Mild XJ Lift

NCJeepin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2005
Location
Conway, SC
OK, with this new to me 95 XJ I have, i want to put a mild cheap lift on it, that is basically geared towards uwharrie runs, because basically thats where it will see the most use..

Those who actually have lifted XJs, what do you recommend?
 
My Uwharrie-cruiser XJ is running 2 inch spacers and lift shackles and solid steel blocks to match in the rear.....

for all but a VERY FEW spots, i think this is the perfect setup for uwharrie, i go everywhere except over the top of kodiak, and have a challenge and some fun...... and only around $100 invested in the suspension

if you go that route, invest in some skids though, because you drag a lot, over everything, thats the only downside.
if it werent for my sliders, even just uwharrie would have completely destroyed my rockers by now as close as they are to the ground compared to most
 
If i jumped to a 3" would it make that much difference??

Im most def going to have all skids possible...

What size tires were u running?
 
I run 6 with 33's and no skids. I do pretty good. I'm not locked either so that makes it more challenging. I like mine to look good so i try to keep body damage to a minimum. Just my 2 cents
 
Seems like 3.5-4" is where an XJ suspension starts getting pricy. (the coils & leafs are all approx the same $$$, it's just all the 'extras' start adding up)

For low bucks & decent performance, a simple add-a-leaf in the back, and coils in the front, along with a set of shocks & front swaybar disconnects will get you where you need to be.

Drill another hole aprx 3/4" towards the driver's side of the trackbar/axle bracket or invest in an adjustable bar. (I'd skip the ones that have the extender piece at the axle end)

The front brake hard-lines can be straightened & reattached lower with just a pair of self-tapping bolts, and a rear hose from a Dakota or YJ Wrangler fixes that end up for -$20. Junk the rear swaybar if it's not gone already.

I'm currently running 2.5-3" on 30" Cooper STTs... with a Track-Lok 44/open front, it takes me more places than I've got business going

HTH & have fun!
 
If i jumped to a 3" would it make that much difference??

Im most def going to have all skids possible...

What size tires were u running?
Click to expand...

im running 30's also have a front locker and a few other things

im planning to go up to around 3" with junkyard parts sometime in the near future, so i cant say jumping to 3 inches from the beginning would be a bad thing

also, building myself a crossmember that gained nearly an inch of clearance was much easier than actually lifting the jeep another inch, as thats where i always get hung up
 
Well i was considering going with a 3" with 31's... I'm not a welder (yet), so a custom crossmemeber will be a last resort thing, i dont want to get it too high, because i want it easy to store/trailer... and i want it mild... Plus i have to do some measurements for the garage too, because i cant have a beater trail rig sitting out front, the retired yankees will have a cow... i cant even have a trash can out front
 
Hey,

Rustys makes a 3" lift for like $245. can't beat that price wise. runs some 31"s and put a lockright in the rear and you'll go all over the place.

later,
bigmac
 
NCJeepin said:
OK, with this new to me 95 XJ I have, i want to put a mild cheap lift on it, that is basically geared towards uwharrie runs, because basically thats where it will see the most use..
Those who actually have lifted XJs, what do you recommend?
Click to expand...


when i rode with ya at URE the xj i have was on 31's with 4.5 re packs, 3inch coils with 2inch spacers. a xj on 31's can go pretty much everywhere over there.

i think you would be fine with a 3inch and cut the fenders. throw some 31 or 32's on and you will have lots of fun.
 
Bigmac and chromerunner y'all read my mind...

I have to do some measurements with my garage, but im basically looking at getting a rustys 3" lift, and 31x10.50 Dunlop Mud Rovers, or a rubi tire rim package if i can find a cheap one...
 
now if i go with this set up.. any guesses how much deflating the tires will give me height clearence wise? lol
 
good luck finding a cheap set of rubi's. i cant belive how much they go for sometimes lol.

most of the time i dont drop them to much. in my opinion and experiance you loose beads very quickly with the moabs.
 
Well im not sure if you saw the set on the purple TJ i was in at URE but i picked those up for 350.00... Might have been a fluke, but the deals are out there......
By the way, here she is...
View attachment 88272
 
You can take the brackets for the rear sway bar mounts and use them for the shock conversion. I did that and it makes it easy to find shocks and not mess with bar pins.

I ran rustys 3.5" aal and rough country 3" springs with 31" Super swampers. I did pretty good off roading. I still have the rustys aal and it has been 4 years now. You might be able to adjust the garage door to open higher to get it into the garage. I have mine where the door comes above the opening of the door way.
 
im running a 3in rough country aal lift from jcwhitney. i know most people bash it but mine rides fine and its a dang jeep for cryin out loud. anyway ive got 31s but havnt hit any rocks with them to check clearence yet hopefully soon. just my thoughts good luck with it though.
 
family xj said:
You can take the brackets for the rear sway bar mounts and use them for the shock conversion. I did that and it makes it easy to find shocks and not mess with bar pins.
I ran rustys 3.5" aal and rough country 3" springs with 31" Super swampers. I did pretty good off roading. I still have the rustys aal and it has been 4 years now. You might be able to adjust the garage door to open higher to get it into the garage. I have mine where the door comes above the opening of the door way.
Click to expand...


I had the rear anti-sway links as BPE's for a while, it isn't the best idea. Unless you run a really basic hydro shock, it'll eventually kill the shocks you're running becuase it rotates the eye & rod 90 degrees from where it should be.

NCjeepin, I run 31s on a trimmed 97 3.5" of lift, it rocks it to the max, but I had to do a t-case drop and an adjustable trackbar to make this height liveable.

Keep in mind these things about XJs when lifting...

For the front end:
at 3" you'll start to notice track bar issues, as someone else mentioned, either drill another hole in the factory bracket, or look into a setup from TNT or RE if your axle is off-center after the lift.

at 3.5+/-" you'll need adjustable LCAs to make the ride liveable.

Drastic lifts will call for long arms or drop brackets for the front control arms.

Rear end:

3" is supposed to be the max you can lift on XJs before you'll need a slip-yoke eliminator and new rear driveshaft to avoid vibrations from extreme driveline angles. For me, I ended up around 3.5-4" with my AAL. It produced vibrations but was completely liveable. A 3/4" t-case drop was a cheap bandaid that got rid of all the vibes.

Older body style XJs are supposed to be much better about taking rear end lift, I'd aim for a 3" spacer and AAL lift. You can get one for cheap. Any rough country or rusty's kit for 3" with shocks would also be a great idea. Either way, each XJ is unique in where it needs an SYE and every driver has a different definition of liveable vibes, so lift it and see. T-case drops are cheap, and SYE hack 'n' tap kits aren't too expensive either.

Another mod I'd consider early on in your build is to swap in the disc brakes from a junkyard d35 on a 95.5-98 grand cherokee. I've done a couple for under $300 and the difference in stopping power is unbelievable, I stop better on 31" M/Ts than I did with stock brakes and tires.


Anyways, check out NAXJA.ORG's forums, there's tons of cherokee-specific info there about lifts.
 
"3" is supposed to be the max you can lift on XJs before you'll need a slip-yoke eliminator and new rear driveshaft to avoid vibrations from extreme driveline angles. For me, I ended up around 3.5-4" with my AAL. It produced vibrations but was completely liveable. A 3/4" t-case drop was a cheap bandaid that got rid of all the vibes".


your vibed bad due to you being a 97. his is older and has a differnt stlye tcase cone. he should be fine on vibes without a sye. although like he said each driver has differnt thoughts of what vibes are so you might want a tcase drop. i would say you wouldnt need a sye as long as you stay under 5.

also you wont need adj LCA's with 3.5+ lol. once again you should be finr in that department until you get 5" or so. just have a nice set of fixed oned made. its easy and cheap.
 
NCJeepin.. if you're looking for some Moabs i'll sell you my 5... some rock rash on 4 but the 5th is basically new. Everyone is running them now so I plan to pull them off and go a different route.

But, as for them losing beads, I've ran Tellico on then twice at 9psi front and rear and have not lost a bead yet (knock on wood).
 
chromerunner said:
"3" is supposed to be the max you can lift on XJs before you'll need a slip-yoke eliminator and new rear driveshaft to avoid vibrations from extreme driveline angles. For me, I ended up around 3.5-4" with my AAL. It produced vibrations but was completely liveable. A 3/4" t-case drop was a cheap bandaid that got rid of all the vibes".
your vibed bad due to you being a 97. his is older and has a differnt stlye tcase cone. he should be fine on vibes without a sye. although like he said each driver has differnt thoughts of what vibes are so you might want a tcase drop. i would say you wouldnt need a sye as long as you stay under 5.
also you wont need adj LCA's with 3.5+ lol. once again you should be finr in that department until you get 5" or so. just have a nice set of fixed oned made. its easy and cheap.
Click to expand...


Note that the next paragraph I said that the older body style handles rear lift better. I didn't put a number on it because I've never lifted one older than a '96, but yeah, I've heard of pre '95s on 5"+ with no problems. I didn't really think newbie tech was the place to talking about t-case cone and output bearing support....


And I didn't say you "needed" adj LCAs at 3.5", simply that's the height where you'll start to notice a decline in ride quality. I'm still on stock LCAs at 3.5" When I lift more, I'm definitely going adjustable LCAs.

EDIT: Wow, went back and read that. I DID say that you needed adj LCAs, lol which is completely untrue. What I meant to say was that's the height where you'll start needing to pay attention to LCA length, which I feel is best handled by adj LCAs.

I'm sure you know it can be handled with longer, fixed LCAs, OR with some simple shims behind the LCA frame brackets.



Are you serious about fabbing up fixed arms? Used fixed LCAs go for as low as $40-50 a set on NAXJA all the time, adjustables for more but I've still seen them in the $100 range.

If you've got a shop that'll make you fixed arms for less than $50 for labor, tube stock, etc... I've got to get their number.

To me, if you're going to bother putting on different LCAs, they may as well be adjustable, but if you know of a place that will make you a couple of sets of fixed for the price of one set of adjustables, I could see going with the fixed.
 
uncc civilengineer said:
NCJeepin.. if you're looking for some Moabs i'll sell you my 5... some rock rash on 4 but the 5th is basically new. Everyone is running them now so I plan to pull them off and go a different route.
But, as for them losing beads, I've ran Tellico on then twice at 9psi front and rear and have not lost a bead yet (knock on wood).
Click to expand...


Tires and rims or just rims??? i'd go with them if they were a rubi set.. tires and rims... but as for just the rims, I have 3 sets of rims that will fit my new XJ, I just liked the package deal idea...


Well I had a 99 WJ sitting on 6"s of lift 33's, lockrited in the front and rear and short arms. as a DD.. So I know about vibes....... Here is my game plan, let me know what y'all think........

Keep in mind, this will mostly be used for offroad or second vehicle as a toy around town in... and maybe some hatteras trips

Rustys 3" Lift Kit
Adjustable Track Bar
Remove rear sway bar
Some sort of rim thats wider or a little offset then stock, with 31x10.50 of some sort of Mud Terrain
1" Transfer case drop
Some sort of locker, might be lockrite, in the rear
and now i need to learn up on the brake conversion... Do you have any links to that??? Its in dire need of a brake job now (light is on and everything) and i need to covert instead of putting drum stuff back on...

Thanks for the help... let me know what y'all think...
 
To start with you say this is mostly used for offroad/ some town trips... but, you plan to run a Transfer Case drop?

I honestly dont see the point of lifting the jeep if you're going to drop the transfer case skid down like a shovel. I mean w/ the cost associated with a H&T SYE (90.00) and running a stock XJ front shaft out back (75.00) It just doesnt make any sense to not go ahead and get it done.

Also what axle do you have out back.. D35, 27sp 8.25, 29sp 8.25? I ask because if you are only trail riding this jeep and if it has a decent rear axle just weld it up and save yourself the 225.00 for the lockright (SYE money?)

I also dont see any reason to spend the money to upgrade to rear discs on a XJ running 31's or so. BUT if you must, stay away from the Teraflex kit (search NAXJA for reasons why)... I have also heard that TSM Mfg. http://www.tsmmfg.com/
makes a nice kit and that's what I plan to go w/ eventually.

Oh, and there isnt a magic number of rear lift height where a SYE is needed. Every jeep responds differently. When we installed Woodkrawler's RE3.5" on his old jeep (92 I believe) he had vibes/binding so bad that it was undrivable w/o a tcase drop or sye. But, you may put on your lift and not even need the drop... you wont know until you try.

Also if you plan to wheel this thing think about some skids. Especially front diff, and transfer case. Also JKS makes some weld on lower control arms skids that are really nice.

As for my moabs... they are currently mounted w/ 285x75x16 Firestone Destinatino MT's...
 
well I say mostly offroad, I might drive it up to my parents or to hatteras.. which would be 2.5 - 3hr trips, 150 miles or so each way to hatteras... So i want it to behave well on the street....
 
uncc civilengineer said:
To start with you say this is mostly used for offroad/ some town trips... but, you plan to run a Transfer Case drop?
I honestly dont see the point of lifting the jeep if you're going to drop the transfer case skid down like a shovel. I mean w/ the cost associated with a H&T SYE (90.00) and running a stock XJ front shaft out back (75.00) It just doesnt make any sense to not go ahead and get it done.
Also what axle do you have out back.. D35, 27sp 8.25, 29sp 8.25? I ask because if you are only trail riding this jeep and if it has a decent rear axle just weld it up and save yourself the 225.00 for the lockright (SYE money?)
I also dont see any reason to spend the money to upgrade to rear discs on a XJ running 31's or so. BUT if you must, stay away from the Teraflex kit (search NAXJA for reasons why)... I have also heard that TSM Mfg. http://www.tsmmfg.com/
makes a nice kit and that's what I plan to go w/ eventually.
Oh, and there isnt a magic number of rear lift height where a SYE is needed. Every jeep responds differently. When we installed Woodkrawler's RE3.5" on his old jeep (92 I believe) he had vibes/binding so bad that it was undrivable w/o a tcase drop or sye. But, you may put on your lift and not even need the drop... you wont know until you try.
Also if you plan to wheel this thing think about some skids. Especially front diff, and transfer case. Also JKS makes some weld on lower control arms skids that are really nice.
As for my moabs... they are currently mounted w/ 285x75x16 Firestone Destinatino MT's...
Click to expand...


I've done the ZJ brake swap on 2 XJs now, and even with stock tires I'd consider it a worthy upgrade. As I said, on 31" M/Ts my braking is better than braking with drums and stock tires was.


And as far as why lift the jeep and drop the t-case, of course a t-case drop is a bandaid and shimming the axle to get the proper driveline angles would be ideal....BUT

Think about it really simply. Lifting the jeep 3" and dropping the cross member 3/4", was I really creating a shovel, or was I gaining ground clearance overall? When I went from stock height to 3" and 31" tires I gained a lot of clearance, dropping my t-case member was less than ideal, but it was a small sacrifice to make in one direction to get the rest of my vehicle up several inches.


Of course, for lifts bigger than than 3" or so, I agree. The hack 'n' tap option using an old front DS is so cheap that really doing anything else is silly. A 3" lift would need a 1" t-case drop at the worst, and t-case drops cost like $30, so I think it makes sense there because overall everything is still getting lifted from the ground and you're paying peanuts compared to the SYE avenue. Me, I'm in the market for an SYE right now if anyone has one to sell...
 
Arch, The brake swap on XJs.. are you using a kit or gathering parts?
 
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