cj help

[shepherd1]

I have a 1974 CJ5 that I just got for free, I want to put a lift on it and run either 35's or 37's on it. Can anyone tell me what companies make a lift big enough to do this. Also what is the difference between my cj and a 1976 and newer CJ5 's. I have found stuff out there for the newer cj's. Also any links for off road stuff would be sweet. Thanks!

 

[Kane]

Your springs are skinnier and the shackles are different also. 37's are some big meats for a small CJ5 . You will need 6 inches or more of lift and if it is all spring the ride will be horrible because they will have to have alot of arch which make them very stiff. In my opinion 35's are absolute max for a CJ5 that sees both street and off road. Don't forget that your smallish Dana 30 will not like those big tires and may protest by snapping shafts.

 

[BajaEdition]

cj 5s come in 3 generations, the early ones had short noses and ran a D18 t case, from 72 to 75 they made the nose longer so a so a strait 6 would fit and changed to a Dana 20 with a center pumpkin Dana 44 rear axle, after 75 they made more changes that make the intermediate ones incompatible with them. So the 72 to 75s are the ones AMC was doing the conversions on, not a bad thing but gives you not a long range of years to be compatible with.

oh, most guys with cjs stick to 33s and under for both the width and clearence, no need to make them to top heavy, I am not saying 35s or 37s will not fir, but on your jeep you will have a tippy problem. YJs TJs and JKs do nuch better with that size tire.

 

[shepherd1]

Thanks for the info on this. My jeep will see only trail rides and the street so nothing crazy. I did find a 4" lift that they said will clear 33-35's. Also found tube fenders, really like the flat fender look. Also have 1 more question for you guys. The guy I got it from said if you start it up and drive it for a half hour and shut it off for about 10-15 mins it wont start back up. He said you have to go out and manually open the choke and let it sit for a few mins and then it will start again and no more problems with it. He said he has changed the carb 3 times and has replaced the fuel filter and pump. He had also made a heat shield for the exhaust manifold just in case it was vapor lock. But nothing has changed it. Any ideas what this could be?

 

[73CJ]

Do some surfing - there's a lot of info on lifts. I had 4" TrailMaster - rode like and broke the frame at 3 different spring perches. I put a shackle reverse and YJ 2.5" OMEs on and love it. Not too much work. 2.5" body lift and run 38.5 Boggers. With a sway bar she handles better that she did on factory 28" Goodyears. Put a plan together, it'll pay off in the end.

Good luck

 

[BusaDave9]

I have 35 inch tires on my CJ5 . The issue is the rear wheel-well has a much smaller radius than my tires. I didn't want to lift my CJ to the sky. Instead when my tires rub I just get out the power equipment and cut the fenders bigger. Problem was the previous owner did a shackle reversal. That brought the front tire back as the suspension compressed. Had to add metal to the inner fender to make it bigger and flair it toward the rear. After taking this picture I cut more behind the front wheels.
My jeep is only for off-road use. It is street legal only to get to the trails. If you don't like my approach and don't want to cut the fenders then you will need at least a 6 inch lift.
A bigger issue may be the gearing. My axles have 4.88 gears. That brings the gearing back to stock (after you take into account the tires size). Are you willing to regear your differentials?

 

[BajaEdition]

longer bump stops can tune those tires not to hit the wheel wells

 

[BusaDave9]

longer bump stops can tune those tires not to hit the wheel wells

True, but I like the articulation. You get better control than if one or more tires gets pulled up into the air. I try to keep all four tires firmly planted.

 

[shepherd1]

Ok so I'm looking at a SOA from Rocky Road Outfitters and they are telling me that if I use their kit with the 2" longer shackels it will lift my CJ5 a total of 7.5"s. I'm planning on using their wrangler leaf spring kit and their OTT steering kit also. They said it would clear 37-38"s, I also plan on running some Poison Spider tube fenders with it. Also will use a swaybar with disconnects. Does anyone know where I can the rock crawler style tubes that go below the doors to keep the body from getting damaged. All the ones I can find are for 76 and newer.

 

[elwood blues]

If you do plan on doing a soa, here's a list of things to think about,

you will need: (may or may not be included with Rocky-Road's "bolt on kit")
spring pads
axle pack center bolts
shock mounts (possibly upper and lower especially in the front)
brake lines (at least 6" extended over stock)
drive shafts (preferrable double cardin both front and rear to prevent binding)
high steer kit (something to move the tie rods to the top of the axle knuckles)
drop pitman arm (again 4-6")
possibly a longer drag link (it's going to have to be moved so it doesn't hit the drop pitman arm)
gonna have to do something to correct front axle caster angle (cut steering yoke from axle realign to correct angle and reweld)
If you have a V8 you're probably going to need traction/tortion bars for the rear axle (to control axle wrap/wheel hop)

Do you really want to do a springover?

***most, okay almost all, of this information came from Willie's Workbench section of the January 2010 issue of Four Wheeler mag***

 

[BusaDave9]

Does anyone know where I can the rock crawler style tubes that go below the doors to keep the body from getting damaged. All the ones I can find are for 76 and newer.

Rock sliders are hard to find for a CJ5 . I had mine custom made for $365. This may not be the best picture of them.

 

[BajaEdition]

I had to make a set of sliders for mine also, seems 5s have fallen off the common landscape for fab guys

 

[shepherd1]

Ok so here is what the Rocky Road kit has in it as a base kit
[SIZE=+1]Front and rear bolton anti-wrap spring pads[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Bolton Long Travel shock mounts[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Transfer Case drop system[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Ubolt skidplates[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Front Extended Brake Lines[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Rear Brake Line Extension[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Zlink Steering system[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Ubolts and hardware packs[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Parking brake relocation kit (76+ kits only)[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Easy to follow installation instructions[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Spring perches and plate to fit stock springs...
or YJ springs[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]CJ5 kits (post 76) also come with bolton
front upper shock mounts[/SIZE]Also they have the OTT high mount steering kit, wrangler spring kit for the CJ5 's.

 

[shepherd1]

here's some pics of their kit

 

[2lostspace]

Ok so I'm looking at a SOA from Rocky Road Outfitters and they are telling me that if I use their kit with the 2" longer shackels it will lift my CJ5 a total of 7.5"s. I'm planning on using their wrangler leaf spring kit and their OTT steering kit also. They said it would clear 37-38"s, I also plan on running some Poison Spider tube fenders with it. Also will use a swaybar with disconnects. Does anyone know where I can the rock crawler style tubes that go below the doors to keep the body from getting damaged. All the ones I can find are for 76 and newer.

I have been looking into Rocky Road Outfitters, due to the fact that I am looking for a SOA also. I have been reading some reviews on this company. I would suggest that you find some review on them, that and talk to them directly.

I do like how the product seem easy to install, that and it looks like it has been engineered so that you dont have to figure out the caster issues. You would have to get longer drive lines form what I read, that is the norm with a lift like that. I would not get the 2in shackles for the lift but that is just me.