Lifting a stock Wrangler - Questions ????

[Brian McVickers]

Hi,
So my stepfather has a 1997 Jeep Wrangler with stock suspension, drivetrain, wheels and tires. He has a few basic mods including a nice 9Klb Warn winch, some aux Hella 500 lights and a rear cargo rack to carry a couple of jerry cans.

After a few Colorado trails last week he is convinced that he needs to do a lift. I think I agree since he got pretty beat up bottoming out on several minor obstacles and we think he also blew both rear shocks that are 60K miles old and OEM.

Can anyone offer some advice and suggestions on lift kits, brands and products to consider?

What he wants:
3" lift, 33" tires and ARB air lockers front and back. The lift will be first, tires second and the lockers a far third in priority of budget, I think.

What he needs: Additional clearance so that he doesn't get beat up on easy to moderate trails. He is not rock crawling or intentionally trying to test his vehicle. He is primarily into scenic mountain passes but he wants to be able to deal with most of the obstacles he may encounter and keep on exploring.
Comfort is also a priority, nothing that will make the vehicle ride rough or rigid.
Load capacity is not a big concern, he is towing the Jeep behind an RV and using it for day trips to carry himself, my mom and thier dog along with spare tire, two jerry cans, recovery gear and maybe some supplies for the day.

Thanks for the help,
Brian

[articulate]

If I may: tried-n-true Old Man Emu on a TJ (97-06 Wrangler) fits a modest budget and meets the requirements above. Call it done.

[BIGdaddy]

a jeep Tj on 31's with a 1-2 inch lift can do the rubicon. no need for 33's...

here's a great way to build his truck:

-2" coil spacers-$15-20.00 per corner
-longer shocks or shock relocation brackets and new stock length shocks-$??.00
-31" tall tires
(the 2"coil spacer lift can be done first to get the 31" on, and the rest can be done later, if he so wishes.)

-1" brown dog motor mount lift -$80.00
-1"-1.25" JKS body lift $100.00

(these should be done together)


-Belly-up skid plate $300-400.00
-lower control arm guards $30-40.00
-engine pan skid $150.00


this route will keep his center of gravity low, and probably will not require that he regears, which
he will need to do with 33's. (at which point you would want to do the ARB's at the same time.)

[Mayne]

a jeep Tj on 31's with a 1-2 inch lift can do the rubicon. no need for 33's...

here's a great way to build his truck:

-2" coil spacers-$15-20.00 per corner
-longer shocks or shock relocation brackets and new stock length shocks-$??.00
-31" tall tires
(the 2"coil spacer lift can be done first to get the 31" on, and the rest can be done later, if he so wishes.)

-1" brown dog motor mount lift -$80.00
-1"-1.25" JKS body lift $100.00

(these should be done together)



-Belly-up skid plate $300-400.00
-lower control arm guards $30-40.00
-engine pan skid $150.00


this route will keep his center of gravity low, and probably will not require that he regears, which
he will need to do with 33's. (at which point you would want to do the ARB's at the same time.)

Although I agree with the price of a puck lift, I've heard with a TJ of the '97 vintage, it's probably better to replace the springs. The coils tend to sag after many years. My 05 carries a good amount of weight with bumpers, racks, hand top, winch, and the stock bouncy bits need help already.


Mayne

[BIGdaddy]

Although I agree with the price of a puck lift, I've heard with a TJ of the '97 vintage, it's probably better to replace the springs. The coils tend to sag after many years. My 05 carries a good amount of weight with bumpers, racks, hand top, winch, and the stock bouncy bits need help already.


Mayne

groovy, just go for the OME in that case...you're gonna need to drop about 700-800.00, though.

quite a bit different than 70 or 80 for the pucks...

OR

he could find some wrangler rubicon springs in a junk yard that give about 1-1.5" over stock...thats a low buck way to go.

[kjp98TJ]

i too would lean toward a full lift kit. can't miss with OME. BDS has good springs also, and a good warranty in my dealings. to go along with the bottoming out, a good high clearance skid would be a good choice. course that bumps up the price quite a bit, with the req'd SYE, new driveshaft, new adj uppers and new adj rear track bar.....

[Brian McVickers]

Thanks everyone, all good suggestions.

I know he does not want to go through the expense of regearing so maybe the tire size needs to be reconsidered. In addition he will probably have a shop do the install.

I'll probably recommend to him to go with the OME spring and shock kit and be done. He'll probably only be on trails to really appreciate the additoinal mods about two weeks of every year, other than that its basic fire roads.

Thanks again,
Brian

[TJVach]

I'd like to chime in just to ask you a couple of questions. If he doesn't want to regear then he probably has 3.07 gears. If he wants to go to 33's then he is going to lose 5th gear & the ability to crawl (control) over obstacles. I know that you said he doesn't want to do any extreme rock crawling but 33's and 3.07's stink. This is what I have right now and I am saving up for a regear shortly.

If he is going to be doing mountain passes and fire roads then 31's should fit the bill because then he won't get caught up in the snowballing effect.

An Old Man Emu (OME) kit is absolutely perfect (in my opinion) for this type of vehicle. One thing to do is to determine the ending weight of the truck. There are many different spring rates/options for a TJ (including LJ and ZJ springs for additional weight capacities) with the OME springs. I purchased my kit from DPGOffroad and a gentleman by the name of Dirk was one of the biggest helps in choosing the correct springs for my truck and I think he could do just as an outstanding job helping you out, even if you don't purchase from him he will be able to help you with the different spring options.

With only 31's you might not need a body lift and might be able to get by with no Motor Mount Lift as long as he doesn't have vibrations due to the rear driveline angle. Hopefully this helps you out somewhat.

[Nullifier]

I have installed several rubicon express lift both short and long arm. The full short arm kit with replacement arms is a sick little kit and puts up great flex numbers for a short arm kit. You could go with the ome springs and shocks and then the rest of the rubicon express lift for maximum performance. You can fit 33x10.50 no issue so 255/85 should fit as well. If I was building a mix use rig (d.d and trail) this is what I would do

[WFTW]

1. Join a Jeep club.
2. If they're nice guys, I'm betting they wouldn't have an issue helping with the install of the lift.

This would save you about $800 to $1000 (which can be put towards parts) as well as be a learning experience...not to mention a great way to meet fellow wheelers.