must haves for lift install?

[Stripers247]

ok...i never got around to getting the install done myself and i kept getting this building feeling of anxiety when i thought about everything that could go wrong and this being my daily driver i couldnt have it posted up in my driveway being half finished for a week so i decided to have someone to do it for me :hang: ....boo me, yea i know.

ill get pics up as soon as it stops raining



thank you guys for all your input.

 

[bhorocks]

interesting i never seen rachet straps for spring compressors awesome...

good luck with the lift. i broke at least 4 bolts when i did my xj...

it sucked..... PB is your friend for sure.

 

[jesterbomb]

I decided to have someone to do it for me.

Don't worry about having someone else do it for you too much. So you can't sit around the campfire with your buddies and BS about what went wrong with your lift install. So what? For the most part they are all the same. You will have plenty of better stories to tell. Hopefully none of the stories you get are about how poor a job your mechanic did on your lift install :laugh3:.

Besides, there are a lot of other things that you can do to yourself. This way, you get to learn from your mistakes (And there will be some, I assure you) on smaller projects that hopefully won't cripple your rig or you if something goes sideways.

I'm sure there are a lot of guys here who have done the same. Hell, some of them might even have the cajones to admit it .

Edit: Beautiful idea on the ratchet strap compressor. Sweet, simple and effective. Thanks for posting the pics.

 

[Stripers247]

alright..these are some before and after

before
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXPaJ|Rup6Gna|/of=50,590,441
after
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2...?*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXPaJ|Rup6Gna|/of=50,590,441



I had Eric (awesome dood) from ECM performance down in Turnersville do the install for me. Didnt take him too long to get it all together.

Im still waiting for my rims..i rub a little bit at full lock and the rear tires are a little too close to the rear spring clamps for my taste...a little more backspacing should do the trick.

im a little over 3" in the front and close to 4 in the back. how long will it take to settle?? if its not gonna settle much further id like to get a spacer on the fron to level it out little.

 

[bronc571]

im assuming your kit comes with new sway bar links? if not buy some quick disconnects or at least stock new ones cuz your old ones will break. On stuck nuts and bolts pb blaster works the best if you heat up the old bolt with mapp gas get it real hot then blast it. pb wicks right into the threads. smokey, but it works well. good luck. its really not that hard.

 

[Stripers247]

for anyone using the ratchet strap idea....before i decided to scrap the diy install i gave a few things a test run, including the ratchet trap coil compressor...worked well but when it came to uncoiling the coil, it was a little hairy b/c the strap is either engaged or not...well atleast on the ones i was using so when i clicked the button to undo the strap it kinda explodes a bit. maybe offseting two straps...having one doing the real comressing and the other as more of a catcher before full uncoil might work a little better

 

[jesterbomb]

Hey! That's MY jeep! In my dreams. I actually have the exact same color package as you on my 2000, well it looks identical anyway .

Looks great man, and I am very glad you reposted about the coil spring compressor. As far as I can figure, alternately loosening each one a small amoutn should work just like you suggest.

 

[Turfzilla]

I wanted to make a comment on the rear upper shock bolts. First off, I am a nub to the xj thing. I bought one to lift and trail ride and just beat around in. Thanks for all the great info here, saved me lots of time and money already. Anyway back to the rear shock bolts, I broke 3 out of 4 just like everyone here guaranteed would happen. Drilled one out to get a ez out in it, major knuckle buster when it broke.. Do not even try it, just knock out the spot welded backing nut like everyone said do. It is much easier to work on this if the leafs are not installed. A great tip to get new bolts/studs in place: Take fishing line, make a slip knot and put a small piece of plastic on it and stuff it up in the hole where you need the new bolt/stud. Take the air compressor and put a little shot of air in the same hole....presto the plastic catches the air and pulls the fishing line thru the subframe where you a can reach it easily. Put the slip knot over the very end of the bolt and simply pull it into the hole. Yes, you can reach in there with a wrench and hold the bolt head while tightening the nut. This took about 10 minutes for each side. DO NOT cut holes in the carge area, it is just not the best way to do this. :shhh:

 

[JeEpXjSaM]

i cheated when i did my "ghetto" lift when it came to the upper rear shock mounts. i cut the lower mount off the bottom of the axle with a oxy/act torch and then welded it to the top of the axle.

 

[whitexj98]

i cheated when i did my "ghetto" lift when it came to the upper rear shock mounts. i cut the lower mount off the bottom of the axle with a oxy/act torch and then welded it to the top of the axle.

You definitely have some ghetto going on there... I don’t know if I would be more concerned about the compression fitting on the brake line or the huge lift blocks.. :doh:

 

[JeEpXjSaM]

You definitely have some ghetto going on there... I don’t know if I would be more concerned about the compression fitting on the brake line or the huge lift blocks.. :doh:

have used compression fittings for years with no problems, also used to use them on hydraulics for tractors and such(hyd systems are around 3000 psi) when i worked on a farm. would have flared them if i had the flaring tool, but it was 2am and the parts stores are not open that late(wish they where open ). the lift block are going to be replaced with 1 inch blocks (3 inch block in pic) as the rear sits to high after i did my bastard pack