Skullver
Still Flailing
- Location
- Ventura,CA
upper shock monts from T&Js, lowers homemade:Mopar It said:
baja type suspension?
- Thread starter Mopar It
- Start date
Mopar It
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- windsor nor-cal
okay so if i went with a 4" lift or so. i'd want my bump stops to match the new front coils to almost bring it back to stock in a sense, right? but yeah my biggest thing is would it be wise to go with zj coils up front? and twin tube or monotube
Skullver
Still Flailing
- Location
- Ventura,CA
you put it all together how you want it, many options, there is no set way to do it, you may want stiffer springs than the zj's, monotube are slightly better than twin tubes but shocks can make or break you. It really depends on your budget and how fast you really want to go over the whoops, and how high you want to jump and the frequency of jumping, anybody can build a rig that can jump....once.Mopar It said:
but generally, once you get your suspension set up, you would take your coil springs completely out and cycle your suspension up and down and make sure you have it so at full compression nothing will get damaged, and the same for full droop, it is not a good idea to use your shocks as limit straps.
Mopar It
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- windsor nor-cal
yes i understand. basically this is what i wanna do:
convert my front shocks to monotube with the eye-eye mounts
just buy a 4" XJ kit
and use a coil spacer up front possibly 1.5" to 2".
and im unsure how to check my travel for when i order shocks like how long theyd need to be for optimum travel and ride quality.
okay i get it so you mean jack the axle down to when the shock is at max droop, and put a limit strap on there. and then jack it up to full compression? but the full compression could be different for whatever bump stop i use , right?
convert my front shocks to monotube with the eye-eye mounts
just buy a 4" XJ kit
and use a coil spacer up front possibly 1.5" to 2".
and im unsure how to check my travel for when i order shocks like how long theyd need to be for optimum travel and ride quality.
okay i get it so you mean jack the axle down to when the shock is at max droop, and put a limit strap on there. and then jack it up to full compression? but the full compression could be different for whatever bump stop i use , right?
Skullver
Still Flailing
- Location
- Ventura,CA
hmm, well, let me put it this way, you want your bumpstops to bottom out before your tires hit your fenderwell, before your shock bottoms out, before your front axle hits your oil pan. So with a given coil spring and tire size(forget the spacers if you are serious) you will need a certain size bumpstop, there is much more research to be done my friend, the full traction long arm kit is an excellent start, you would only need to convert your shock mounts and then choose your shocks, it comes with bumpstop extensions etc. Sounds like you may want to wait until you have done some research before you dive into anything "hybrid", check out jeepspeed.com for some pics and explanationsMopar It said:
if you are ever in the ventura area I would be glad to show you my rig and go through some key issues/solutions, this sort of thing is very hard to explain but quite easy to show.
Chris
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Mopar It
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- windsor nor-cal
hmm alrighty. yeah that makes sense then, but even with a given tire/coil set up, how do i figure out the shocks measurements that ill need
Skullver
Still Flailing
- Location
- Ventura,CA
first you are going to have to do your shock mounts as the length between them will change, then you put it at ride height and measure the distance between the shock mounts, then you find a shock that has a usable amount of travel in both directions given the listed extended/compressed lengths of a given shock. some guys prefer to have tons of droop and very little compression, you just need to decide what you want and what will work but shocks can be a limiting factor as you will find only one size would be optimal for a given set-up. i run 12" travel shocks up front that give me around 5" of compression and 7" of droopMopar It said:
Mopar It
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- windsor nor-cal
okay and when i measure my 2 shock mounts, i'd have my 33" tires on and my lifted coil on too, correct?
Skullver
Still Flailing
- Location
- Ventura,CA
yup, just how it would sit normallyMopar It said:
Mopar It
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- windsor nor-cal
alrighty then, yeah im gonna piece together the components myself then. im gonna go with a 3.5" spring pack in the rear, a 4.5" coil up front and then build around that i reckon, thanks for all the info
one more thing though, is travel defined as when you have your whole suspension together and it's sitting on level ground and it's the length of the shock from compressed to the state it's at currently?
one more thing though, is travel defined as when you have your whole suspension together and it's sitting on level ground and it's the length of the shock from compressed to the state it's at currently?
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- Location
- Bakersfield, CA
The easiest thing to do is buy a complete kit. However, if you want to start using what might be the best individual component you won't end up using all of the parts of the kit that you bought.
You've left out some very important information for us to consider when talking about what your possibilities are. We can talk in a general sense, which it sounds like you need, but to be more specific we could use a little more information. Does everything need to be bolt on, or can you and are you willing to do some welding and fabricating? What kind of budget are you working with? You can buy $40 shocks or $250 shocks, $30 bumpstops or $250 bumpstops. What year is your rig, and what axles do you plan to run? Some stock axles need good trussing to survive without bending.
You've asked about ZJ coils. There's nothing particularly good about ZJ coils. The RE 4.5" ZJ coils are a popular choice, but I think now the RE 5.5" XJ coils are the same spring. You want a good stiff spring, and that coil isn't bad. Currie sells a Jeepspeed coil that comes from Deaver that should be a good choice, stiffer than the RE coil. Some of us run the Skyjacker coil, which is also stiffer than the RE coil. I run the 8" Skyjacker coil with one coil cut off which makes it even stiffer. I don't know anything about the Full Traction coil.
Lot's of stuff for you to research.
You've left out some very important information for us to consider when talking about what your possibilities are. We can talk in a general sense, which it sounds like you need, but to be more specific we could use a little more information. Does everything need to be bolt on, or can you and are you willing to do some welding and fabricating? What kind of budget are you working with? You can buy $40 shocks or $250 shocks, $30 bumpstops or $250 bumpstops. What year is your rig, and what axles do you plan to run? Some stock axles need good trussing to survive without bending.
You've asked about ZJ coils. There's nothing particularly good about ZJ coils. The RE 4.5" ZJ coils are a popular choice, but I think now the RE 5.5" XJ coils are the same spring. You want a good stiff spring, and that coil isn't bad. Currie sells a Jeepspeed coil that comes from Deaver that should be a good choice, stiffer than the RE coil. Some of us run the Skyjacker coil, which is also stiffer than the RE coil. I run the 8" Skyjacker coil with one coil cut off which makes it even stiffer. I don't know anything about the Full Traction coil.
Lot's of stuff for you to research.
Matt S.
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Fresno, CA
Not much to add. Good general tech in here!
I was able to fit a 14" travel shock with a 5" lift in my rig. The top mount was inside the engine bay, going through the stock position (just cut and fabbed to mount a shock 3" higher). The bottom mount was mounted next to the lower control arm mount, almost even with the bolt. I have 7 up and 7 down, limited to 6 up and 6 down. I did that to keep the hiems from bottoming out and a little extra room for the oil pan.
I was able to fit a 14" travel shock with a 5" lift in my rig. The top mount was inside the engine bay, going through the stock position (just cut and fabbed to mount a shock 3" higher). The bottom mount was mounted next to the lower control arm mount, almost even with the bolt. I have 7 up and 7 down, limited to 6 up and 6 down. I did that to keep the hiems from bottoming out and a little extra room for the oil pan.
Mopar It
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- windsor nor-cal
yeah its an 89, with a dana 35 and dana 30 axles. i plan on keeping those, its got a limited slip in the rear end. 5 speed, np231, L6. i plan on trussing my axles too thats no big deal. i will weld but not so much fab, all i can do is gas mig at my high school during the week not so much fab unless i go buy the metal and such.
yeah i'd rather piece it all together, i want to sit at a good big heighth and clear 33's no problem. so im aimin at 4" rear leaf springs and i want it raked in the front so bigger in the front but im not sure which coils to look at..
yeah i'd rather piece it all together, i want to sit at a good big heighth and clear 33's no problem. so im aimin at 4" rear leaf springs and i want it raked in the front so bigger in the front but im not sure which coils to look at..
