stanleybb50
New member
I really can't express how awesome the T4R.org community is. Thanks ARK.
I actually just got done saying this in another thread that I was thread-jacking... lol. But I'm admittedly probably not going to do anything lift-wise until the summer. But I'm slowly working at acquiring the parts needed, so it's not a big hit all at once when the time comes.
My few limiting factors that are effecting my decision on what lift to go with are:
1.) Garage door height. This will be remedied by replacing the current probably 1970's garage door opener, which will allow the door to travel the crucial extra 2" or so that I need! Just need to replace that cheaply on my own time.
2.) Know-how. I've done a fair amount of vehicle DIY in my day, but this in general has me nervous... One piece of this is the fact that I live in Western PA, and they like to throw lots of SALT anytime there's even a dusting of snow... I've already decided that I'll likely just need to buy Poly sway bar bushings and links, because it could use the upgrade anyway, and I might end up needing to cut some bolts off with the angle grinder or a sawzall... Other bolts might be rough as well.
3.) Install shops (if needed) If the Harbor Freight spring compressor i picked up isn't up to the job, or I just feel I can't handle it half way through.
4.) Some of my long-term effects stuff mentioned above that have already been answered, but still have me nervous, like wear on the ball joints over time?
5.) Decision on which lift to go with... 95% of my driving will be on-road. I want to keep the ole' girl stable. If I go with the much easier Daystar, then I'm not adding any firmness to the ride, to compensate for going up 3" overall (with tires). Family safety means a lot to me, and lets face it, I sometimes drive like an a**h*** and take bends faster than I should and don't want extra body lean... So that takes me to Bilsteins, and the ideal lift for me with the Billies would be Billies set at the .85" level, with a .5" (1" net" topout spacer) like the one from Cornfed to go with it, so it only gets a little firmer. Then, a 1" rear lift would be the right height to match - also from Cornfed... But these are pretty expensive options... But then of course, the wife likes the current smooth ride... Or I could just swap out the springs front/back for FJ's +.5" spacer (1" net) up front and keep the stock shocks... (This will be a decision I need to make thsat no one can really help with.)
6.) Finally, I have the Air Lift 1000 bags in my rear coils that I wish to keep - especially now that I'm taking some of the rake out. The bump-stops are currently cut to stock height for the bags, as per instructions and the fact that it is/was stock when I put them in. Additionally, I need to hope I left enough slack in the lines to allow for more lift. But mostly, the question pertains to how the bags themselves will work with the bump stops cut too far, and if there's an easy way to add something back in there to make up for the difference?
Pheww... Alright, I think that about sums up my concerns. Some of this stuff can be answered, and some are just my own unfounded fears...
I actually just got done saying this in another thread that I was thread-jacking... lol. But I'm admittedly probably not going to do anything lift-wise until the summer. But I'm slowly working at acquiring the parts needed, so it's not a big hit all at once when the time comes.
My few limiting factors that are effecting my decision on what lift to go with are:
1.) Garage door height. This will be remedied by replacing the current probably 1970's garage door opener, which will allow the door to travel the crucial extra 2" or so that I need! Just need to replace that cheaply on my own time.
2.) Know-how. I've done a fair amount of vehicle DIY in my day, but this in general has me nervous... One piece of this is the fact that I live in Western PA, and they like to throw lots of SALT anytime there's even a dusting of snow... I've already decided that I'll likely just need to buy Poly sway bar bushings and links, because it could use the upgrade anyway, and I might end up needing to cut some bolts off with the angle grinder or a sawzall... Other bolts might be rough as well.
3.) Install shops (if needed) If the Harbor Freight spring compressor i picked up isn't up to the job, or I just feel I can't handle it half way through.
4.) Some of my long-term effects stuff mentioned above that have already been answered, but still have me nervous, like wear on the ball joints over time?
5.) Decision on which lift to go with... 95% of my driving will be on-road. I want to keep the ole' girl stable. If I go with the much easier Daystar, then I'm not adding any firmness to the ride, to compensate for going up 3" overall (with tires). Family safety means a lot to me, and lets face it, I sometimes drive like an a**h*** and take bends faster than I should and don't want extra body lean... So that takes me to Bilsteins, and the ideal lift for me with the Billies would be Billies set at the .85" level, with a .5" (1" net" topout spacer) like the one from Cornfed to go with it, so it only gets a little firmer. Then, a 1" rear lift would be the right height to match - also from Cornfed... But these are pretty expensive options... But then of course, the wife likes the current smooth ride... Or I could just swap out the springs front/back for FJ's +.5" spacer (1" net) up front and keep the stock shocks... (This will be a decision I need to make thsat no one can really help with.)
6.) Finally, I have the Air Lift 1000 bags in my rear coils that I wish to keep - especially now that I'm taking some of the rake out. The bump-stops are currently cut to stock height for the bags, as per instructions and the fact that it is/was stock when I put them in. Additionally, I need to hope I left enough slack in the lines to allow for more lift. But mostly, the question pertains to how the bags themselves will work with the bump stops cut too far, and if there's an easy way to add something back in there to make up for the difference?
Pheww... Alright, I think that about sums up my concerns. Some of this stuff can be answered, and some are just my own unfounded fears...
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