1979 CJ5 lift advice?

jds97Wrangler

jds97Wrangler

Active Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Location
Mccleansville, NC
I sold my TJ and now I am waiting for my latest toy to be delivered friday.

I purchased a 79 CJ5 258 3 speed to build into a trail rig, it will also be driven on the road to and from the trails. It is solid no rust on the frame and the body is in excellent shape. But i bought it in pieces because the guy started rebuilding it then ran out of money. Should be alot of fun to reassemble since he has already purchase alot of new parts for it.

But on to my question I want to put a lift in it before I put the body back on and want maximum flex I can get. I know it is leaf and my TJ was coil so the odds of getting the flex I got with my TJ are slim.

I plan to put a small body lift in maybe 1-2 inches due to the fact I have to get all new body mount bushings any ways. I want to run 35x12.5 so what lift is needed and will work the best.

(Before any one says I am not interested in cutting the body up I want to get the clearance and flex with suspension)

I have seen a lot of guys keep the stock springs and do a SOA that sounded like a good idea until I looked into all the steering issues and axle wrap issues. It is still is an option if I can get sugestions about the these issues.

I have a set of 2 inch lift springs along with the stock that are coming with it but i don't beleive they will get it high enough to run the 35's I want to run, again I do not want to cut the body up. So I am looking at a 4" inch lift, I had a rough country lift in my TJ and loved it but I don't know how well RC leaf springs flex?

Any suggestions would be greatly apreciated!

I guess I should qualify the statement of not wanting to cut the body, I've never done it before and have no clue how to do it with out butchering it I hae never been real good at the teadious stuff. The jeep has two sets of fenders with it one stock and one set already cut flat so if someone lives close to Greensboro and wanted to make a few bucks i would be more flexable on the body cutting. Yes this is going to be a trail rig and a weekend play vehicle but I don't want it to look like shit either and thats what would happen if I tried cutting the body.
 
To clear 35's with no body mods, it will be 4" springs plus a 1" bodylift. Be sure to adjust the bumpstops to prevent too much up-travel. That CJ came with narrowtrack axles, with the proper wheels, the wheels should tuck up nicely inside the fenderwells, you might get away without a body lift. Since you're rebuildign this CJ, I would go a head and use a bodymount kit with the 1" built in.
 
75' Cj5 w/ 4" skyjacker springs. No body lift. Fits 34-10.5 LTB's. No rub, flex is good. Rancho 5000 shocks.

I think the 12.5 wide tires might rub on the front leaf springs at full lock.
You'll need some offset rims. I'm pretty happy with the Skyjacker leafs. If I did it over again I would have gotten the 2" lift leafs and a 1" body lift.
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Soa with stock Wrangler springs all around. It will take a little more work, but it would be worth it. As for steering, a dropped pitman arm will take care of the angles.
As for axle wrap, a simple anti-wrap bar will take care of it, if it becomes a big issue.

For stability on and off road, keep it as low as possible. This will mean cutting the body, but it is not hard to do. You can also go with tj flares front and rear to opn up the wheelwells a little.
 
My suggestion, and quite a serious one to save you MANY $$$$'s Sell that Jeep and buy on that's already lifted and all that work has already been done.

and this is speaking from experience!!! I have about $10K in my '78 CJ5 that is now lifted and such just as you speak of wanting to do. that includes purchase price of course. and right now I'm having a hell of a time to find someone to buy it for under $4K. It really makes my head spin to see these posts when I have almost exactly what you described sitting in my yard looking for a new home.

Hell I even have the Cage, Granny low T-18 4 spd, and the geared axles that you haven't even begun to consider in your list above.

seriously, sell it and buy mine or hell I don't care, someone elses that has already blown the money. Hell, I'll trade you, I could sell your CJ easier than I can sell mine right now anyway.

just my 2 cent.
 
mbaltbritton I thnk you missed the point I don't want buy a trail rig I want to build one, I want to have the pride of saying I built it. Almost all of us know you only get back about half what you invest when you put money in a 30 year old vehicle. (We aren't building Hemi challengers that do nothing but go up in value)

This isn't about being able to get my money back down the road becasue right now I have no plans of selling. This is about my 9 year old son and me being in the garage building a weekend toy and teaching him how to do it.

I knew when I purchased the thing it was going to be money pit so all I can do is look to people who have done it before and get advice how to do it as low cost as possible but still make it right.
 
"Uglyjeepoffroad"

You have me confused with your sugestion first you say go with a SOA which would lift it at least 6", then you say keep it as low as possible?

SOA is not an option it I am worried about keeping low but I do want as must ground clearance as I can safely get.
 
jds97Wrangler said:
You have me confused with your sugestion first you say go with a SOA which would lift it at least 6", then you say keep it as low as possible?
Click to expand...

Jason, it's a fine line between enough lift and not too much that will introduce problems like driveshaft angles (not hard for a rig that's barely longer than it is wide :D) or whack the COG out because of the narrow-trac width. I think what UJO was eluding to... SOA would be fine, just don't try to use "lift" springs and end up with 9" over stock.

jds97Wrangler said:
SOA is not an option it I am worried about keeping low but I do want as must ground clearance as I can safely get.
Click to expand...

While I wouldn't rule out SOA (his suggestion on the YJ leafs is legit with so many advantages), there are other ways to utilize wider leafs (more on-road stability) & keep the height down.

it sounds like you're planning some street miles also? If so, you might be better off trading off your drivetrain & starting with an FI engine & OD tranny... the BBD will cause you headaches (it's repair is definitely "tedious") and the 3 speed will have you redlining (unless you plan to stay under 50mph?)...

:beer:
 
Thanks dave I kinda figured thats what he meant.

As for the drive line I agree the 258 with 3 speed is not the best combination and will ultimatly need to be swapped out but for now I want to get the mechanics of the jeep sound and have it ready for April or May so I can trail it some this summer.

I have to take baby steps I want to get it trailable with lift tires and get the body sound so I can trail it some this year then next year i will swap out the 258 for either a 4.0 or maybe a small V8. I really like manual it is a whole lot more challenging to climb with so i want ot stay with the straight drive in what ever I do.
 
http://www.nc4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67260

the first two pics are SOA with add-a-leaves (about 7" of lift) with 35"s. I have trimmed quite a bit, and could still get the tires into the front fenders if i tried (no bumpstops). I think SOA with stock springs (yj or cj) makes for a pretty sloppy feeleing suspension myself. I know lots of people have done it and liked it, but not me. I think to run 35"s without cutting, you need 4" springs, 1" body lift, and lowered bumpstops. the TJ flares are a good idea, you can trim a little and cover it up with some good looking flares. You will be better off spending the $$$ on a CV rear driveshaft, and not lowering the t-case. but if you go over 4" you may still have to lower it some.
 
I've got 4'' springs on mine. Maybe 1/2'' shackle and no body lift w/ 35x12.50. I rubbed alot in the front so I trimmed alot. In the rear I didn't have to trim too much maybe a piece about the size of your hand on the back side of the wheel well. If your wanting it to look good maybe look into buying/building a set of tube fenders. As for the double cardian in the rear it's probably a good idea if your going to street it much although I haven't had any trouble out of my straight shaft on 26 degrees. I don't street mine much though.
 
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