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Questions about lowering my Cherokee

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Old 02-25-2015, 08:14 PM
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Default Questions about lowering my Cherokee

My 99 has a 6.5" lift without most of the supporting mods.

It has a new trackbar but not double shear
It has a drop pitman arm
It has longarms
It has 3" leafs and blocks with shims and shackles
It has the stock rear driveshaft
It's on 31s for now, stock gearing
It does not have OTK mods
It does not have shackle relocators

I want to remove the lift blocks and cut the front coils to drop it to a milder lift so I don't have to buy too much stuff to make things work properly

What will this do to the longarms? Will I have a ton of adjustments to make? What other stuff could this drop screw up?

Old 02-25-2015, 09:03 PM
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With just 3"s of lift you will have issues, most long arm kits have a minimum lift height of 4-4.5"s. Do not cut the coils! Best bet might be to get shackle relocation boxes and 4.5" coils. Keep the shims as well. Your track bar and pitman arm might be too long for the drop.

Last edited by unidentifiedbomb; 02-25-2015 at 09:05 PM.
Old 02-25-2015, 09:23 PM
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Some four inch springs and taking out the lift block will make a huge difference. Coils alone are pretty inexpensive, don't cut the ones you have.
Old 02-26-2015, 07:01 AM
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I don't see the issue cutting front coils. They are straight rate not progressive.
It would be easier to match the ride height of the rear leafs than it would be to screw around with adding or pulling leafs to get the lift I want.
Old 02-26-2015, 07:28 AM
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Any time you cut a coil it makes the spring stiffer, and depending on what method you use can ruin the temper of the spring. Use a cut off wheel, never a torch. Your rig your choice, do what you want.
Old 02-26-2015, 08:09 AM
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^ Correct, spring rate goes up, even on linear springs.
Also, the last winding of coil is shaped differently to seat in coil bucket and allow retainer to hold it. Proper fitment will be lost if cut.
Old 02-26-2015, 10:04 AM
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Safety for yourself and others around you should be a clear indication to why you want to properly lower your jeep. Don't be cheap and risk lives.
Old 02-26-2015, 10:28 AM
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Nothing wrong with cutting the coils but:

You want to cut them a lot and that will make them really stiff so you should buy new ones. The coils are fairly inexpensive. I here the RE 3.5" ones will give you around 4".

Lose the blocks.

You will have to see what you get with long arms after you drop it. I would think you will be OK if you bump stop appropriately but you might not have enough up travel for bumps on or off road.
Old 02-26-2015, 06:23 PM
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Originally Posted by unidentifiedbomb
Safety for yourself and others around you should be a clear indication to why you want to properly lower your jeep. Don't be cheap and risk lives.

You should see this piece of **** now.


I did some reading, I see cutting can be an issue
Old 02-26-2015, 06:27 PM
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What kind of long arms? I would shoot for the least amount of lift your long arms will work with. That being said, it will most likely land you around 4.5". I say get some 4.5" coils and pull the blocks out of the back then see where that lands you. If the back comes up short than shackle relocation brackets would be the way to get some lift back.
Old 02-26-2015, 09:20 PM
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Originally Posted by XJlimitedx99
What kind of long arms? I would shoot for the least amount of lift your long arms will work with. That being said, it will most likely land you around 4.5". I say get some 4.5" coils and pull the blocks out of the back then see where that lands you. If the back comes up short than shackle relocation brackets would be the way to get some lift back.
This is likely gonna be my plan. I need to get some even more critical stuff sorted 1st, like brakes and doors that open
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