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Cheap lifts, economy or shackle?

915 views 12 replies 4 participants last post by  **DONOTDELETE** 
#1 ·
I am intersted in a 1-2 inch lift for my 90 YJ. I have come across 2 cheap options.

A Shackle lift. I know it has been covered, but i want the staight truth. Good or bad? I will only do major wheeling 2x a year and the Jeep is a daily driver.

OR how about the Economy Suspention System (add-a-leaf)? Does anybody have this? How easy/hard, was it to install? Will it handle well on the roadway, or will the jeep shift? Agian i will only do major wheeling 2x a year. I am just trying to get my tires away from my fender flares.

Never been a fane of body lifts....

Headed for Gunnison, soon....

 
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#3 ·
If you're going to be using your keep mostly for a daily driver, try to stay away from the shackle lift. It will alter your caster and cause you to wander down the road at hiway speeds. Some lift may be ok, but I just went thru this and took off all my shackle lift and am much happier with the way it tracks down the freeway. Just my experience.


donnerparty
 
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#4 ·
well i agree with the body lifts there for none wheelers. the shackel lift might mess with you pinion angels. the econ lifts are not to dificault i put one on a cherokee in about 2 hours but i have al air tools, but i think that you should consider a spring over did one on my bro in law's sammi for less that 50 dollars your wheeling will ablilty will increes greatly, and on road maners on chang much cause it is factory springs and a little extra wheel cleans is better thatn rubbing or worse getting stuck

goes balls to the wall 24/7
 
#5 ·
I'd get your 31's and see how much lift you need. People have run 31's on a stock yj and they don't rub that much. Go w/ a 1/2" shackle lift and then a 1" body lift. At 1" they really arn't that bad and if you look at the big boys most of them run some kind of body lifts. Also consider tj flares as an option for more room . AAL suspensions can get expensive and i'd just go for a real lift kit. They run about $300 where lifts start at about $385. Did you have another post or was it some one else's i remeber writing this a couple days ago.

BarrelRoll

97 TJ

Wheel it or drive a minny van

 
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#7 ·
A srpring-over-axle job for less than $50??? (Shocks, brake lines, sway bar disconnects, driveshafts, dropped Pitman arm, traction bars, etc., etc., and that's just the parts required.) I don't think so. As far as shackles, degree shims to correct caster are the cheapest and easiest thing in the world to do. And I don't have SOA, but from what I have heard and read, SOA causes far more handling problems than shackles.

 
#8 ·
-snip-And I don't have SOA, but from what I have heard and read, SOA causes far more handling problems than shackles.-snip-

You heard wrong, a spring over with the correct caster and steering will track perfectly. And using degree shims on a front axle is dangerous with or without a shackle lift. There are is to much lateral force on a front axle to hold the shim in place, I've seen shims on front axles spit out with very bad results. Imagine the front axle coming off the spring while going around a corner at 45mph, the jeep was totaled. This isn't something I heard or read, it something I've seen frist hand.

Don't waste your time and money on shackle lifts.

If I wanted an inexpensive lift, I'd use full length add-a-leafs.

54 bucks for 4 Pro Comp add-a-leafs that will give you about 2" of lift.

Wayne @ Big Island RockCrawlers
"PYRO" The Rock Crawler
Web Site: http://www.members.tripod.com/surfmac/Index.html
 
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#9 ·
W.C., I am not doubting what you saw, and it doesn't sound like a pretty picture. How did the shims come out? If done right, the shims are the exact same width as the spring, and tight to the u-bolts on either side. The center bolt must be extended so it goes up thru the shim and into the spring perch. Did the shims break or what? I asked at a plant that makes springs, for every thing up to giant Euclids, if aluminum shims were OK or if they should be steel. They said aluminum is all they use. I was considering a SOA but was told about problems with axle wrap. But, like I said, I am only going on hearsay and what I have read. I would/could never go around a corner at 45 mph in a Jeep!!!

 
#10 ·
I know exactly how shims are installed, they go in as one piece and come out in a few pieces.
That shim -was- aluminum and broke into three pieces. On many jeeps that I've replaced lifts, I've seen alot of aluminum and even some steel degree shims with cracks(always on the front). I'm a firm believer in not using shims on front axles. If you need to reset the caster, cut the spring perchs off, rotate the axle to the proper caster and reweld.
Even though I don't recomend these, If you must use shims on the front, use steel shims and weld them to the spring perch of the axle.

-snip-if aluminum shims were OK or if they should be steel. They said aluminum is all they use.-snip-

I'd call a different company

-snip-I was considering a SOA but was told about problems with axle wrap-snip-

Axle wrap with an SOA is another topic, I thought we where talking about steering. Add a traction bar and the wrap is gone.

-snip-I would/could never go around a corner at 45 mph in a Jeep!!!-snip-

The corner I'm referring to is a long, drawn out turn on a major road where the flow of traffic is 50mph not an intersection in a school zone/wwwthreads_images/icons/mad.gif

Wayne @ Big Island RockCrawlers
"PYRO" The Rock Crawler
Web Site: http://www.members.tripod.com/surfmac/Index.html
 
#11 ·
Sorry, i am never going to get a Body lift.

Obviously No Shackle either.

The economy stuff. How does it work on/off road? The little wheeling i am going to do is pretty rough.

My 31's continully rub my flares. There are clear marks were the plastic has groves in it.

Agian, please do not tell me to get a body lift.

Headed for Gunnison, soon....

 
#12 ·
Sorry, i am never going to get a Body lift.

Obviously No Shackle either.

The economy stuff. How does it work on/off road? The little wheeling i am going to do is pretty rough.

My 31's continully rub my flares. There are clear marks were the plastic has groves in it.

Agian, please do not tell me to get a body lift.

Headed for Gunnison, soon....

 
G
#13 ·
Ok its already been covered pretty good but I couldn't resist. I would stay away from SOA if you wanting something cheap and simple to do, unless you happen to have a friend who has done it and willing to help (which I am guessing you don't or you would have already explored that). I would suggest a body lift (I personally think 3 inches lookds bad but most non-jeepers will not notice), TJ flares and maybe a mild shackle lift. Of course after you add all that up you probably could have bought a full lift. Keep in mind in general you get what you pay for, cheaper kits generally ride worse than more expensive (thats very general but somewhat true, I'm sure there are exceptions). Maybe look at a 2.5 super ride kit with a 1 inch body lift since it will be a daily driver. Jeeps like most everything else there is no cheap good way to do anything. Like everyone else says gears will probably also be in the future and can you put the lift on yourself, old jeeps are generally a pain the arse nothing as easy as it should be.

 
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