Which 2 in lift to choose?
 

Alright, for some of you that know me my parents are extremely against a lift for my jeep. Im almost 18 and i feel it's time to rebel:gunsmilie:.

I just want to do a small budget boost for now (till i'm away at college where they cant bug me). The only issue im running into is what KIND of kit to get.

From what i've seen there are 3 different set-ups

Spacers up front & Blocks in back

spacers up front & AAL in back

Spacers up front & shackels in back

Now blocks are entirely out of the question. They scare the living crap out of me. Which would you choose AND which is easier to install?

A couple of options im looking at now...


AAL

http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.as...60&partID=6972


http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchan...ode=sus_xj_kit


Shackles


http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.as...8&partID=42400


http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchan...ode=sus_xj_kit

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Jeep-...Q5fAccessories


Also, I am NO expert mechanic. I'm a 17 yr old that has been taught the basic tools, and some not so basic but i've basically learned everything myself about my jeep. Could I do this by myself safely?

I was 16 when I bought my xj/first car and didnt know anything about offroad or mods, nothing. I took it wheeling once about 2 months later and 3 months after that my parents broke down and let me get a lift. I got a rustys off road 3" kit with the aal. Aal is probably the most expensive route to go, but it carries alot of benefits over shackles (and yes blocks are a horrible idea, leafs as light duty on a cherokee will over time, wear, and break with big enough blocks). With the aal you gain alittle bit more on your cargo weight capacity (this was a selling point with my parents with going to college and what not). Your ride quality does suffer a bit, but you get used to it and after a while it feels right. With shackles ride quality doesnt change a whole lot, and your rear suspension will still be soft. I'm not sure how articulation compares. I decided to install the rear first, for two reasons. One, I thought it be easier and if i couldnt do the front the same day, it would give it an aggressive stance, and it wont look like a have sagging rear leafs. Speaking of which, if you already have sagging leafs, go with the aal, they will sag again and quicker than if they werent already worn, but with shackles it would do nothing, aal is more or less a cover up. I did my entire left by myself when I was 16. The hardest part with aal install is getting the axle back up (but thats inly because I was by myself). The front is easy in principal. What makes it difficult is the front axle needs to drop alot to get the springs out and back in. Do it one side at a time in the front, It'll save you alot of hassle. I hope my rambling has helped. All that being said I'd go with the aal, despite what alot of people say. For what you are doing it is fine, there is no point in getting a new leaf pack for a 2" lift unless you have sagging shot current leafs. And you should definately be able to do it by yourself. Just dont expect to get it all done in one day. I know there are tons of write ups on lifts but I'd be more than happy to give my 2 cents. The one thing i will CAUTION you about is...you are about to get the addiction that we all have here. It starts with a lift, then tires, then everything else.

I appreciate the length and detailed responce. I am going to measure my spring tomorrow, but i believe they are in good condition still. They dont appear to be sagging. So far AAL looks like the way to go for me. Im not going to wheel much, and it's going to be a DD. Can you still tow with a lift?

If your planning on owning the XJ for a while, And it is a daily driver. I would think about An Old Man Emu suspension system. Here's a couple of sites. http://www.arbusa.com/Products/Suspe...ystems/30.aspx , http://www.rocky-road.com/xjome.html or google reviews http://www.google.com/search?q=Old+M...rlz=1I7MOOI_en

In all honesty im not going to be able to drop that kinda of money on a lift for YEARS

I compiled a 3" lift for just over $200

rustys 3" coils
s10 bastard pack
2010 JK shocks
YJ brake lines
alittle hardware.

why are they against a lift on your jeep? I'm a going to be a senior in college and Ive bought 3 jeeps in that last 2 yrs and i do what i want with them cause i paid for them.

For a BB blocks are fine

Im just not a fan of the blocks all around. How much longer are the JK shocks? because i need new one anyways so i was gonna do it all at once. would they work with a 2in lift?

JK shocks are 2-3" longer so with a 2" lift you will want to add a hockey puck or 2 as extra bumpstopping.

Hockey puck...?

Well the JK shocks are good for 3-4" lift on the XJ.

http://www.jeep-xj.info/HowtoBumpstops.htm - for hockey pucks

Awesome write-up!!

Which shocks would you recommend for the amount of lift i want to achieve?

get some terraflex 2" spacers from terraflex.com in the scratch and dent section. they should be under the wrangler section but they are the same. they are about 2 bucks each. then get some shackles from rough country or your local parts store for 50 bucks. then you have your 2" lift for less then 60 bucks and you can use your stock shocks and brake lines since its such a small lift.

I've got a couple of these that were in the parts box when I got my '94. Are these coil spring spacers?

yup those are coil spacers that you put on top of the coils

Hmmm. I noticed an invoice for these in the DPO's paperwork file. The invoice mentioned some sort of shackle part, too. Maybe I'll go look again and see if there is a shackle-looking parts laying around - maybe he was going to put a cheapo lift on it. If I've got the parts, I'll do it.

If I don't have the complimentary rear components to match these spacers, what do I need?

Sorry...but I'm clueless about lifts.

either 2" blocks (i assume those are 2" spacers) or 2" leaf spring shackles or maybe even 2" add-a-leaf

I checked the other parts and it appears that the DPO installed new shackles on the rear end of the leaf springs. they look at least a couple inches longer than the stock ones. But he didn't install the spacers in the coils. I'm thinking the springs were sagging and this was his fix.

Could the longer shackles contribute to the body movement I feel when shifting into drive/reverse?