantly do the one piece axle upgrade while you are at it. I find it convent to be able to engage the rear locker when I want a little more traction and I don't want to stop, get out to lock in the hubs, shift into four wheel drive just to get up a small dune or through a muddy stretch.
Front locker coming soon, real soon. More traction is as addicting as more horse power!:xj:
Front locker coming soon, real soon. More traction is as addicting as more horse power!:xj:
JosephCj
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So i have been reading every Petersens 4Wheel drive about lockers and they said the same thing its all on how you wheel
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why I say the rear is if you are climbing a hill most of the weight is on the rear and that is where you want both tires getting the grip a locker is not going to help you in the front.
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I think Old Dog made a good point, you will never get a consensus on that subject. What you will get is opinions.
First of all if your climbing a hill regardless of what you have up front, there is no traction because the front end is so light. The rear end is doing all the pushing.
Lockers in the front have no ability to steer and basically your just along for the ride going whatever direction the rear end is pointed.
I have run Powr-Loks both front and rear in the past and have been everywhere I wanted to go.
I think the real key is your crawl ratio. Having the ability to plant a tire down and not over power the hill to cause wheel spin is the answer.
Most guys I see have near stock gears with big tires and no real mechanical advantage.
Get yourself a crawl ratio around 70-80 in low gear and an average Jeep will do a real good job.
Last, you need to understand both your ability and your equipment's abilities.
Just my Opinion!
First of all if your climbing a hill regardless of what you have up front, there is no traction because the front end is so light. The rear end is doing all the pushing.
Lockers in the front have no ability to steer and basically your just along for the ride going whatever direction the rear end is pointed.
I have run Powr-Loks both front and rear in the past and have been everywhere I wanted to go.
I think the real key is your crawl ratio. Having the ability to plant a tire down and not over power the hill to cause wheel spin is the answer.
Most guys I see have near stock gears with big tires and no real mechanical advantage.
Get yourself a crawl ratio around 70-80 in low gear and an average Jeep will do a real good job.
Last, you need to understand both your ability and your equipment's abilities.
Just my Opinion!
bigbirdcj
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If you plan to re-gear your axles it'll cost you less in the long run to go ahead and have both axles done with the new gears and lockers the first time. Unless of course you do the install yourself.
Your '72 should have a Dana 44 rear which will hold up to a locker just fine. Most of the ones I've seen had a 3:73 ratio. Dana 44 have a carrier split at 3:92. If you install a locker for the 3:73 gears and later want to swap to 4:10 or 4:56, your new locker may not work. Just something to think about.
Your '72 should have a Dana 44 rear which will hold up to a locker just fine. Most of the ones I've seen had a 3:73 ratio. Dana 44 have a carrier split at 3:92. If you install a locker for the 3:73 gears and later want to swap to 4:10 or 4:56, your new locker may not work. Just something to think about.
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3.73 and up (numerically higher / lower gears) and 3.54 and down (numerically lower / Higher gearing) is the split I believe, but still good sound advice.
diddy2003
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For the lift convo, that is really up to you. There are a TON of choices. I avoided OME just because they were crazy expensive for a CJ lift and they only had 2.5 inch lifts available. I wanted a 4 inch and that knocked them out of the equation pretty quickly. There are a lot of good lift companies. I actually went the bargain isle way and went with rough country. Big money savings and the kit was complete right from the factory. I got a steering stabilizer, heavy duty shackles, brake lines, drop pitman arm, and the complete 4 inch kit for less than just the kit from skyjacker.
On the locker point. I wouldn't run a locker in the rear first. But, my jeep sees a lot of street driving and a locker in the rear would annoy me. You could also run a locker in the front and truetrac in the rear. There are just so many options. I am thinking from a primarily street jeep perspective though.
On the locker point. I wouldn't run a locker in the rear first. But, my jeep sees a lot of street driving and a locker in the rear would annoy me. You could also run a locker in the front and truetrac in the rear. There are just so many options. I am thinking from a primarily street jeep perspective though.
AussieCJ7
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I have the Rubicon Express 4.5", being Aussie the OME was high on my list but it was a little on the short side and now the only YJ springs they sell are the Dakar which is a cheaper version made in India so dont think they are as good as they use to be
Ultimately the RE 4.5" gave me everything I wanted and was a very complete kit. Regardless what you choose think about
1. 2.5" wide YJ style springs up front give much better ride and well worth the upgrade.
2. Look at all the extra parts you need such as Brake lines, U Bolts and plates, shackles bushes and spring wedges etc When you add up all of this some of the so called "cheap" kits start to get very close in price to more expensive kits like the RE and OME
3. If you go to YJ style springs it is worth getting new hangers for the front rather than using conversion shackles
4. Regardless of which kit expect to spend a couple of months fine tunning it, things like shock selection, shackle angle and bump stops all affect the performance and ride
5. Cheapest option is "Do it once and do it right" so if you think you want 35's and 4" lift dont do a 2" lift first up go straight to final result you want, even if that means spending a couple of months extra in saving
6. Dont forget total project cost so if needed add in new wheels tyres and diff ratio's
Ultimately the RE 4.5" gave me everything I wanted and was a very complete kit. Regardless what you choose think about
1. 2.5" wide YJ style springs up front give much better ride and well worth the upgrade.
2. Look at all the extra parts you need such as Brake lines, U Bolts and plates, shackles bushes and spring wedges etc When you add up all of this some of the so called "cheap" kits start to get very close in price to more expensive kits like the RE and OME
3. If you go to YJ style springs it is worth getting new hangers for the front rather than using conversion shackles
4. Regardless of which kit expect to spend a couple of months fine tunning it, things like shock selection, shackle angle and bump stops all affect the performance and ride
5. Cheapest option is "Do it once and do it right" so if you think you want 35's and 4" lift dont do a 2" lift first up go straight to final result you want, even if that means spending a couple of months extra in saving
6. Dont forget total project cost so if needed add in new wheels tyres and diff ratio's