Newbie 1997 TJ suspension / lift questions

[ozark]

I bought a not running TJ project. It's had a TDI swap. I got it running and finished the exhaust. Starting on the suspension . I was supposed to have a Rough Country 4" lift with their adjustable control arms and shocks. I found the chart on resting spring height. The front measure about 14" and the rear about 12". Seems to be a 2" lift in front and 4" in the rear. I don't need a 4" inch lift. The question is ; can I just put shorter springs in the rear and do I need to change the shocks also. It has the slip yoke driveshaft.

Also; The front driveshaft is missing. When I tried to order a new one they seem to be about 39". I measured from transfer case u joint flange to front axle flange and it's about 35". Can I move the front axle enough with control arms or do I need a custom driveshaft. I think the transfer case has been swapped from an JK but it's still a 231J.

Thanks

 

[Chris]

If you change out the springs you'll need to change out the shocks as well. You'll also need to adjust bump stop accordingly.

Contact @Shawn at Tom Wood's for the driveshaft questions.

It's all going to depend on how much you want to move the front axle, also.

 

[GATORB8]

The rear RC 3.5-6" N3s are 14.76C/23.83E. Looks like stock was 12.20/19.2, so should be setup for around 2.5" of bump extension.

It looks like the RC kit doesn't have bumps (?!?) are there any extension installed?

Overall, I'd check exposed shaft at ride height, I'm new to the TJ platform, but if Jeep was balanced you should be looking for at least 3 - 3.5" of uptravel before bump.

Front specs are 14.82/24.65 if you want to check that.

IIRC, the JKs, like the JLs have a flange mount front T-case output as opposed to the u-joint receiver on the TJ because they used a CV. It's been a while since I put eyes on the JL, but I could see that being a couple inches of length, that's not still on there is it? I don't think the aftermarket U-joint recievers would be much longer, but I'd confirm U joint size of the one installed.

If you are buying new, a driveshaft shop shouldn't charge you to do a custom length. I use Oliver's if you want to check pricing, they have it online: https://oliversdriveshaft.com/product-category/tj-drive-shafts/