Finally got her lifted yesterday....

TJVach

Observer
Hey what's up guys. After A LOT of research I finally lifted my '97 TJ yesterday! I weighed out all of my options and thought about all of my future plans and this seemed like the most reasonable and BEST option. I ended up putting in a OME kit but modified. This is what I got:

OME HD LJ Rear Coils
OME HD TJ Front Coils
OME Long Travel Shocks
OME Steering Stabilizer
JKS 1.25" Body Lift
JKS Front and Rear Adjustable Trackbars
JKS Quicker Disconnects

STOCK:
DriversSidePreLift-1.jpg


Lifted:
DriverSide-1.jpg

Front-2.jpg
 

hrjaw

Explorer
TJVach,
you are in my neck of the woods. I just moved to Cranston. and my 97 TJ is going through the same transformation as yours as we speak, plus gears and a few other things. Let me know how you like the ride and handling.
Roger:safari-rig:
 

TJVach

Observer
Yeah I did a JKS Motor Mount Lift, and I have no vibrations what so ever which is great! The ride and handling are pretty good. The LJ springs are definitely stiff, but that's what I wanted in the rear. It made a huge improvement over the stock suspension.
 

hrjaw

Explorer
when you did the bb and mml, what adjustments did you have to make to the radiator and/or the gas tank lines, if any? I went with the tc drop, but wonder if i should do the mml instead.
 

TJVach

Observer
Basically when you do the body lift and the motor mount lift it puts the motor back to a "stock" location in reference to the body so no adjustments had to be made to the radiator or fan shrouds. This is ONLY if you do both at the same time. If you only do the body lift then you have to trim your fan shroud or buy an additional relocation bracket for it. The fuel filler neck actually didn't have to be modified at all to. I got lucky.

I would really think about doing a MML instead of the t-case drop simply for the fact that you just spent a decent amount of money lifting your Jeep, and now you have to lower it back down again. It didn't make any sense to me. If you do decide to do the motor mount lift I would suggest getting new motor mounts. It would be a much easier install. The JKS spacers were a big pain in the rear to install. Granted the spacers are definitely cheaper, but it's up to you.

This actually was a DPG Offroad Ultimate kit that I bought (modified of course). This install actually wasn't that bad I broke a shock bolt, both the rear spring isolators, and 3 drill bits. All in all with me and my buddy it took us roughly 6 hours to complete. BUUUUUUTTTT that was with spraying all the nuts/bolts with PB Blaster every other day for 3 weeks prior to doing the install.
 
Last edited:

grahamfitter

Expedition Leader
Nicely done and perfect timing - I need to respring my Jeep too and I've been wondering which OME springs/shocks to get. Out of interest, why did you get the LJ springs?

Also how much do you think the motor needs to be lifted to achieve the same effect as a transfer case drop? I'm wondering if it would be possible to do a small amount of each to avoid mucking around with the fan and radiator while losing negligible clearance.

Cheers,
Graham
 

TJVach

Observer
I got the LJ springs to compensate for the additional weight that I have on my Jeep, ie. hardtop, rack, soon HD rear bumper, lots of tools, etc. They give a stiffer ride, but also give me less "sag" with the additional weight.

If you do a motor mount lift then depending on the height of your lift you might not even have to do the transfercase drop. I am HIGHLY against doing a t-case drop because you spent a ton of money on raising your Jeep and now you are going to lower a part of it again. It just doesn't make any sense to me. If you do get a motor mount lift and you have a body lift then you don't have to worry about the fan shroud and all the other issues that come with it. That is only if you also install a body lift. If you don't have a body lift then you are going to run into the problems of relocating/cutting shrouds and stuff like that, but some of the kits have relocation brackets that come with them to eliminate those problems.

I know that if I were to do it again I would just get new "lifted" motor mounts and not get spacers. That was the BIGGEST headache of the whole install. Putting in new motor mounts would have cut the time down by almost an hour. Just my opinion/experience.

Any other questions feel free to ask. That is exactly how I got to where I am and having NO regrets asking questions.
 
Last edited:

nwoods

Expedition Leader
Interesting set up. I'm considering getting another rig and looking at Jeeps. With so many available options, why did you choose the OME set up? What were the operational parameters that led you down that path?

I'm asking in a very uncritical voice. I'm just overwhelmed by all the options and mfr's that service the Jeep, so I could use some guidance.
 

hrjaw

Explorer
TJVach said:
I got the LJ springs to compensate for the additional weight that I have on my Jeep, ie. hardtop, rack, soon HD rear bumper, lots of tools, etc. They give a stiffer ride, but also give me less "sag" with the additional weight.

If you do a motor mount lift then depending on the height of your lift you might not even have to do the transfercase drop. I am HIGHLY against doing a t-case drop because you spent a ton of money on raising your Jeep and now you are going to lower a part of it again. It just doesn't make any sense to me. If you do get a motor mount lift and you have a body lift then you don't have to worry about the fan shroud and all the other issues that come with it. That is only if you also install a body lift. If you don't have a body lift then you are going to run into the problems of relocating/cutting shrouds and stuff like that, but some of the kits have relocation brackets that come with them to eliminate those problems.

I know that if I were to do it again I would just get new "lifted" motor mounts and not get spacers. That was the BIGGEST headache of the whole install. Putting in new motor mounts would have cut the time down by almost an hour. Just my opinion/experience.

Any other questions feel free to ask. That is exactly how I got to where I am and having NO regrets asking questions.


thanks Kyle. I am looking forward to getting the jeep back this week and see how it handles.
 

TJVach

Observer
Hey where did you bring your Jeep to get everything done? ie gears etc. Now that I am driving this thing it is a MAJOR dog and I'm already looking at gear/axle replacements.
 

hrjaw

Explorer
TJVach said:
Hey where did you bring your Jeep to get everything done? ie gears etc. Now that I am driving this thing it is a MAJOR dog and I'm already looking at gear/axle replacements.


His name is Jime (long I, do not pronounce the e) and he is over in seekonk by the police station (820 Taunton Avenue). really really good work and very very reasonable. he does a lot of street/strip cars, but he really knows his way around gears. he has a small hole in the wall shop and is honestly one of the nicest and most honest guys I have ever met. you can reach him at
401-465-3112. Let him know Roger sent you. (he actually has my wrangler as we speak).
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,538
Messages
2,875,653
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top