Lift install help

93redzj

93redzj

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Location
Albemarle
Ive began a front to rear swap on my ZJ Grand Cherokee, which is where I put 3" lift coils in the front and put the stock front springs in the rear for 3-3.5" of lift, the problem is I cant get the front springs to fit in the back. Ive disconnected the sway bar and shock to get full axle droop and theres still not enough room to get the spring up in there. Are there any other ways to get the spring up in there?
 
Well the stock front springs are free, and wouldnt it be equally as challenging to get 3" lift springs for the rear in? I guess I could buy spring compressors, ive rented one from advanced auto but the one they have is crappy, its only one compressor tool and is desinged to go inside the coil :confused:
 
Did you disconnect the trac bar?

Also, with 3" lift, you are gonna want to get a longer trac bar, otherwise the axle sits off-center, and can feel like it's doing a side step when you hit bumps at speed.

I know this is a common "cheap" way to lift a zj, but to do it right, the only thing you save money on is the cost of rear springs.

Also be SURE that all of the steering is tight along with front trac bar. DW is a bitch
 
Havent disconnected the trac bar, also havent had any issues with DW either, I havent had any issues with my jeep driving any different since its been lifted either.
 
I have a set of compressors I picked up at Harbor Freight...they've worked great the couple times I needed them (including one install on a Grand)...

it's a pair that attaches to the outside of the spring...


btw...3" rear lift springs may actually be easier to get in...they may be a similar height to the stock ones, just stiffer...not guaranteed, as they actually may be harder to get in...

Greg
 
Yeah I was wandering about he height difference between the two myself, the 3" coils for the front were only like an 1" difference but they are stiffer providing the lift, but when I compared the stock rear coils to the stock front coils, it was like a 3" difference between the two
 
theres nothing wrong with using stock front coils in the rear of ZJ's. I've had good luck popping off the LCA of the side I'm working on while jacking up on the other side of the axle. You shouldn't really have to take off the trackbar but it probably couldn't hurt.
 
when i lifted my zj. i had WAY more than enough droop on the rear, it was the front that gave me trouble. A pry bar and possibly unsafe leveraging of the spring got 'em in there
 
The front gave me some trouble but I managed to get those springs in, the rear is just killing me though, I even tried pushing down on the top of the rotor to get more droop, it went down a little more but not near enough to get the spring in, I would like to refrain from unbolting any control arms, I think I will try the spring compressor thing one more time before resulting into messing with the control arms. Oh and I tried the unsafe levering of the spring as well, didnt turn out to well, ended up with a pretty nice size bruise on my knee.
 
We put a 3" kit on my buddy's WJ, and while it was on the lift, we used a tranny jack under the spring bucket to force the axle to articulate, and while it was flexed, we swapped the springs on the opposite side.

Just be careful that you don't inadvertantly lift the Jeep off the lift/jackstands while you're jacking the axle up.
 
yeah, remove the rear shocks and jack stand the jeep on the unibody near the control arm mounts, then put a floor jack under the opposite side of the axle your trying to get the spring in, it will force the axle down and allow you to slide the spring in... Ive done a bunch of KJ and WJ lifts like that.. no worries!
 
bigwaylon said:
or, better yet, actually put rear 3" lift springs in the rear?
Greg
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Greg, this is a common swap for the ZJ owners, it acutally works well as the stock front springs usually give more flex then then any rear lift spring you could buy.
 
I tried jacking up the opposite side of jeep to force the axle down more but the side I was working on wanted to go up as well :confused: I had the jack positioned at the lower control arm mount maybe thats why? But I will try what you have suggested hopefully it will work for me, if not ill try the strut compressor idea. Thanks for the advice guys.
 
NCJeepin said:
Greg, this is a common swap for the ZJ owners, it acutally works well as the stock front springs usually give more flex then then any rear lift spring you could buy.
Click to expand...

no problem...I know people try it with TJ's, too...

like I mentioned, though...sometimes the lift comes from spring height, and sometimes from spring rate...so I wasn't sure how different in uncompressed height the fronts and rears were...

Greg
 
93redzj said:
I tried jacking up the opposite side of jeep to force the axle down more but the side I was working on wanted to go up as well :confused: I had the jack positioned at the lower control arm mount maybe thats why? But I will try what you have suggested hopefully it will work for me, if not ill try the strut compressor idea. Thanks for the advice guys.
Click to expand...


Be sure to disconnect the sway bar.. I forgot to mention that.
 
NCJeepin said:
Be sure to disconnect the sway bar.. I forgot to mention that.
Click to expand...
Yeah, thats what I did, was disconnect the sway bar and shock in order to get full droop out of the axle but still didnt get enough and then tried to jack up on the opposite side of the axle and it wanted to lift both sides. Ill get back at it Thursday on my day off though, and thanks again for the help.
 
too bad your so far away, i bought a kick ass spring compressor off the snap on truck since i found myself lifting more and more coil spring vehicles.. it has jaws that clamp on the spring and one screw to comress the spring, to works really well.. if push comes to shove, you might need to track you down one of those... You should'nt have to touch the control arms... maybe a bottle jack between the body and axle may have to be used, watching the brake lines of course.. its wierd not to be able to get one to flex enought to put the spring in
 
dont know if you are still working on this....hopefully not...but here is some advise for anyone doing this front-back swap to a ZJ. I did the exact same conversion a few years back on a ZJ i owned. Just unbolt the rear track bar and (lowers) control arms. You unbolt the bars and arms and you just set them in. Its a lot easier and safer than using spring compressors. (or jacking under the rotors)

This workes out ok....the conversion....but if you use the spacers up front, the ZJ's nose looks like its pointed down. Only other option is buying front springs but then you get into needing to replace control arms and track bars. In the long run, a 3in lift will give same tire clearance, cost a bit more, but ride a crapload better.

Just my opinion. I went from budget boost, to front-back conversion, to Rubicon kit. Wobble did'nt leave until arms and bars replaced with kit. Short term its a cheap lift....long term its a bunch of problems
 
Flexing Wjs works great that way but a Zj rear suspension is a little different. Take the lower control arm,sway bar and track bar and shock loose one side at a time and this sring install can be done in minutes. I have ran these stock front springs this way myself. depending on what brand of front spring you use the rear will probably sit a little high some front 3 inch springs are taller than others. if you intend to wheel your jeep keep in mind you will have a lighter sring rate in the rear than the front now. This can give a Zj a top heavy feel. Good luck
 
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