Getting parts together for a lift, questions about that's included

So I'm replacing my shocks and putting on a simple add a leaf lift while I'm at it.

I'm trying to piece it together and i'm having trouble figuring out what all is included with the various parts I'm buying. Quadratec is very vague about some of their parts. Below are the various items I'm getting:

Rear

Rear Add a Leafs: http://www.quadratec.com/products/16311_5200.htm
(This includes the pair but it isn't clear if the center bolts are included)
Spring Clamps: http://www.quadratec.com/products/16311_5220.htm
(This says that they are sold one pair per spring pack so I would need 2, but the stock ones have 3 clamps, which one will I not be reinstalling?)
Spring Center Pins: http://www.quadratec.com/products/16311_522X_PG.htm
(Seem pretty straight forward, sold as a pair, as long as they aren't included with the leafs...)

Front
Coil Spacers: http://www.jcwhitney.com/ring-type-coil-spring-stabilizer/p2005889.jcwx

I'll figure out the shocks, going for 2 inch lift compatible ones, but can anyone provide any insight to the rear components? Do I have what I need and no duplicates? Any reason I should look at a different add a leaf other than the Rubicon Express one? I will not use a short add a leaf and I believe the one I've selected would be considered long.

Please refrain from telling me not to do the add a leaf, I'm not doing shackles because I guarantee my bolts are frozen, and I don't have the $$$ for spring packs.

Thanks in advance,

hotrod

Go to the jy and get leaves from a S-10 and use those.You can get them for around $40 and they won't sag.The spacers your looking at are junk and won't lift it.I tried them and threw them away.If you have to get those then get them at AZ or Advanced cuz they are only $10 there.Go to your local spring shop and get the u-bolts,clamps and center pins.I did and it only cost me $17 for everything.Your better off getting the RC kit from them.You can get a 3in with shocks for $255.If your going with spacers then get Teraflex or some other good one.

Thanks for the reply. I was looking at the spacers and starting to think I would be better off with something else. They looked pretty terrible and I think I remember seeing the same ones at AutoZone.

I'll check one of the local shops and see how much the clamps, center bolts, and u bolts will be. I will postpone my order until tomorrow when I've had a chance to price that out.

Would the RE spacers be a better option? Quadratec has RE's and Daystar but no Teraflex.

RE: http://www.quadratec.com/products/16311_401.htm
Daystar: http://www.quadratec.com/products/16058_111.htm
They seem like apples to apples from where I'm sitting.

I'm going to place to order tomorrow morning after a visit to the local shops to price out the bolts and clamps. I'm pretty set on the aal in the back. If anyone has any more concerns I'm all ears. Better to figure this stuff out before the order is placed.

thanks again,

hotrod

i have the daystar ones from quadratech and have zero complaints.

I had the nicest riding and handling two inch lift on an XJ. I used stock ZJ V8 coils with one additional stock isolator in the front and added two leaves to the stock leaf pack in the rear. I don't know what leaves they were, probably from a YJ, just used some I had laying around, but almost anything will work. Added a little longer Bilstein 5100 shocks and it was a very nice setup. Just a little firmer than stock and it felt real good.

Order placed.

Unfortunately the aal's come directly from RE so they don't ship with the rest of my stuff. Should be here in a week or so then the fun can begin lol

I've already gone through the process of breaking, then fixing my upper rear shock bolts so there's a few hours of time I won't have to spend once the parts come in. dread of that happening is actually what's kept me running these old crappy shocks for so long but I used the BFH method seen here:

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/diy-no-worries-broken-upper-rear-shock-bolt-repair-556807/

Soooo much simpler than I was expecting. Hardest part was basically doing tricep extensions with a 4lb hammer, laying on my back, with chunks of dirt falling on my face and behind my safety glasses every time I swung, while trying to hit a punch and not my hand... I slept well that night and luckily still have both eyes fully functional.

I also don't plan on dropping the main leaf to put in the aal, that way I don't have to worry about the shackle bolts being a problem, which I've heard is not uncommon.

I've got new 2 inch lift compatible shocks on order from JC whitney as well as a new steering stabilizer. They aren't the fanciest shocks, they're the rough country nitro's listed online but anything will be better than what i've taken off. The old "shocks" will more or less stay in what ever position you compress them to... not ideal lol.

I'll post again hopefully with before and after pictures in a few days. Thanks for providing some input on my simple little lift!

hotrod

dont mean to be dissmissive, but my rough country's lasted 1 trip out to JV. take it easy on em.

regular, non nitrogen charged (sometimes refered to as hydro shocks), dont self extend on their own, they only resist change in ride height, you should feel resistance pulling them apart, and compressiong them.

and just because those RC's are nitro, doesnt make em good! the valving is sooo far off, that the rubber bushing up front absorbs more shocks than the shocks themselfs... which destroys the bushing. mine lasted 1 trip for me, at the end of the trip, i had zero bushing left, and it was a loud clunk everytime i hit the brakes. i didnt want this to happen again, so when RC offered up new shocks under warranty, i said no, and went and bought some foxes. that was the first, AND THE LAST time, i'll ever run a white rocket.

I appreciate the cautionary note regarding the shocks. I"m not expecting much serious off road work and my old ones are absolutely shot. Really it was either them or the AZ brand, if they even have extended ones.

I didn't buy them because of the "Nitro" marketing ploy, simply because the price was right for 2in lifts and they had pretty positive reviews. I will keep an eye on them and I'll be sure I don't beat them too hard.

Thanks again. Everything but my aal's have shipped, in a total of 3 different packages, meaning 4 total. It's going to be like Christmas in a few days :viking:

hotrod6657 said:

I will keep an eye on them and I'll be sure I don't beat them too hard.

Click to expand...

I dont think you got it,they are going to Beat you to death!I bought some years ago,I took them off after the first test ride!

haha, got it lol.

A firm ride I can handle. If I end up getting slammed around going over bumps with these I'll know why. I'll just have to see how they feel when they get here.

Alright well all my stuff finally got delivered. I spend the morning installing the AAL's and rear shocks. Now I'm on to the front and having trouble.

I managed to get the coil spring off without much trouble, but I'm having a hell of a time getting it back on, with the spacer in place. Is there a trick to this? I have a spring compressor from AZ that pretty much sucks, but I guess works as intended I just can't seem to get past the stupid bump stop that sticks down and I don't believe mine is removable like some are.

I'll be working on it the rest of the evening but I'll check back to see if anyone has any advice. I really want to get this part done so I can move on and I wasn't expecting it to be tough lol

Thanks in advance,

hotrod

with the shocks disconnected, sway bar disconnected, you should be able to flex it out enough to shove the coil in. start of by getting the front end off the ground, and jackstand it at the body, allowing enough room to droop it out. if you're starting with the driverside coil, jack the passenger side up as far as it'll go without taking the weight off the jackstands.... this will droop the drivers side down far enough to get it in. if it still wont go in, have a helper put his foot on the drivers side brake rotor and push down. IF IT STILL wont fit, (a small-ish coil should) get that coil compressor going, but you shouldnt need it.

WATCH YOUR BRAKE LINES, dont let it become a banjo string on you.

Thanks xcm!

I'll disconnect the sway bar end. I did manage to get the driver side one after compressing the crap out of the spring but hopefully disconnecting that will make the whole thing much easier. Doing this without the compressor would be wonderful since it's such a pain...

I'll post my progress in a little.

Well the deed is done! The lift is installed and I love the look.

The back is a little high right yet but I hear that the leafs will settle a bit and it should drop down a little.

Took her out for a test drive and it went well. I can feel a little vibration from time to time but I would imagine this is from the extra height in the rear that will go away with time. There is also a different sound, almost like a buzzing but not really that I can't put my finger on yet. If it persists or gets worse I'll start to investigate.

I'll check the toe tomorrow and see how far off I am but I didn't get any wobble in the wheel and the wheel is still about as centered as it was pre-lift.

Way too dark for pictures now but tomorrow I'll post a before and after. Thanks for all your help!

hotrod

Goatman said:

I had the nicest riding and handling two inch lift on an XJ. I used stock ZJ V8 coils with one additional stock isolator in the front and added two leaves to the stock leaf pack in the rear. I don't know what leaves they were, probably from a YJ, just used some I had laying around, but almost anything will work. Added a little longer Bilstein 5100 shocks and it was a very nice setup. Just a little firmer than stock and it felt real good.

Click to expand...

I have to admit that sly stocker build turned out way better than expected. Whoever bought that rig got a treat.

Here are the pics. They're simple but I think they made a great improvement.


This was before:




This is how it sits currently:

So I did some driving this weekend and the vibrations are a little annoying and I'm worrying that I'll end up damaging something.

SYE kit might be a little salty right now, and I don't really think I have enough lift to really call for it. I'm a little new to this but I believe I can either drop the transfer case a little, or get shims for under the axle. Does anyone have an opinion on which I should use? If I go with shims how much should I get, like what degree, and if I do the TC drop how much?

you think the rear sits too high? looks perfectly level to me....
a SYE is a good thing to have, regardless of how much lift, if you plan to keep it, are experiencing vibes, and have the cash, just do it --and dont look back!--.

the t/case drop is kinda hokey, imo. it might work, but will make you're jeep look like a chevy 1500, with all the crap hanging off the middle of the bottom of the truck... it doesnt take nostradamus to figure out thats the worst place to lose ground clearance. dont get me wrong, plenty of people do this, and it very well may fix you're vibes.

haha, yeah, I would rather not drop the TC. I know the SYE is the way to go, but funds are a little tight right now. Would a 2* shim to angle up the diff help or should I just hold out for a SYE and not bother with the shims.

The more I'm looking at it the more I agree that the back does seem level so maybe I won't be seeing the rear drop after this gets broken a little.

I'm debating if I should do something now or still give it some more time. I'll price out SYE's and see if I can't find something in my price range but if the shims would work in a pinch that would be great!

I guess I should probably check out my angles and see where they're too high...

Would I be correct in thinking that the shims will only help with pinion angle and not the angle up by the TC?

All the SYE's I see are like $300 and I just can't swing that right now. Maybe sometime later, but not right now.