lift height for ZJ questions

98zjstroker

98zjstroker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2009
Location
concord nc
Now that the Zj is running its time to start looking at lifts. So I currently have a 2.25 BB with skyjacker shocks and RC front X-flex adjustable upper and lower control arms good for 2-6 inches of lift. My original plan was to with a pair of 3.5" lift front springs and move the front to the rear. Over the years the BB pucks are sitting at just over 2". So in total I would be looking at 5.5" give or take. After doing some looking on the different forums some have mentioned that anything over 4-4.5 on a grand Cherokee is not worth it. Most common complaint was the amount of work to the suspension including longer driveshafts (which I thought was honestly something you should do for any lift over 3.5 inches).

Other things I was going to get with the springs were new shocks for 5.5" of lift (obviously) front and rear track bars, a transfer case drop kit (just until a get an SYE and new driveshaft), and sway bar links to start off. After I get all those on I was going to start looking at the adjustable rear control arms, and eventually draglink/tie rod set-up, new gears, possible lockers, and strengthen the weak ass axels I have.

My goal for the jeep isn't some monster rock crawler. I love the thought and idea of it but if I'm honest with myself its not really my thing and I won't use it enough for that to justify the price tag, time, and effort when going to the long arm kit, better axles, and so on. It won't be a mall crawler either. I'm originally from the west coast where we did a lot of sand dune, and dessert stuff. Mostly mild things. I wont be abusing this thing like crazy. Mostly camping, driving to work during bad weather conditions ice/snow, and mild off road stuff.

Lift wise I wanted to go with the 5.5 for two reasons. Wanting to get 35s under it without going nuts on the fender trimming. Already removed front and rear bumpers and end goal would be to eventually move both axles in a more centered position under the wheel well when I move on to upgrade the driveshafts. I don't mind some trimming just not looking to go nuts. The second reason is more of a short term price thing. It will be a lot cheaper right now to just get 3.5 front springs. can always take the BB out and throw in a full set of better quality springs later.

before anyone says anything I know 35s are at the top end of pushing it on the dana 35/30 setup. And that I will have to strengthen the axels and get better gearing. Figured I would start with 33s until I am ready for that project. This is more of a long term build the next 1-2 years. I mean its taken me this long already.

Just wanting your guys opinions on what I am wanting to do with this build. Or other ideas you might have for me. Sorry for the long post but wanted to be as detailed as possible so my vision for this build was clear. And as always thanks for your help and input.
 
skyhighZJ said:
ZJ 4.5" ROCK-LINK PRO Long Arm Lift Kit - Iron Rock Off Road

Buy once cry once. This lift kit will transform your ZJ into a phenomenally capable rig while maintaining great road manners.
Click to expand...

As much as I would love to. The $3000 price tag after shocks right out of the gate is to much for me to justify. No doubt It would be awesome but I would still need to get driveshafts, sye, gears, and so on. So another 2 grand. Now if I was going to rock crawl like a champ and abuse the ever loving heck out of my jeep I would say it's worth it. But I don't feel I would ever push it to that limit.
 
Understandable, but from experience, do not mis match lift components make sure they are going to compliment each other. And try everything to go Long Arm with 35’s. Shirt arms are cool and have their place but IMHO 35” tires are the break over point to needing long arms however I know others on here will disagree.
 
skyhighZJ said:
Understandable, but from experience, do not mis match lift components make sure they are going to compliment each other. And try everything to go Long Arm with 35’s. Shirt arms are cool and have their place but IMHO 35” tires are the break over point to needing long arms however I know others on here will disagree.
Click to expand...

Miss match as in how? Like brands?
 
Not so much brand but I see a lot of people stack spacers on top of lift springs to get extra lift and then they are maxing our the angles of LCA/UCA or track bars etc. Take your time and buy components that compliment each other so it works to its optimum. Especially with the jeep style suspension it can cause poor handling and off road performance of the geometry isn’t kept in spec.
 
So @skyhighZJ hit all the points.

35s on a ZJ is not a simple nor cheap task. Short arms on a ZJ suck with anything more than the lift you have. ZJs are also not cheap to lift. Personally I went with Clayton’s long arm system on my ZJs but that was mainly because they were the first and only ones in the ZJ game when I did mine

No one wants to hear this but save your pennies and go with the advice above.
 
I'm running 4" xj springs and a front to rear swap. Factory otherwise. Works fine and does what I ask it to.

That said, its ok at best. I'm sure I could do better, but it accomplishes what I need.
 
EAA98DBB-4FFB-4B84-BF8C-DB692B1072E8.jpeg

This was mine waaaaaaay back in the day, I had Andy at the Carolina rock shop build it, mainly because my knowledge was minimal and I lacked most tools....anyways, I had 4.5” springs with 2” pucks on top, and 8 adjustable short arms (all maxed out to their ability if I remember correctly) had swapped a 8.8 from a FSB and was running 4.56 gears. No SYE, factory driveshafts, D30 up front and I believe those were 285’s I was running. It did fine for what I used it for which was mostly commuting back and forth to work, the occasional mud hole and then mild things like what’s pictured....oh and front and rear adjustable trac bars as well
 
93redzj said:
This was mine waaaaaaay back in the day, I had Andy at the Carolina rock shop build it, mainly because my knowledge was minimal and I lacked most tools....anyways, I had 4.5” springs with 2” pucks on top, and 8 adjustable short arms (all maxed out to their ability if I remember correctly) had swapped a 8.8 from a FSB and was running 4.56 gears. No SYE, factory driveshafts, D30 up front and I believe those were 285’s I was running. It did fine for what I used it for which was mostly commuting back and forth to work, the occasional mud hole and then mild things like what’s pictured....oh and front and rear adjustable trac bars as well
Click to expand...

I feel like your build is very similar if not the same as to the goals that I am looking for in my build. Thanks for the insight!

With your setup do you feel like you could have fit bigger tires under you rig with slight trimming? if so how big would you estimate you could have gone? 285s I believe are about 32s and have seen many ZJs with 3.5-4.5 of lift fit 33s.
 
skyhighZJ said:
Not so much brand but I see a lot of people stack spacers on top of lift springs to get extra lift and then they are maxing our the angles of LCA/UCA or track bars etc. Take your time and buy components that compliment each other so it works to its optimum. Especially with the jeep style suspension it can cause poor handling and off road performance of the geometry isn’t kept in spec.
Click to expand...

LCA/UCA? sorry noobish question I'm sure.
 
84jimmy said:
I feel like your build is very similar if not the same as to the goals that I am looking for in my build. Thanks for the insight!

With your setup do you feel like you could have fit bigger tires under you rig with slight trimming? if so how big would you estimate you could have gone? 285s I believe are about 32s and have seen many ZJs with 3.5-4.5 of lift fit 33s.
Click to expand...
Maybe been able to go larger with some trimming, but I liked the stance it had the way it was and never trimmed anything. I did have the front and rear bumper covers removed though.....UCA/LCA=upper and lower control arm
 
45031E42-886E-424B-AE69-E12C6ABFCA79.jpeg


This was a 94 I had not too long ago as well, this was 4.5” lift with front adjustable trac bar, adjustable lower control arms front and rear, and maybe a trac bar bracket on the rear, can’t really remember. But those are 33x12.5x15 on it....this one only ever seen pavement before I unloaded it unfortunately
 
Here's the thing. 35s on a ZJ will take up a lot of fender space. Enough that you need extra lift height to clear them unless you're willing to hack them.
For 35s, uncut fenders, you will need at least 5.5". At that height in order to get a reasonable decent ride quality, you need long arms. You simply won't get a good ride with short arms at that height.
There is also the case of buy once, cry once. Sure you can spend $600 on a Rough Country lift just to get those big ol' tires under it. But once you realize you should have went with long arms to start, that $600 is wasted.
For 35s on a ZJ, you need a quality long arm kit, good shocks, front and rear adjustable track bars, drop pitman arm and SYE at a minimum.
Of course if you are willing to deal with vibes, poor handling and ride, then rock on with short arms maxed out.
 
BigClay said:
35s on a ZJ is not a simple nor cheap task. Short arms on a ZJ suck with anything more than the lift you have. ZJs are also not cheap to lift. Personally I went with Clayton’s long arm system on my ZJs but that was mainly because they were the first and only ones in the ZJ game when I did mine

No one wants to hear this but save your pennies and go with the advice above.
Click to expand...

I agree that 35s are going to be a hard task, and not cheap. I would also love a long arm kit, but I dont honestly feel I will ever use it to its full potential for what I am wanting. The kit @skyhighZJ recommended would come out to $2810 after shipping and doesn't include sye, driveshafts, gears, lockers, or trusses. It also requires a huge price tag up front for more of a long term build.

What I am looking at build and price wise;

Core 4X4s Front and rear track bar and bracket - 400 shipped
Iron Rock trail taimer shocks (same as long arm kit) - 170
Iron Rock 3.5 springs - 130
Iron ROck tranfer case drop - 40
Iron Rock shipping - 50

Total to start off - $790

Later build parts

Rough Country rear X-flex control arms - 360
SYE for 242j with tom woods driveshaft rear and front drive shaft - 1230 shipped

Total - $1590

Last but not least

front and rear gears (either 4.11 or 4.56) - 600
Aussie front and rear lockers (d30/d35) - 600
front and rear truss - 300

Total - $1500

So complete suspension build price over 2 years - $3880. $1150 to lift compared to $2810. If I were to do the long arm and the rest of the build would be $5540. Saving a little under 2 grand. Now if i felt I would use the long arm to its potential I would say its worth the extra money. but since I wont I cant justify that extra money that can be applied to my other two projects.
 
Jody Treadway said:
Here's the thing. 35s on a ZJ will take up a lot of fender space. Enough that you need extra lift height to clear them unless you're willing to hack them.
For 35s, uncut fenders, you will need at least 5.5". At that height in order to get a reasonable decent ride quality, you need long arms. You simply won't get a good ride with short arms at that height.
There is also the case of buy once, cry once. Sure you can spend $600 on a Rough Country lift just to get those big ol' tires under it. But once you realize you should have went with long arms to start, that $600 is wasted.
For 35s on a ZJ, you need a quality long arm kit, good shocks, front and rear adjustable track bars, drop pitman arm and SYE at a minimum.
Of course if you are willing to deal with vibes, poor handling and ride, then rock on with short arms maxed out.
Click to expand...

The lift I was looking at doing would be right at 5.5" and am willing to do some trimming just not wanting to hack the ever loving heck out of it.
 
Question:
Do you ever put you family in this thing?
If the answer is yes and you put this vehicle on the road be prepared for emergency maneuvers to have bad results. Short arms compromise handling (and I’m not just saying it will ride rough). The vehicles suspension geometry will not be where it needs to be and it will react poorly in evasive maneuvers if ever needed.

take your time and put it together. You can buy long arm “upgrade” kits as well so you can get it in pieces.
End of the day I wouldn’t go above 33” on short arms and feel comfortable having it on the road at speed.

also, don’t even put any of your $$ in a D35. Just don’t. Spend the money on a bracket kit for an 8.8 and be done. You will be money ahead in the long run.
 
skyhighZJ said:
also, don’t even put any of your $$ in a D35. Just don’t. Spend the money on a bracket kit for an 8.8 and be done. You will be money ahead in the long run.
Click to expand...

Why not the d35? I know a lot of people dont like em and they are the weakest of all the dana's in its stock form. I did some research on them and there are a good amount of people who I found running them with trusses for strengthen and seem to be satisfied with the performance. I would love to go down the 1 ton option but price and overkill is the reason why I am not. I have been cutting out the "dream" build I would like recently and going with a more realistic and less extreme build.

With the ford 8.8 I would need to find someone to weld the brackets right? (since as of now I don't know how and don't feel like trying to learn on my rear end). Also I assume I would have to swap out the hubs from my d35 to it? Is there anything else needed?
 
Jody Treadway said:
Run 33s. It'll be way cheaper.
What do I know? My wife's DD I built is a 98 ZJ with 3.5" lift on short arms and 32s (soon ot be 33s).
35s are the gateway drug to fender cutting and added build expense.
Click to expand...

but those extra 2 inches might finally impress my ex gfs! haha. the 33s are a definite possibility. Once I get the lift part done it will be easier for my to visualize the realistic concept of trying to do 35s.
 
For all Dana 35 information, please refer to this thread.

The Dana 35 thread

Long answer above in the thread. Short Answer is don't polish a turd.

I'd skip the D35 and find a 8.8. There are many members on here that could easily weld the brackets on that are close to you. You could also find an 8.8 with proper gearing and that would offset your gearing cost(just would have to do the front). Hubs would be the same. The only thing else you might need is the adapter for the driveshaft to bolt to the pinion. I found mine at a junkyard for $5.
 
As far as the D35, I broke mine...reversing out of my driveway...on stock tires. In my ZJ I never touched the D35 (except replacing the above so I could continue to DD it), I accumulated parts for what I wanted and it took time. Then I sold that 35 for $100 if I remember right to someone that only wanted the gear set essentially
 
are all of the ford 8.8s the same? just looking on craigslist and saw one from a police car and another from a fairlane. Do I need to find one that goes to a specific vehicle? Is the length the same as my d35? I assume I will have to cut and grind all of the brackets that are on it before I take it somewhere to have it welded.

Sorry for all the questions but like to get ahead on the info before I start going down that road.
 
Look for an exploder 8.8 w/ discs. Should be able to find a 4.10 fairly easy for a couple hundos. Check out this link for years and tag codes.

Ford Ranger Rear Axles (1983-2011) – The Ranger Station

the adapter you will need to adapt your 1310 ujoint to the ford flange is this one.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...YDrP2fGdR_prapc2tflVRdHnknPvqaTAaAtGSEALw_wcB

If you get a disc brake rear you can adapt the brake cables to your jeep super easy.
Pull the plunger out of your factory proportioning valve and brakes a good to go.
Lug pattern is the same however the axle is about 3/4” narrower than the d35 so either run it or get a small spacer.

I have 8.8 swapped 3 ZJ’s and a handful of wranglers for friends ( I refuse to own a wrangler) it’s not hard and well worth the investment. Gear and “traction device” support is YUGE!
 
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