I want to do a 2.5 suspension and a 2 inch spacer kit with 33s ,or 31s. My question is, how bad will it mess up my jeep with compared to normal w/t? Would I need to do anything else to keep from breaking stuff?
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The GC is a little difrent than the XJ's. They have coil springs on all four corners and control arms on the back that are like the fronts. Unless you have big bucks or a metal shop and the tools and skills necesary, you may find it dificult to lift above 3" As to fit of the tires on that size lift you'll have to wait till one of the guys who still has a GC and has made those mods comes on and posts for ya. I had a 96 that was still under warranty when I had it so I made no mods to it other than air filter and plugs and I ditched it the minute the warranty was gone (THANK GOD) my wallet could never have tolerated that money gobbling machine. I am pretty sure the 31's will fit fine with a 3" lift though, maybe even on as little as 2". Another thing to contemplate is WHY are you lifting. For off roading or just cause it makes it look cool. Does make a difrence when trying to decide how your going to lift and what mods you want to make.
Oh, and after reading your post again, I get the feeling you think your going to do a suspension lift and a "body" lift, ain't happening. GC is a UNI BODY, it has no "body on frame" the body and the frame are one and the same. You can only do suspension lift, and that will also depend entirely on the laws in your area. I strongly recomend you look up your local vehicle regulations BEFORE making any suspension mods. Sucks to spend money and then find out you can't get it licensed because it is illegal for the street. Ask a guy named fixer, he posts on here ocasionaly, he found out the hard way that Georgia is a ghestapo state that dosn't allow any mods to a street driven vehicle.
Oh, and after reading your post again, I get the feeling you think your going to do a suspension lift and a "body" lift, ain't happening. GC is a UNI BODY, it has no "body on frame" the body and the frame are one and the same. You can only do suspension lift, and that will also depend entirely on the laws in your area. I strongly recomend you look up your local vehicle regulations BEFORE making any suspension mods. Sucks to spend money and then find out you can't get it licensed because it is illegal for the street. Ask a guy named fixer, he posts on here ocasionaly, he found out the hard way that Georgia is a ghestapo state that dosn't allow any mods to a street driven vehicle.
A 3 inch kit will allow you to run 31's, depending on the back spacing you have on the wheels. Many companies make a 3 inch, take your pick. With 3 inches and 31's, you may rub a little bit... but only minor trimming would be necessary. I have trimmed GC bumpers a few times If you want more details on how to trim it and make it look right, send me a PM.
The two inch spacers that you are speaking about...I assume to be coil spring spacers. They are often referred to as the "budget boost" or "budget lift." Daystar makes a set. There are others as well, I found mine on e-bay for less.
Placing the 1 3/4" coil spacers on top of a three inch lift gives the GC a great look. However, the spacer will completely cover the centering shaft type thing on the rear. I went to a muffler shop and had two pieces of pipe cut, then expanded one end. I slid them on and tacked them in place. This makes me feel much better...when wheeling, you don't want to flex and loose a spring. WIth a lift that high, make sure your track bars are properly re-located.
Too many details to cover, if you want more info, let me know. I can give you many details. With a 3 inch lift + 1 3/4 spacer, and minor trimming, I am running 32's with no rubbing.
The two inch spacers that you are speaking about...I assume to be coil spring spacers. They are often referred to as the "budget boost" or "budget lift." Daystar makes a set. There are others as well, I found mine on e-bay for less.
Placing the 1 3/4" coil spacers on top of a three inch lift gives the GC a great look. However, the spacer will completely cover the centering shaft type thing on the rear. I went to a muffler shop and had two pieces of pipe cut, then expanded one end. I slid them on and tacked them in place. This makes me feel much better...when wheeling, you don't want to flex and loose a spring. WIth a lift that high, make sure your track bars are properly re-located.
Too many details to cover, if you want more info, let me know. I can give you many details. With a 3 inch lift + 1 3/4 spacer, and minor trimming, I am running 32's with no rubbing.
Glad you can be help to him Z, but 1 thing I would like to bring up. Making people PM you (I am refering to ANYBODY who does this) for info such as this is not good for this bulletin board. If we just wanted an E-mail list I think they could come up with a cheaper means than to have a server running these BB's, but then we wouldn't be here now would we. I strongly feel that if a person has info that can be useful to someone it will probably be useful to many others but they will not have access to it because you try to share in secret. Share with all, if you wanna just share with people who e-mail u or PM you, you should try yahoo or maybe one of the other bb's that like to do it that way, anything else is to deny what this bbs is here for. And please don't take this as a personal attack,it's not, this thread just gave me the opertunity to voice my opinion on this subject, you arn't the first and I am sure you won't be the last to do it, but maybe we can all work to curb it a little. Thanks.
Krabysniper--Thanks for the smack. I just seem to find myself typing on and on, and don't want to make the post boring. However, if you are all willing to hear me go on and on, I will share what info I can.
Next on my list of things to do is smack myself in the face. The info that I responded with is for the 93-98 GC's. Sorry Detectiveheiser.
The only lifts that I have seen for the 99-04 GC are 4 and 6 inch kits. If you only want 2 inches, you can use the budget boost. You can also add the budget boost to a 4 inch kit, or 6 inch kit to get some extra height. 2 inch spacers are cheap. Might as well start by buying a set and installing them to see what tires you can fit. Then you can add a kit later.
I have driven a 99 GC with 6 inches of lift. It drove very well. The owner wasn't able to get very large tires on it. It had about 31 inch tires on it, and it rubbed a little on the front bumper. However, different backspacing on wheels can play a major part in what size of tires you can fit on a Jeep. Sounds like it is time to invite some jeep friends over and swap tires around to see what size you can fit. Anyone out there know what size tires you can fit with different lifts on a 99-04 GC?
By the way, I am looking for a newer body style V-8 GC like yours, 99 and up. My wife graduates from the University of Utah this May, and wants a huge graduation present. So I will be looking into a 6 inch kit for a newer GC later this year. Best of luck to both of us, right...
If interested in lift info for the 93-98 GC, I will put some in my next post.
Next on my list of things to do is smack myself in the face. The info that I responded with is for the 93-98 GC's. Sorry Detectiveheiser.
The only lifts that I have seen for the 99-04 GC are 4 and 6 inch kits. If you only want 2 inches, you can use the budget boost. You can also add the budget boost to a 4 inch kit, or 6 inch kit to get some extra height. 2 inch spacers are cheap. Might as well start by buying a set and installing them to see what tires you can fit. Then you can add a kit later.
I have driven a 99 GC with 6 inches of lift. It drove very well. The owner wasn't able to get very large tires on it. It had about 31 inch tires on it, and it rubbed a little on the front bumper. However, different backspacing on wheels can play a major part in what size of tires you can fit on a Jeep. Sounds like it is time to invite some jeep friends over and swap tires around to see what size you can fit. Anyone out there know what size tires you can fit with different lifts on a 99-04 GC?
By the way, I am looking for a newer body style V-8 GC like yours, 99 and up. My wife graduates from the University of Utah this May, and wants a huge graduation present. So I will be looking into a 6 inch kit for a newer GC later this year. Best of luck to both of us, right...
If interested in lift info for the 93-98 GC, I will put some in my next post.
Info on 93-98 GC lifts ...
Rubicon Express makes a 4.5 long arm kit that I would love to have (Around $2700 if I remember right). That being said, I couldn't afford it at the time, so I have made adjustments to my GC.
Many of the 3 inch kits only come with lower control arms. This may be the reason I chew through upper control arm bushings, as this does put a bit of a bind on the axle. I am running a Pro-comp lift ($600). I have heard complaints about these lifts, but I don't know why. Mine is excellent. It will have been on the GC for 5 years this May. The springs are now sagging a little in the rear, maybe 3/4 an inch. Not bad considering I use it to pull a 14 foot trailer with 3 ATV's on it. I am not easy on this Jeep.
Many lifts come with a front track bar relocator. This is fine if you only go up the 3 inches. I later added 1.75" coil spacers to fit 32's. If you go up 4.75 by adding the coil spacers (coil spacers are 2" for 99-newer, 1.75" for 93-98), get an adjustable track bar. They are a must. Also, if going that high, get a rear track bar relocator. I got one made for the Rubicon Expreess 4.5, and it centered my axle to near perfect specs. If you don't do this, your axles will be hanging out one side of your GC. Bad for looks and safety. I think that Maco (sp?) on ebay may be selling the track parts for cheaper that I paid. By the way, I haven't had to lengthen any brake lines.
Rubicon Express makes a 4.5 long arm kit that I would love to have (Around $2700 if I remember right). That being said, I couldn't afford it at the time, so I have made adjustments to my GC.
Many of the 3 inch kits only come with lower control arms. This may be the reason I chew through upper control arm bushings, as this does put a bit of a bind on the axle. I am running a Pro-comp lift ($600). I have heard complaints about these lifts, but I don't know why. Mine is excellent. It will have been on the GC for 5 years this May. The springs are now sagging a little in the rear, maybe 3/4 an inch. Not bad considering I use it to pull a 14 foot trailer with 3 ATV's on it. I am not easy on this Jeep.
Many lifts come with a front track bar relocator. This is fine if you only go up the 3 inches. I later added 1.75" coil spacers to fit 32's. If you go up 4.75 by adding the coil spacers (coil spacers are 2" for 99-newer, 1.75" for 93-98), get an adjustable track bar. They are a must. Also, if going that high, get a rear track bar relocator. I got one made for the Rubicon Expreess 4.5, and it centered my axle to near perfect specs. If you don't do this, your axles will be hanging out one side of your GC. Bad for looks and safety. I think that Maco (sp?) on ebay may be selling the track parts for cheaper that I paid. By the way, I haven't had to lengthen any brake lines.
Very good info. More and more questions about the GC are asked on this forum. Most of us are XJ owners and don't have much knowledge or experience with the typical V8, electroncs and lifting GC issues. Don't be afraid to give away too much info. It's what makes this board great...
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