to lift or not to lift...

[smithoman]

I need new rear springs on my 90 because it's really sagging. But for a little more money I could put a lift kit on that comes with new springs. Problem is there are lots of different kits out there and noone seems to have a clue about what I need to do to lift it 3". I have been told that it can be a real pain to do but no real info. Plus the kits vary. One is simply urethane spacers another has a steering rod extension and others have bumper brackets. One dude even told me I'd screw up the suspension by doing a body lift. I replied that the suspension is hooked to the frame? Then he told me I'd have to realign the axles. What?

Anyway, I'm about to throw in the towel on the whole lift thing. Anybody got any good advice. I would love to go up 2 or 3" and put on some bigger tires.

 

[dusten]

I need new rear springs on my 90 because it's really sagging. But for a little more money I could put a lift kit on that comes with new springs.

do you have the skills to do the front portion of the lift yourself? IFS lifts are often complicated.

Problem is there are lots of different kits out there and noone seems to have a clue about what I need to do to lift it 3".

a general rule on any lifted rig, in addition to springs, you will need something to correct the steering, and possibly brake lines too.

I have been told that it can be a real pain to do but no real info.

as stated above, ifs lifts can be a huge pain in the ass.

One is simply urethane spacers another has a steering rod extension and others have bumper brackets.

those are body lifts. they are pretty easy to install, and will not effect the ride, or geometry of your suspension one bit. but, you will still need new rear springs at that point, so is it really going in the right direction?

One dude even told me I'd screw up the suspension by doing a body lift. I replied that the suspension is hooked to the frame? Then he told me I'd have to realign the axles. What?

if this was at a place where you were attempting to purchase a lift, DO NOT ever go back.

 

[ovrrdrive]

Re: Re: to lift or not to lift...

if this was at a place where you were attempting to purchase a lift, DO NOT ever go back.

Agreed 100%... A body lift won't affect the suspension at all.

Too bad you're so far away from FL. I'd love the chance to help someone put on a bracket lift. I did mine as a learning experience. I bet I could do one in a weekend now.

Btw, if you just want larger tires, a body lift is a great way to go. As far as I know, 4crawler is just about the only place I've heard of that sells a body lift for an auto transmission...

 

[GenerationGap]

I had the same dilemma when I purchased my ’91. I decided a cheap and easy fix would be to purchase Old Man Emu heavy duty springs for the rear. They are about 2” taller. To match the lift in back, I cranked up the front torsion bars. I also installed Bilsteins to control everything. I will probably install a ball joint spacer on the front soon and return the torsion bars to near stock. The front crashes a little as it is now. I was easily able to put 32” tires on, 33s shouldn’t be a problem either. The most expensive part so far were the Bilsteins but there are cheaper alternatives.

The parts probably are only fractionally more expensive than replacing everything with new stock parts. Worth the investment IMO.