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Ok got the 33's today. Looking at the Super Comp 4" kit with brake lines and pittman arm. Was looking also considering a 2.5 inch and a one inch shackle. I didn't want to go too high and replacing shackles anyways. Anyone else done this? Results? Or just go with the 4 inch?
I fat fingered my phone and this wound up in the wrong section. Can a moderator move me to the suspension section?
Ok I need some help on exactly what I'm going to need for a 4inch lift. Kit I'm looking at now is a Trail Master 4" lift and includes brake hoses, pittman arm shocks, springs bushings and shims. The guy was concerned that I would need a SYE to help the rear pinion angle and drive shaft. Ok, I know there are CJ7 owners here with 4" lifts, did you need the same thing or was it ok stock? If not what did you have to do. I'm new to lift kits, so any pointers would be great!
I have a 4" Superlift and did a Pitman arm. Running 33x12.50x15. It is tight but no rubbing even at full flex.
Everything else I needed was included in the kit. Do some research on SYE that is only on new Jeeps I think.
It has been on my rig for 12 years, wheeled pretty hard too and has held up great. Flex is what you would expect from a CJ as time went on it got better.
I am restoring the Jeep now but keeping the suspension still... over budget so no reason...
I did swap out the shocks for Bilstein because it rides like a buckboard wagon.
I have a 4" Superlift and did a Pitman arm. Running 33x12.50x15. It is tight but no rubbing even at full flex.
Everything else I needed was included in the kit. Do some research on SYE that is only on new Jeeps I think.
It has been on my rig for 12 years, wheeled pretty hard too and has held up great. Flex is what you would expect from a CJ as time went on it got better.
I am restoring the Jeep now but keeping the suspension still... over budget so no reason...
I did swap out the shocks for Bilstein because it rides like a buckboard wagon.
'85 CJ-7, 258/4.2L 6cyl. Bought new in 1985. Full cage, Warn 8274 winch, Ford 9" rear, front/rear Detroit Lockers w/4:88 R&P. T-5 tranny and 4:1 t'case. 33X12.50-15 BFG/AT, MSD ign, on board air---
I have yet to lay my eyes on a 3" kit anywhere. I wouldn't mind just having a 3" lift period. But everything I've seen says you need a 4" with 33" tires. But ok. That's an option.
'85 CJ-7, 258/4.2L 6cyl. Bought new in 1985. Full cage, Warn 8274 winch, Ford 9" rear, front/rear Detroit Lockers w/4:88 R&P. T-5 tranny and 4:1 t'case. 33X12.50-15 BFG/AT, MSD ign, on board air---
I went the old-school route on mine.
I re-arched my OEM springs, along with 'add-a-leaf' spring and longer shackles.
Still going strong all these yrs later.
Just did a 'net' search. You're 'rite' about the 4" spring deal.
LG
I went the old-school route on mine.
I re-arched my OEM springs, along with 'add-a-leaf' spring and longer shackles.
Still going strong all these yrs later.
Just did a 'net' search. You're 'rite' about the 4" spring deal.
LG
I think you can run 33's with a 3 inch lift. It just won't be to good come the first off camber rock obstacle. When shopping for a jeep, I seen a guy with a 79 CJ7 with 35's tucked under the fender wells. It had some lift to it but wasn't a 4" for sure. It was the first thing that jumped out at me. The first decent rock and the tire is up into the fender.
When I worked at a dealer, we sent a few trucks down to the spring shop for a re-arch. Guy I knew had a 3/4 ton chevy and thats how he lifted his. New shocks and rearched the springs. Worked good. The springs on the jeep are pretty sad though. Bushings are done. Looking straight on you can see the shackles slanting just a little from the worn out bushings. Those will be done with the lift.
jafo, the '80 CJ7 I have with a AMC 304 has 35's and a hi-arch spring set. It is well off th ground and the tires don't even come close to the frame at full steering.
Could you send me a picture of a rock, please? I don't believe we grow those here in Southern Mississippi.
jafo, the '80 CJ7 I have with a AMC 304 has 35's and a hi-arch spring set. It is well off th ground and the tires don't even come close to the frame at full steering.
Could you send me a picture of a rock, please? I don't believe we grow those here in Southern Mississippi.
I did the YJ Spring conversion up front and bought the OME heavy springs for all four corners. I have no regrets they ride good and gave me more like a 3 inch lift. They are advertised as a 2.5 lift though. I will be putting on 33x10.50 as soon as I regear this month. However I may have to do a 1 inch body and or use a one inch longer shackle.
IMO do a spring lift. A 1" body lift might not look terrible but anything more and you can see the giant blocks separating the body and the frame. Look at the Rubicon Express 4" lifts if you can swing it. They are more $$ but have good reviews.
'85 CJ-7, 258/4.2L 6cyl. Bought new in 1985. Full cage, Warn 8274 winch, Ford 9" rear, front/rear Detroit Lockers w/4:88 R&P. T-5 tranny and 4:1 t'case. 33X12.50-15 BFG/AT, MSD ign, on board air---
I've settled on a Trail Master 4" lift kit. I am also getting the Rugged Ridge heavy duty drag link / tie rod kit. Then a new set of shackles front and rear. I'm also going to order the Moser one piece axle kit some time later this week. I'm also looking at upgrading the front and rear drive shafts as well down the road.
The YJ conversion did interest me. But I'll go this route for now. If I get into this again or get another CJ7 , I might pull the trigger on doing a YJ spring install.
I was watching a video today on shackle reversal kits. Is this only for the front shackles? Just curious.
1979 Jeep CJ7 TH400 Automatic 258 I6 Quadratrac Amc 20 rear & Dana 30 front, 32 x 11.5 x 15 tires. Currently a Complete Custom Rebuild in progress.
Also I own a 2001 Jeep Cherokee, White, all stock with 4.0L. automatic, and police package. Best part of that is it came with leather seats! This package also has the NP242 Transfer Case, 8.25 rear end, and trailer towing package.
I've settled on a Trail Master 4" lift kit. I am also getting the Rugged Ridge heavy duty drag link / tie rod kit. Then a new set of shackles front and rear. I'm also going to order the Moser one piece axle kit some time later this week. I'm also looking at upgrading the front and rear drive shafts as well down the road.
The YJ conversion did interest me. But I'll go this route for now. If I get into this again or get another CJ7 , I might pull the trigger on doing a YJ spring install.
I was watching a video today on shackle reversal kits. Is this only for the front shackles? Just curious.
I bought the same lift kit last year during a big sale and paid half the price. It came with everything which I really liked. It does however have aluminum wedges / shims. Best to get steel. Be sure to measure your caster angle for the front and adjust to get the right amount. This is very important for good steering. I have a CJ7 with an auto, so this put a very big angle on the rear diff even with a shim. I opted to go with a double cardian joint. My shackles were original, so they had to be replaced. They were bad rusted. I'm surprised they didn't break prior to replacement. You can see all of this in my build thread (1st one). I haven't had my Jeep on the road yet to be able to talk about the ride, and my rebuild plans have changed since then. By lengthening my wheel base the effects on the springs will be different from everybody else's. Expect the ride to be rough. This may change some as the springs get a little wear in them. Make sure you replace all of the bushings when you do this. A good shackle kit will come with them. Also don't forget the shackle hangers that tie into the frame. OEM would then be a weak point in your system. Make sure you have some extra lithium lube for the poly bushings, and like LG said you'll need different bump stops most likely. Flexing the suspension after install will give you a better idea of what length of bump stop you'll need. It will also show if your going to have any tire rub before you take the Jeep out on the trail.
Adding a lift kit involves a lot more than just throwing some new parts at your Jeep. I would read some of the posts on steering. It will give you an idea of what your up against when you change the entire geometry of you suspension with a large lift kit.
There are pros and cons to a reverse shackle setup. And yes this is mainly done on the front axle. I would advise against it to start with. You are changing a lot of stuff all at one time. Any problems you encounter will be multiplied by the number of different than OEM stuff you do. Just make sure your shackles flex in the correct direction. Take your time and make sure you get everything on correctly. If you don't have a way to measure the caster angle get one.
I bought the same lift kit last year during a big sale and paid half the price. It came with everything which I really liked. It does however have aluminum wedges / shims. Best to get steel. Be sure to measure your caster angle for the front and adjust to get the right amount. This is very important for good steering. I have a CJ7 with an auto, so this put a very big angle on the rear diff even with a shim. I opted to go with a double cardian joint. My shackles were original, so they had to be replaced. They were bad rusted. I'm surprised they didn't break prior to replacement. You can see all of this in my build thread (1st one). I haven't had my Jeep on the road yet to be able to talk about the ride, and my rebuild plans have changed since then. By lengthening my wheel base the effects on the springs will be different from everybody else's. Expect the ride to be rough. This may change some as the springs get a little wear in them. Make sure you replace all of the bushings when you do this. A good shackle kit will come with them. Also don't forget the shackle hangers that tie into the frame. OEM would then be a weak point in your system. Make sure you have some extra lithium lube for the poly bushings, and like LG said you'll need different bump stops most likely. Flexing the suspension after install will give you a better idea of what length of bump stop you'll need. It will also show if your going to have any tire rub before you take the Jeep out on the trail.
Adding a lift kit involves a lot more than just throwing some new parts at your Jeep. I would read some of the posts on steering. It will give you an idea of what your up against when you change the entire geometry of you suspension with a large lift kit.
There are pros and cons to a reverse shackle setup. And yes this is mainly done on the front axle. I would advise against it to start with. You are changing a lot of stuff all at one time. Any problems you encounter will be multiplied by the number of different than OEM stuff you do. Just make sure your shackles flex in the correct direction. Take your time and make sure you get everything on correctly. If you don't have a way to measure the caster angle get one.
Just as a heads up, you will need the correct bushings to use with aftermarket shackles. Most likely the OEM one's will not work. They didn't on my ConFerr shackles. But I used all poly stuff from EnergySuspension.
On a side note: The guys that do BDS springs used to work at Trail Master. I've got the BDS 2.5" lift kid on my CJ5 . Can't beat the 'No BS' warranty. And since they were not far from my house, I pretty much 'picked it up at the factory'....
