centuryhouse

[ETA: I am posting this for suggestions, not on a certain kit or brands per se, but because I'd like to understand the whole lift & suspension improvement concept. As it stands I've skimmed through many threads on here, but don't understand the specifics of EXACTLY what parts are needed, in total. I see people talk about changing springs, shocks/struts, adding spacers, changing out various suspension parts etc but I'm not sure how much of that is required in a lift, vs optional. What are the minimal things I need to do to have it lifted, and work well?]

I have a stock 2000 XJ - 4.0L, 4x4, automatic, Dana 30.

The steering kind of wanders, and the front end suspension feels a little loose, clunks etc. (though I don't see anything obviously worn or loose), and the rear end springs are sagging just a little - so it seems like it is time for some work. Instead of just replacing shocks & other parts with standard items, I thought it might make sense to do a lift and replace whatever is needed while I'm at it.

I don't plan on any extreme off-roading, but there are places I've gone backpacking that require many miles of driving down dirt & gravel roads, through fields, and over dips and bumps that might stop an average car and I'd like to be able to handle things like that.

I don't have much money, and where I live (townhouse community) I am not permitted to do much work on the cars, so I'll have to buy up parts and then farm out the work to a local shop.

Bearing all of that in mind...can you guys advise on exactly what is needed, and in what order?

KeepOnJeeping

You need leafs,rear shocks,front shocks,front coils,longer trac bar,longer swaybar,longer brake lines, the control arms depend on what size lift you want you can use the stock to a certain limit but when you to that size lift your control arm will be too short to connect to the axle that's when you get long control arms aka "long arms". I would say get rubicon express I heard they ride nice.

NO instructions NEEDED

I would say a rough country 3in or 4.5in the 4.5 kit is around 700 and comes with everything (best flex , ride and durability!) The 3in is around 500 (less flex, worst handling and ok value)
I went with a rough country 4.5 long arm lift kit with 32 toyo mt's tires clear, best ride around town! And if the shop has any semi decent workers then it's a no brainier. Hope this helped!

Jamie57

You might not need a lift kit at all.
235/75R15 Wrangler Duratracs and all the "Wear" parts in the front end. Ball joints, tie rod ends.
Does it sag anywhere now? Check to see if the suspension has sagged by measuring the distance from the centre of the wheel to the bottom of the fender flair. Stock should be 17" Less than that and you should invest in new springs, or at least a longer shackle and a coil spring spacer.


You'd be amazed at where a stock Cherokee can go now! Try it out before you go spending money you could save for other things like recovery gear.
That way you'll have some understanding of what stock is capable of and if you do need to upgrade the suspension to get where you want to go.

NO instructions NEEDED

Didn't see that you didn't want to buy a kit. But the kit is the best value! Hears the 4.5 and 3in kits.

tssguy123

Front end:

• Coil Springs: Are different heights based on how much lift you want.
• Lower Control Arms: Different lengths/adjustable depending on how much lift you want. At a certain height, you want to go with a long arm system instead. Centers the axle forwards/back.
• Brake Lines: You'll want extended brake lines OR a relocation bracket.
• Track Bar: Centers the axle left/right. You'll probably want to go with an adjustable model, like IRO's double shear.
• Coil Spacers: Go between the top of the coil and the unibody. They provide an exact amount of lift.

Rear end:

• Leaf Springs: different springs for different heights. Avoid AAL kits.
• Shackles: Again, different length shackles OR relocation brackets AND different length shackles. You want to have a shackle angle of 45 degrees, for better ride, etc.
• Brake lines: same as above. Rear YJ brake lines are a direct swap.
• Blocks: go between the axle and leaf springs to provide lift. Don't use these, no matter who tells you it's okay.

Driveline:

• T-Case drop: lowers the t-case, typically an inch or so.. helps with driveshaft length issues that arise from lifting. Can help you avoid getting a SYE, but it's considered a band-aid fix (and sort of defeats the point of lifting, because you lose clearance)... it tilts the entire engine/transmission/tcase back slightly.
• SYE: eliminates the slip yoke in favor of a fixed yoke. You then need to either have a new CV driveshaft made or use one from a JY. Typically for like 3.5" or higher, but it depends on your transmission/t-case combo and other things.

You'll also need sway bar disconnects, bump stops, u bolts for the leaf springs, and shocks for front and rear.

There's probably stuff I'm forgetting.

centuryhouse

Thanks, that is a great run down! It's a little intimidating though. I understand most of it (springs, shocks, control arms, why the transfer case might need lowering or slip yoke replaced, etc) but am not clear on when/why things related to the trac bar / sway bar would be impacted.

And do you feel all of those things are necessary on more minor lifts (3" for instance)?

centuryhouse

thanks for the recommendation. Can you tell me what items you had to adjust or change out that were NOT a part of the 4.5 kit?


Also, thanks to Jamie57 and KeepOnJeeping for info!

Jamie57

Unfortunately the newer style 97-2001 XJ suffers from drive line vibrations when you alter the drive shaft angle. Some can get away with it but most have reported anything higher than 3 " will set it off and the transfer case drop is one of the solutions. Not a great one mind you because you now have changed the angle of the motor too and hitting a hard bump with a weak motor mount will send the fan blade into your radiator. The slip yoke eliminator (or SYE) fixes it by using a driveshaft just like your front drive shaft with the double cardon joint.

That is why I'm suggesting you go slow to start. Find out where you want to drive your XJ and go do it. You'll find out pretty soon wether you want to join the mile high club some have suggested or just a mild 2 inch lift so you can put 30" tires on with out rubbing and messing with high dollar suspension upgrades.

BTW don't be fooled by the All inclusive lift kits. They are anything but. You'll find, and a lot of guys on here will agree that they've had to spend more money AFTER the kit just to solve problems the "Lift" are now causing.
Just do a search on Death wobble and you'll see what I mean.

MrSimon

Don't lift it.

If you are on a tight budget and don't have space to work on your Jeep .... and you don't plan to wheel the Jeep .... then lifting it is just a waste of money and extra aggrivation that you don't need.

You would be way better off to just tighten up your front suspension/steering and keep up on regular maintenance.

There aren't many back roads and dirt trails that a stock XJ can't handle. If you really need more traction, you can always put a lunchbox locker in your front diff.

When you lift a Jeep, its like opening up a pandora's box ... doing one thing causes something else to not work right and need attention (meaning time and money).

With that in mind, if you really want to learn .... look up the Rubicon Express Extreme Duty Long Arm 5.5" kit. Make a list of each item that comes in the kit. Then, goodle each item individually and read about what it is and what it does.

rangerone

any lift is not going to be cheap. I have a modest rough country series 2 lift kit on mine, I did opt for new leaf packs instead of AAL. cost was $600-650 with the shipping. kits are pretty heavy so shipping is not cheap. I live in ohio in the rust belt, and did not feel comfortable doing the lift myself. shop that did it, had air tools and a lift. even though I began pb blasting all the bolts a month ahead of time a lot of them broke and had to be drilled and tapped. install was $500. new brake lines another $150, but I did replace all lines from the master cylinder out. new tie rod ends and drag links to cure the death wobble I had after the lift $100-150. then an alignment $60.

so we are up to $1500 and that's without wheels and tires. before you start, make sure that's what you really want. it can get expensive fast.

like the other posters have said, try out a decent set of tires and see how far that takes you. then maybe try a 2 inch spacer and shackle kit from there.

tssguy123

The track bar attaches to the unibody on one end and the front axle on the other. It runs almost parallel, and it is what centers the axle. As you increase the distance between the unibody and the axle, the track bar becomes too short, which makes the axle un-centered.



Just imagine what the track bar would do when you lift the Jeep.

Don't listen to KeepOnJeeping. Don't go with Rough Country. You'll save money in the short run, but in the long run you're going to have a junky lift kit.

NO instructions NEEDED

Yep, had to get the transfer case slip yoke eliminator, new bump stops, mine has 140,000 miles so I replaces both driveshafts, the 4.5 comes with a adjustable track bar so no problem there. Also when buying the kit it comes with new hardware which is a smart thing to do with a older vehicle.
Hoped this helped!

centuryhouse

Thanks (a little belatedly), that was all very helpful. I've been waiting until I was closer to doing it to come back to this, and the time is getting close.

One other thing I'm curious about...

I've seen a lot of people recommend avoiding AAL (adding a leaf), and to instead get a new leaf pack. My rear leafs are sagging slightly.

Will getting a new leaf pack just bring the car back to the original standard rear height? And if you plan a lift, I would guess you would have to get a new leaf pack and THEN use an add a leaf to lift it the desired amount above the stock height?

exjay1027

ok.. i know everyone is trying to help but they obviously did not really take into account what youre trying to do here.

Like what one other said, DO NOT LIFT IT. you dont need to!
Simply replace all your worn out parts like bushings and joints. You may need new springs if they are sagging to get you back to stock height.

Do all that, and buy a nice set of bigger all terrain tires (30 or 31 inches) and you will save yourself a ton of money and be able to go anywhere you need to.

Lifting brings on headaches and on a budget makes our little xjs less streetable. Tires mean everything. The lift just allows for bigger tires but anything 31" and under youll be fine.