What all do I need? Getting the most out of a 2.5" lift.

[Roys00tj]

Currently in the process of a frame off rebuild of a 2000 TJ. Main goal of this project was to fix the rust by replacing the torque boxes and clean up/rust prevention on the frame. Since I am already deep into this, I plan on replacing all suspension components as well. While the project has been moving quickly, at this point I am overwhelmed with options. I believe there has already been a 2.5" suspension lift installed at some point because of the skyjacker shocks and what appears to be front spring spacers (correct me if I am wrong). My end goal of all of this is to be able to run 33" tires and have a capable off road build. I don't want to go crazy with the budget but I want everything I choose to be functional and last. I think where I need to start is with the lift kit and base everything else off of that.

Lift:
I initially wanted 3 - 3.5" but I am now leaning more towards a 2.5" with a 1" body lift. It seems like a more feasible lift size where you don't have to use a SYE and a t-case drop (I hate the way these look and you lose ground clearance. The whole point of a lift!!) With this being said, I find it impossible to decide on what brand I should choose, specifically what brand of shocks. Are their any preferred lift kits out there? The price of the Rough Country is tempting but all I hear is that they are junk. Replacement bump stops?

Do I need adjustable control arms and track bars? The bushings in the stock ones need replaced which I will do unless adjustable is needed and I should just fork over $$$ for them instead.

Is a pitman arm drop necessary?

My main question out of all of this is: Is their anything else I'm missing? Do I need to add or change anything in my plan to get more out of this? Should I place more attention to one thing or another? There are so many options and opinions on this topic that it all is so overwhelming. I have extensive mechanical knowledge but am new to the world of Jeeps. I know there is a lot of junk parts which is what I am trying to avoid. Thank you in advance for any advise or input on this.

 

[Chris]

Here's what I would suggest: A recipe for an affordable but quality 2.5" lift

No drop pitman arm is necessary, neither are adjustable track bars or control arms. That thread gives you a recipe for everything you need.

 

[lumberjacklloyd]

I would plan on all adjustable arms, SYE, ZJ steering bare minimum, JKS or Currie rear track bar and Currie front track bar. 2.5"+1"BL is great for 33's

DO NOT run a drop pitman arm.

 

[GoldenGorilla]

I'm not sure what was going on there. The spacer up front looks like a 1.75", but where is the spacer on the back? Was it rolling carolina style?

My only addition is a pair of adjustable lower arms in front will give you the ability to dial in caster to stock and improve the way it tracks and returns to center when turning.

And just buy new control arms. Pressing the clevites out and back in saves almost no money and would be a huge headache. You do have to press out the front uppers on the axle side.

 

[thedustyboot]

I know you said you're not interested in an SYE but with the body off the frame like that, but that's the best time to do all those super annoying jobs that require you to drop the skid plate. If you do a body lift you'll be right at the limit of what the stock t-case linkage can handle, consider a cable shifter from Novak Conversions. If you plan on keep the factory CA brackets, see what can be done to the upper rear frame side brackets to keep mud out of them. That's where most of the rear frame rust issues originated on my jeep.

The link Chris provided about a quality 2" lift is a fantastic resource and should give you all the information needed to make an informed and confident choice.

Welcome to the forum! We all look forward to seeing your progress!

 

[TheBoogieman]

I would plan on all adjustable arms, SYE, ZJ steering bare minimum, JKS or Currie rear track bar and Currie front track bar.

You're very good at spending other people's money for unnecessary things.

 

[AndyG]

I have basically that lift - 33” tires

I never do a track bar relocation bracket in back if i can avoid it -

If you do it completely, check the unit bearings for play and use good parts you will love it.

 

[lumberjacklloyd]

You're very good at spending other people's money for unnecessary things.

I wasted a lot of unnecessary time to figure out what was necessary.

 

[Roys00tj]

I'm not sure what was going on there. The spacer up front looks like a 1.75", but where is the spacer on the back? Was it rolling carolina style?

My only addition is a pair of adjustable lower arms in front will give you the ability to dial in caster to stock and improve the way it tracks and returns to center when turning.

And just buy new control arms. Pressing the clevites out and back in saves almost no money and would be a huge headache. You do have to press out the front uppers on the axle side.

My profile pic is how it rolled before. But I do agree that something weird is going on. I am assuming that it probably was the most budget lift available at the time of install. Your comment on caster makes a lot of sense, that is the direction I will probably go regarding that. About to read up on the forum Chris sent as it seems pretty informative.

 

[Roys00tj]

Here's what I would suggest: A recipe for an affordable but quality 2.5" lift

No drop pitman arm is necessary, neither are adjustable track bars or control arms. That thread gives you a recipe for everything you need.

Thank you very much for sharing! This has helped narrow down a lot. I was reading some posts on that thread that talk about MML's and SYE's. I know right now is the easiest time to do any work, but I don't want to do work that isn't needed. Some people say SYE some say MML, do you have a preference? I am leaning towards an MML just as insurance for vibrations as well as clearing the fan shroud. I am going to get the rear track bar relocation bracket but regarding the front it seems like it might be a good idea to get an adjustable to get the geometry just right. GoldenGorilla said adjustable lower control arms to correct caster. The only time adjustable would be necessary on the rear is to fix the pinion angle which I think with just 2" lift springs and an MML I should be good right? For the suspension lift I think I'll chose some BDS 2" springs with rancho 0-2" shocks and .75 spacers up front.

 

[Chris]

Thank you very much for sharing! This has helped narrow down a lot. I was reading some posts on that thread that talk about MML's and SYE's. I know right now is the easiest time to do any work, but I don't want to do work that isn't needed. Some people say SYE some say MML, do you have a preference? I am leaning towards an MML just as insurance for vibrations as well as clearing the fan shroud. I am going to get the rear track bar relocation bracket but regarding the front it seems like it might be a good idea to get an adjustable to get the geometry just right. GoldenGorilla said adjustable lower control arms to correct caster. The only time adjustable would be necessary on the rear is to fix the pinion angle which I think with just 2" lift springs and an MML I should be good right? For the suspension lift I think I'll chose some BDS 2" springs with rancho 0-2" shocks and .75 spacers up front.

Generally speaking the MML and SYE isn't necessary unless you're going over 2.5" of lift or installing a body lift (at which point the MML is a good idea). Now you could add those with a 2.5" lift, but by no means is it necessary.

The MML is unnecessary unless you're adding a 1.25" body lift. Truth be told, if I were in your shoes this is the way I would do it:

• 1.25" aluminum body lift
• 1" MML
• 1" lift springs (H&R makes a good set)
• 1" Rancho RS5000X shocks

That's it! Simple, easy, effective, and cheap! You'll only be at 2.25" of lift but you can add a small spring spacer (.25" or .5") if you want a little more.

This won't affect the geometry of your suspension whatsoever which will allow you to keep factory control arms and track bars and you very likely may not need to drop the transfer case with spacers to compensate for the slight change in driveline angle.

 

[lumberjacklloyd]

Thank you very much for sharing! This has helped narrow down a lot. I was reading some posts on that thread that talk about MML's and SYE's. I know right now is the easiest time to do any work, but I don't want to do work that isn't needed. Some people say SYE some say MML, do you have a preference? I am leaning towards an MML just as insurance for vibrations as well as clearing the fan shroud. I am going to get the rear track bar relocation bracket but regarding the front it seems like it might be a good idea to get an adjustable to get the geometry just right. GoldenGorilla said adjustable lower control arms to correct caster. The only time adjustable would be necessary on the rear is to fix the pinion angle which I think with just 2" lift springs and an MML I should be good right? For the suspension lift I think I'll chose some BDS 2" springs with rancho 0-2" shocks and .75 spacers up front.

1)MML and 1" BL go hand in hand for realignment of fan in radiator shroud
2)On all the TJ's I have personally worked on, I have never had satisfactory driveline vibrations without SYE using OME or BDS 2" springs. MML was never enough to make a difference.
3)#2 drives you to an SYE which really requires upper and lower rear arms.
4)Do not run a rear relocation bracket. Bracket will bottom out in tub long before your shocks bottom.

 

[Roys00tj]

1)MML and 1" BL go hand in hand for realignment of fan in radiator shroud
2)On all the TJ's I have personally worked on, I have never had satisfactory driveline vibrations without SYE using OME or BDS 2" springs. MML was never enough to make a difference.
3)#2 drives you to an SYE which really requires upper and lower rear arms.
4)Do not run a rear relocation bracket. Bracket will bottom out in tub long before your shocks bottom.

If I chose to use a SYE and get adjustable rear control arms will the 0-2" rancho shocks be long enough after fixing the pinion angle? I hear people like the shorter rancho shocks to get higher up travel. Only reason I ask this is more than likely I will hold off on installing the SYE until after I'm done to determine if I have a vibration or not. I feel confident it won't have vibration since it previously had a cheap 2-2.5" lift installed on it and no issues. It won't be an issue doing the work after mating the frame and tub back together because of my access to a lift and secondly, I am repairing the transfer case skid mount, so I won't have issues removing that. Good to know on the track bar. Thank you.

 

[GoldenGorilla]

I have an 04 Rubicon which has a bunch of differences in the T-case and rear driveshaft. It's my only Jeep and I've owned it from new, so I can't speak to the SYE recommendation. The only other one I've worked on much is my Dad's 06 LR Rubicon.

For the suspension lift I think I'll chose some BDS 2" springs with rancho 0-2" shocks and .75 spacers up front.

If you can wait until you get the springs installed and then measure for the shock length needed with the full weight of the body on the chassis, you'll be able to get a more accurate length. Rancho does make the RS5000X and RS9000XL in the "correct" length for a 2.5" lift which may be better for you. And I've been happy with their 2.5" springs since I installed them a bit over a year ago. They're a new product and did not exist at the time of the recommendation above. If possible you want the shock to be at the mid-point of travel at rest. If you're between 2 sizes, you'll usually want to go for the shorter option and maintain uptravel, though there are exceptions.

As an alternate POV, I run a 2.5" lift with no body lift and metric "33s" and have since a few months after I bought it in '04. Now I do have single adjustable control arms and adjustable track bars all around because when I'm done I don't intend to further change the lengths. Part of the reason was that the alignment I had done showed there was some small misalignment on the rear axle which had always pushed the jeep. I'm not suggesting this is the ultimate rock crawler, but it's done what I've asked and can go harder than you might expect thanks to the lockers. It drives and rides better now than when it was new. I also took my dad's LJ back to stock and refreshed all the control arms, shocks, spring isolators, and likewise - he loves the way it drives.

I was a cheap 20-something back then. I use my Jeep differently these days. I'm updating it to go another 20 years into retirement and I don't need to do it on the cheap these days. I also know what I want from it and plan to finish up this round of updates this year and then just go back to driving it.

 

[TheBoogieman]

I wasted a lot of unnecessary time to figure out what was necessary.

After 20 Jeeps, so have I.

 

[Roys00tj]

View attachment 666566

This is almost the exact look and functionality I am going for. Lockers are something I plan on installing down the road if I decide on keeping this one long term. I will look into the Rancho springs. Great looking Jeep.