i think this discussion of lowering a jeep is damn funny.
you know i thought about it once....then i proceeded to smash my own head against the wall until i was unable to think clearly.
i believe that somebody should take this advice and do the same thing


81 cj-7,360,SOA,35's,locked rear,fullcage

 

you want a Lowered Jeep HUH.. you should REALLY check out the newest model...it's called the Civic... really awesome performance.. the 4wd is so good, it doesn't even need to use the back wheels anymore. They Are pretty tall to start with, you would be alot better off lowering it... helps milage too, keeps it out of the wind.You dont need some sissy lowering kit, just cut 3 inches off the springs, and new shocks are for sissy's. Use some SUPER low profile tires, cause sidewall flex will kill your kidneys. And FORGET about using a mufler.. something this cool, needs to warn people that it's around, so they aren't overly shocked. The Best part is when you take Japanese Letters, and put them on upside down, so people can read them when their too tall stock civics roll, and they are sitting in their still upside down car.

Good luck, and i Hope you're new Toy is fun.... if you need a place to park ever, i have a few tires you can park, UNDER
BJ

"If you chose not to decide, you still have made a Choice" RUSH

 

/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif Now RaGeX....don't get the idea that this BBS is haunted by what may seem to be an uncharitable bunch of people, because that isn't necessarily true. What IS true however, is that these folks need MORE INFO. Yep, they need to understand WHY you needed that Jeep lowered.......I saw it right away/wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif....you have one of those big cruiser motor homes made like a Greyhound bus which has the little cross-wise parking garage under the floor amidships, and you need to slip this Jeep under there because you reject the idea of driving the little sub-sub-sub compact that comes with the motor home. Is that about right?/wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif...Also, there are some on this BBS who have forgotten what the true meaning of "custom" is.....and just about every Jeep is a "custom" since it has been altered....right? THE TRUE MEANING of a "custom" is....if it has one...take it off...if it doesn't have one, put one on; if it is high, lower it; if it is low, raise it; if it......well, you get the idea. So I'm totally in support of you lowering your Jeep, making it look like the '50 Mercs that kids drove to hi skool in the fifties, where you could not slide a pack of cigarettes under the car on edge. Otherwise, how can you get it to fit in the motor home garage?/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

CJDave
Quadra-Trac modified by the crack moonguy/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif transfer case team.

 

To own a Jeep and lower it is still better than to not own one at all.....but not by much. It's still a Jeep.

 

I'd just like to be around when he gets stuck in the first 4" snowfall and has to be pulled out buy a Honda Civic..... /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

Off-roaders are individuals who take pride in self reliance. People who build lowriders take pride only in how others perceive them..... sad. Think about it.

Hey, if you're really serious, why don't you start with a postal Jeep instead..... then you wouldn't be destroying a perfectly good offroad vehicle, and you'd have something really unique..... I doubt anybody's ever lowered a postal Jeep before!

'Course you might prefer one of those old Jeep Gala Surreys, you know, the ones with the fringed pink and white striped top.....

-Dana

The most valuable function performed by the federal government is entertainment.

 

RaGeX,
you have to understand that when you come to "OFF-ROAD.COM" and ask how to make your Jeep perform worse than stock off-road, you are sort of out of your element. Now, if you had said you wanted to lower your suspension to make it more stable for competition ice racing, you certainly would have received a different response. But, if you're just interested in making sparks with your oilpan, you have to expect some ribbing - good natured OR otherwise. So, ease up on the attitude & the use of the word "ignorant". See, the term "ignorant" indicates a lack of knowledge - not necessarily a lack of intelligence. And since you lack the knowledge to lower your Jeep (something any one of us on this board could explain in 3 sentences or less, had we the inclination), you might just want to reconsider using that term in more appropriate context./wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

TEX

/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif Got Mud?
http://G.U.M.B.O. Mud Racing

 

hmm well besides the 2 or 3 people who actually posted answers pertaining to my question i don't see how you can argue on the integrity of the group can you? i was using ignorant for the attitudes expressed here and i really have no idea why anyone should get so mad over someone wanting make a modification to THEIR own vehicle as it has nothing to do with them. i mean seems to be a bunch of hell-bent nazi off roaders who think anything that doesn't match their idea of conformity must get flamed,god forbid they actually answer the question, true?

 

Now that I have milled through all of this I will now offer up my opinion...I have always felt that it just wasn't proper to lower a vehicle that was intended for off-road use...I have even been against lowering two-wheel drive pickups just because it negates the whole purpose of the design...What kind of payload are you going to carry in the back when it is lowered...I just feel that it is a waste of something good...However I am still in the frame of mind that if you want to lower it do so...Whatever floats your boat man...

Josh Lavalleur
'70 CJ5 4.3L V6
D27 & D44 axles
T-14 3-speed, D18 XC, Warn OD

 

"hell-bent nazi off roaders" See, that's what I was talking about. The folks here are anything BUT conformists. But, they are all "off-road" enthusiasts. The modifications I've made to my mud racer wouldn't suit the purpose of many here. But, although I'm somewhat of an outsider among the rock-crawlers, I still share a bond with them due to my enthusiasm of "off-road" performance. And I also share a bond due to my enthusiasm for performance upgrades. Even though your Jeep is going to be relagated to the street (which is hard enough for many of us to swallow), your idea could actually make the Jeep less STREET-worthy. Any ideas here that are not performance oriented are going to be met with at least SOME sarcasm. You have to expect that. Take it with a grain of salt & laugh it off and you might get some help here. Fight back & there will be a pileon the likes of which you've never seen. That's just how it is - here or anywhere.

Now, to answer your question, it's the same as a lift only in reverse. Blocks between the springs & axle housings (spring-under-axle) combined with longer U-bolts, and/or new springs with less arch. If the front driveshaft interferes with the oilpan, you'll have to remove it. If doing that, you may want to consider using a mono-beam (no differential) from a DJ-5 (postal Jeep).

I know you're enthused about this & I applaud the spirit. But, be warned. If I see you on the road, I WILL point & laugh./wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif That's just how it is /wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif.

TEX

/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif Got Mud?
G.U.M.B.O. Mud Racing

 

Hey speaking of 63's. Mine doesn't look like the hydro monster pictured in GeeAea's post, but someone else took his 4x4 idea and converted a 4-door 63 Bel-Air into an off-roader! I found this picture on one of the several Moab sites (don't remember which one) and had to save it.

'56 CJ-5, 283, t-90/d18, 27/44, 2.5"(soon), 33's(soon), cage.

 

See now what would be sensible is if you had a TJ you could get that air bag suspension I have seen that raises or lowers the jeep from inside the cab then when you saw a low rider and wanted to show off you could drop it until sparks started flying then raise it for the big jeep coming along after that. You really should consider buying a vehicle that will look decent lowered. Jeeps were not designed for that and you may have a lot of problems with it. Just put a lift on it with chrome wheels and trim and it will look great.
Good luck.

 

I have seen a lowered Wrangler here in Pensacola. It was an odd sight. They used the low profile tires and had the wheels sticking out far from the fenders. I was good for a laugh. I haven't seen it in a few years, probably in Navy and has shipped out. To each his own .

 

You can go ahead and call us ignorant. I was just trying to be funny.
Go ahead and lower it. I don't really care. If you do, just ditch the front axle and get someting like an s-10 front. In the back, it would be best to have custom springs made. Blocks won't ride well and the u-bolts will be hung up easier.
But actually, you're original goal was just to be custom, and dang lifted is custom. Do a spring over, use 4" lift springs and a 3" body lift. That will get you about as many confused looks as lowering it, but people won't be constantly adding extra holes to you're tires. Then you could still paint it some ass-ugly scheme and we would have mad a good compromise.

Ed

I live, I breath, I Jeep

 

My reply UP there was a hint in the right direction. I love vehicles of all kinds, Chevy and Jeep are both at the top of the list. I can appreciate any custom work, and am planning some of my own on my beasties. Picking up custom truck magazines (Chevy High Performance, Mini-Truckin, etc) will give you many ideas.

If you are going to do this, please don't let me know, I still love a lifted Jeep more than a lowered one. Show vehicles are cool, but not for back-country! Last weekend I was at a S&S show, and spent 4.5 hours drooling over the custom work.

I met a guy who had a high lifted CJ5, decked right out with all the pretty goodies and such. I invited him to a Jeep run (lifted = off-road, right?), and he cowed on me! His baby is for nice, dry weather only, never sees snow and is only driven on weekends. Whatever! I don't think I would like to see him at one of our meetings (check out our last club run at www.calgaryjeep.com/events). We played in the fresh spring mud! What a blast!

Anyway, I am still bustin' a gut laughin over all these posts!

Laters!

Vance - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
1985 4x4 S-10 and 1988 Jeep YJ

 

Well, call me a ignorant individual with a lack of integrity, but I stand behind my mocking. I don't recall seeing anyone express any anger...and in all fairness, you were warned early and often that you were exposing yourself to a large amount of ribbing by posting a question on lowering a jeep on an off-road bulletin board. Post an intelligent question, and I'll post an intelligent response. Lowering a jeep is like buying a hammer and then cutting the head off of it to make it lighter. You are making the hammer incapable of performing the task for which it was designed. Now can you use the hammer handle for some tasks? Probably...but it will never be a hammer. On this bulletin board, we focus on making better hammers...not on destroying them. When someone creates a new idea, we carefully evaluate it and respond with our honest opinions. But when someone posts a question that not only isn't new, but moreover destroys something that many of us consider sacred (for lack of a less religious term), the response you received is not only obvious, but warranted. Now when I go posting questions about how to make my circular saw quieter by removing the electric motor...or how to reduce the number of times I have to mow the lawn by spraying it all with roundup...or some other inane idea that completely voids the obvious purpose of whatever I am working on, I invite you to return and mock me. So when I post my question about building a roll cage out of pvc, have at. Until then, I'm going to take my hell-bent nazi self out to the shop and work on my winch mount, so at the very least, when you get your lowered jeep high-centered on a speedbump, I'll be able to drag your "anti-jeep" somewhere where people can't see it.

Evolution of tools: stone, hammer, wrench, socket, impact, really big hammer, blue wrench.

 

*******? Ignorant? Nazi?

O.K. I'll buy the ******* part.

MAYBE I could buy the ignorant part, since I generally read the forum to learn.

Nazi? Not on your life. Don't say it to my face: you won't like the response at all.

Lower the jeep if you want to. It's a free country. Free enough so that I don't have to pretend that's not completely pointless.

I will say that if you read even a few days worth of posts you must have realized the question belonged in some other forum. The implications of that conclusion (about your character and intelligence)seem plain enough.

Bone stock '81 CJ7,'96 ZJ.
"Will Rogers never met Bill Clinton."

 

Well sport,
you came to "OFF-ROAD.COM" Not "punk ass kid .com" I was feeling sorry for you and was actually thinking of trying to help until you called us a bunch of "nazi offroaders" Why don't you go to some site that teenagers with lowered civics hang on. Maybe they can help

Axlesupagain/wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif
http://home1.gte.net/lrgreen2/index.htm

 

personally i wouldnt lower anything with tires on it, but since you asked:

the front will not lower more than an inch without major steering problems, and or fabricating a new front clip.

the rear you could use blocks, new springs, or get trick and use an airbag/four-link system. be watchful of your driveshaft angles, and shock mounts as you will be rotating the axle tube.

good luck on your project, as you will be on your own. there is no aftermarket support for building lowered jeeps, and most off road shops wont touch you with a ten foot pole.

dan
Good things come to those who do research!!

 

Oh man, that is comedy at it's finest!

You want to lower your jeep, fine. BUT please do me a favor and put a pole on it with an orange flag at the top so I don't accidentaly run you over! I almost drove completely over a Miata the other day, I'm going to get a sticker that says:
MIATA RUN YOU OVER!

anybody else want one?

/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif Big Ed
'88 YJ, 4" susp,3" body,33's,283 Chevy V8,TH350,4.11's,D30,D35c

 

You're in luck!! I have a lot of expirence in lowering 4 wheel drives. Every truck I've owned, except my utility wagon I've lowered at some point. Here's the best way I've found to do it. Find a dirt hill about 3-4 feet tall and drive over it about 35-45 mph. Repeat this process, shouting "Weee!" everytime you go over, until your truck starts to make nasty noices. I suceeded in getting my 4runner 3" lower in the back and 2" lower on the pass side by using this method. Talk about unique!!!! For your application I'd suggest removing the rollbar, all that weight up top can make it tippy, and finding a hill that is shorter then your wheelbase. This will aid the raping of your Jeep. '86 Cj7s are one of the most sought after Jeep in existance, sell it to someone who appreciate it's abilities and style. Maybe you should get your self a nice mountain bike without a seat. I'm sure you'd get more enjoyment out of it anyway. If you do go through with it I hope you don't live in Phoenix. My ignorant, *******, nazi, friends and I get bored and drunk sometimes. Bottom line get a Civic and a Yuban can, it would probably make it easier to find a life partner anyway.
Travis

Inquire about my witty original saying contest/wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif

 

Ahhhhhh, the ol' slam-bang lowering kit. Got one of those on my '80 Toyota. Some old Rancho springs up front (that were clearly abused by the previous owner) combined with an iron-head SBC on top of them & three really rough mud pits last year, and VOILA! I lost an inch of height in front (also managed to dent a front fender - no idea how that happened /wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif). 'Course now I have a dorky nose-down look to the truck /wwwthreads_images/icons/blush.gif. The rest of your post was pretty harsh, although quite witty & humorous - but really good point about the '86. That is indeed a very much sought-after CJ due mainly to the wide-track 44 rear (and for sentimental reasons since it was the final CJ).

TEX

/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif Got Mud?
G.U.M.B.O. Mud Racing

 

Rageboy is just baiting us. He didn't fill out his bio for that
reason. He thinks he is proving something here. Let him lower
his moms jeep if he wants. I hope he lives in the snow country.
Gibby


~Someone's got to keep the bastards on their toes~
-HST

 

Man!!! I am laughing to the point of bursting!! I can't believe that someone would even think of doing something this embarrassing to their own jeep vehicle. Personally, I think all lowered vehicles look rediculous. NONE of them have any purpose at all. Most, if not all, of them will scrape on any speed bump, pothole, or piece of gravel when traveling above zero miles per hour. I remember a guy in highschool who lowered a 4x4 suzuki sidekick. Every time he went over the speed bump in the parking lot he got stuck on it. The 4x4 did help him get off of it a couple times though. His friends lifted the back end so the front tires would touch the assphalt. Most of the time he had to stay an hour or later after school so he could go around the speed bump. RAGEX, this could happen to you when you get to highschool. Also, I see no need for name calling. This action just proves how high a level of maturity one has. Most people on this board have a high maturity level, but there are the occasional misfits(ragex)who try to ruin everything for everyone else. Although these posts have supplied me enough humor for a month, the bursts against each other should stop. This does not mean keep trashing the idea of lowering a jeep, all I am saying is that we should stop the personal attacks. Oh, by the way, I like the synonym with the hammer and cutting off its head compared to lowering a jeep. All it does is makes that item absolutely useless. Happy jeepin' /wwwthreads_images/icons/laugh.gif

/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif'46 CJ 2-A Rusty, but still fun to drive and easy to work on./wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif

 

Ok, got the info i needed just want to return some flame here,k. #1 i live in NJ so their is no snow and i just use it to go from my dorm, to a school parking lot or home and there's is again no place to get stuck if i see a speed bump again i doubt i would get stuck and even still i would be able to get over it as i was only lowering the thing 2" and putting 17" on it. the jeep has no resale value imho because it has over a half a million miles on it and too many other problems to list at the moment. and the the hammer thing was an ANALOGY not a synonym like one of you geniuses cleverly pointed out, a bad one at that. unless your a 110 pound weakling you can pound a nail into just about anything, just takes longer. Maybe a good one would be buying cross training shoes to play basketball in but then again who cares, besides losers with no life? oops almost forgot thats just about all of you.

peace

 

Well, ragex, I don't know where you've been hibernating the entire 16 yrs of your life, but it snows in Jersey. Remember January 25th? What was that? A major cocaine spill? There is definitely a maturity issue here and I think it is one that you have to deal with, not us. BTW, are you a boy or a girl. There is no profile for you. I would guess a 10 yr old girl from your responses. Like many of the other guys said, this is an off road site. It is for people who have vehicles that go off road. See the connection?
off-road.com .... off road.... off-road.com......off road....
hmmmm
The internet is huge and is a valuable resource of information, use it!! Obviously you came to the wrong website and should have realized that early on.
Go to excite or yahoo and look up "lowering", don't use the word jeep anywhere in it!! You will be sent to a bunch of off road sites if you do.
Don't get the impression that we don't want you around!!
We need that sense of humor of yours!!!
peace
BeEe240