What am I talking about???
(Also pictured Al's A-Arms and Moog LBJ's)
As listed in my Sig, I pieced together the following lift:
Front:
OME HD Springs
Rancho RSX 17505 Struts
Rusty's Strut Plate
Custom 1/4" Clevis Spacer
+ Al's A-Arms and Moog LBJ's
Rear:
OME HD Springs
"The New" - OME N132L Shocks
Daystar Bumpstops
Why go through all the trouble of getting all these different parts when I could of just bought a complete kit? Well, one of the main reasons was price. Not counting the A-Arms and LBJ's, the parts for the lift cost me about $630.00 delivered. Second, just from every thing I've read on this site over the last 2 years I felt this combo would best suit my needs. I wanted a good ride, a functional lift and one that was as problem free as a lift could be.
I was planning on just doing a OME HD / Rancho lift, then came into a few extra $$$'s and decided to get Al's A-Arms. Then I thought heck, if I'm going to get Al's A-Arms, I may as well just add a little clevis lift to go along with Rusty's Strut Plates. So I had my buddy fab me up these spacers:
They are stainless steel, 1/4" thick and the center hole is cut to 2.225", which fits the strut perfectly. I found that the Conduit Nuts a lot have used were actually too big for the Rancho's, so I had these made.
As for the results. Well I skrewed up with my measurements a little but know for sure I got 2.5" of lift in the rear. I would say I got about the same in the front as well, but my measurements said I got a little less then 2.5".
Here are some pics of my KJ. The lift pics are after about a week and a half and 200 miles after install.
Also note, the KJ is on a little bit of an up-hill so it makes the front look a little higher then it actually is.
LIFT & STOCK TIRES
STOCK
LIFT & 245/75/16 BFG KO's
As for the ride. Well, it was really out of alignment (getting that done tomorrow morning) but still rode better then stock. I ran it for about 200 miles with the stock GY's, and truely thought it was a big improvement over the stock ride. Thumbs up to the Rancho/OME HD combo in the front and The New OME N132L shocks / OME HD's in the rear. The HD's are not too stiff in my opinion, and I was a little worried about that prior to install. Today I added the BFG KO's (Thanks to Articus for a great deal on the tires) and only drove about 5 miles, but could notice they were a lot stiffer then the GY's, which did result in a rougher ride, but it wasn't too bad. Couldn't really notice a large loss in power or braking, but I'll need a little more time before I can comment on that.
I pounded down the pinch weld and sealed it up, and have a good amount of clearance there now. I do get rubbing on the front wheel liner and the bottom of the bumper. I trimmed the air dam, but that wasn't enough. The big square KO's on the Moabs, which push things out, is the problem I believe. I plan on doing a little more trimming as needed. I'll post some pics of the trimming a little later.
I have to give a big thanks to everyone on this board who has added their experiences and thoughts over the last few years. When I got my KJ in 02/2005, I knew nothing about them and only bought it because it was a Jeep (had a '94 Cherokee prior) and I got 0% and $2000 cash back. But now, thanks to this site and it's members I have gained "some" knowledge about the KJ and have a new hobby/passion. And thanks to the opinions and experiences of those on this board, I was able to find a lift that was right for me. I don't have the time or ability to sample various lifts to see what works and what doesn't, so for those of you who have lead the way I say thank you.
While I've only been lifted for 2 weeks now, I am very happy I decided to take the plunge. I'm sure I'll be even happier once I get a chance to get it dirty.
