Thinking about a 2.5” lift... questions

[Njtool]

I’m rebuilding a 1985 CJ7 . I’m taking it down to the frame and rebuilding everything. It’s an untouched Jeep from California so it’s going well so far. It has a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l that I am going to rebuild.

Now the questions; I need to buy springs, shocks etc. I have been thinking about a small lift. If I run 31” tires and get a 2.5” suspension lift, what else do I have to worry about? Drive shafts, steering components, etc. This will also be my daily driver.
What are your thoughts on this? Suggestions?

 

[gr8dain]

I have a 2.5 lift on my CJ8 . When I put it on, I had 31s as well. I did not need anything else. It all worked fine. I am now running 33s and I am about to put 4” springs on it. I may run into issues with that. But you should not have issues with the 2.5.

 

[Njtool]

What brand lift did you use? This will be my every day driver so I want as nice a ride as I can get.

Did you need longer drive shafts or anything else?

 

[gr8dain]

The springs are Rancho. They are not the smoothest, that is for sure. I drive on the pothole in DC everyday and feel every one of them.

And no, I did not need to change the driveshaft.

 

[Idahododgeram]

For reference I have a 4" Pro Comp lift on my CJ5 . I also did a rear axle swap and clocked my pinion to get a better driveline angle. After the lift my rear driveline was too short so I had a custom double cardan driveline made. With a 2 1/2" lift I think you will be fine.

On a side note, my Pro Comp lift is slowly getting more comfortable on the bumps. Still not plush but pretty good.

 

[jp360cj]

2.5" lift doesn't usually cause any issues with driveshafts/steering/etc.

As far as the ride, OME and BDS are supposed to be some of the best riding lifts. I think they both use 2.5" wide YJ style springs.

 

[Njtool]

Are the yj springs compatible with my cj? Or do I need to weld on new frame mounts? I’m pkanning on having the frame hot dipped galvanized so I would need to get everything welded before then.

That 4” lift looks great. What size tires are those?

 

[j6824]

2.5" lift doesn't usually cause any issues with driveshafts/steering/etc.

As far as the ride, OME and BDS are supposed to be some of the best riding lifts. I think they both use 2.5" wide YJ style springs.

BDS supplies their own springs which utilize stock hangers... I’ve got their 4” kit. I’m real happy with it...that said, it is stiff...but how much of that can be attributed to the 4” height (not to mention I added a rear leaf) I can’t say.

OME is supposed to be a better ride; however, it does use YJ springs, which means YJ mounts, too...which is why I opted for BDS.

 

[Torxhead]

I am pretty sure that with a 2.5" lift the kit does come with a wedge to rotate the pinion angle.

 

[jp360cj]

The rear YJ springs are a direct replacement for rear CJ springs. The front YJ springs are wider, but will work the the CJ mounts if you use conversion shackles. However, the front YJ springs are also longer than the front CJ springs, so you'll at least need to move the mounts to use YJ springs.

***I've never looked into them enough to know, but do you the OME kits use actual YJ springs, or a 2.5" wide spring that's CJ length?

 

[Njtool]

How much longer are the yj springs? Sounds like I will have to move the front rear shackle back to accommodate. I guess I will have to order the life kit and mount everything to see where the new perch has to go. Who sells good perches?

 

[Njtool]

There is a huge price difference between the bds and the emu 2.5” lifts! Is the price difference warranted?
What company sells good quality 2.5” spring perches?

 

[Torxhead]

I have heard about good results from both brands. There are a lot of web pages on adding the YJ spring to the front of a CJ:https://www.jeepfan.com/projects/old-man-emu-yj-springs-on-an-amc-era-cj/

 

[Idahododgeram]

You asked about my tires... I'm running 33-12.5-15 Cooper MT'S. They rub the front leaf's at full crank and just recently started rubbing my home made 2.5" exhaust at the back corner. I'll fix the exhaust and can live with the front.

I bought my spring perches from Ruff Stuff Specialties since I swapped in a Dana 44 out of a '73. Their work is stellar and I didn't think the price was too bad. The only thing that sucks was mounting the axle, tack welding the perches and then removing the axle to fully weld them. I could have welded them in place but I wanted to prime and paint everything before final assembly.

 

[Torxhead]

Preventing the tires from hitting the springs is as easy as extending the steering stops located on the knuckles. Although it might require installing a longer bolt. I use a standard grade 8 hex bolt.

 

[Njtool]

I’ve been looking for wider spring mounts for the front springs. I’m not finding much in that regard. I didn’t find Crabtree tool and die. They have 4 new hangars for the front springs for $320. Has anyone used them? Are there other options for weldable spring hangars? It seems everything I’m finding is for the front shackle.

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[hole]

I'm running OME and love it. Got everything in a kit from Rocky Road Outfitters. They have different spring rates, I chose heavy's because I load the out of my 8 for week long desert trips and still needed a second main spring added to handle it all. OME isnt cheap but it sure does ride nice.

 

[boney]

I'm running OME and love it. Got everything in a kit from Rocky Road Outfitters. They have different spring rates, I chose heavy's because I load the out of my 8 for week long desert trips and still needed a second main spring added to handle it all. OME isnt cheap but it sure does ride nice.

I installed an OME kit from Rocky-road at the beginning of summer. The kit has heavy duty rear hangers, front hangers, shackles, springs, shocks, longer brake lines, all the bolts and bushings, a 1" tranny drop, and skid-plate u-bolt brackets. It's a nice kit.

I wasn't going to use the Transmission drop kit but I was experiencing a little bit of driveline vibration with the old kit, and after installing the 1" drop and then new kit, (it just puts spacers between the frame a skid plate) the vibrations were gone. It took the spacers out and it was back. Once I get all the joints on the front end sorted I'm going to put some wedges on the back springs to clock the diff a bit and take the spacers off the Transmission mount, to gain back that crucial engine to firewall clearance you lose when tilting it back like that.

Also, I suspect that I'll need 4 degree wedges on the front springs once I get all the joints sorted. It was pretty dicey at highway speeds without that added castor.

Adding new U-bolts to the kit from Rocky-Road and it's still the best price you'll find on an OME kit but just be very aware: they build a run of kits and then wait until they'be had a few orders before they build more. Call them and ask them their lead time. It took 9 weeks to get my parts. It's a nice kit, so it was worth waiting for, so just know that going in.

I'm running 31x10.5 tires.

 

[hole]

The wait was longer than I liked, but was worth it in the end! Thats a good looking 7 you have

 

[R717]

I went with the OME yj springs on my 86. I have a friend that did the BDS YJ springs on his 85, which is setup identically. The ride is almost the same between the two, the BDS is 1" higher (it's a 3.5in, the OME is 2.5in). Fair disclaimer, I'm slightly over-shocked. I didn't do anything to my driveline and get a little vibration esp around 45mph. My friend had to go to a woods driveshaft. If i had to do it all over again I'd go w the BDS for the military wrap and little extra height. Crabtree shackle hangers and shackles are bulletproof.