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Lifted F150 Coils on XJ

XJfreakHO

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Greensboro NC
I am familiar with the F150 stock coils on XJs, never used them but have read about it. Heres the backstory and question, its a little different, tried to look but found nothing about it.

Recently picked up a 84 F150 with a 6" lift from a member of NC4x4, I know the coils will fit, I know they will be stiff, but will I run into any other problems running these large coils on an XJ build? Any idea how much lift they will actually give?

We are building an EXTREME low budget race XJ to run in A Class next year of ECORS, it is somewhat of a club project for TTJ. Probably try to run the shocks also with BPE's, and maybe the leafs if we can swing it.

Ideas? I figure you guys are the XJ geniuses from around the world, break it down for me if any of you have done this, or know of any problems I can expect, etc...

Would be very appreciated.
 
Your lift of 6 to 8 inches will get you into some real problems You looking at replacing/mod every part of you stearing to work with that much lift and the tires that tend to go with it. Add race type HD parts
Not a cheap mod in my book.

HD stearing box. Bigger piston type.
A 3 inch drop arm.
1 ton TRE or JJ what ever rules permit.
HD drag link.
HD locator link <-spelling
a 44D up front and even better in the rear plus Gears lockers etc.
Plus a ton of stuff.
 
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I think what he is trying to say is that, if stock f150 coils give you about 3" or so, 6" lift coils may net you 9" or so. So Unless its what you want, its too much lift, You could always cut the coil down, but my guess is the coils themselves are pretty meaty & may ride like a dump truck.
 
Didn't ask any questions about axles, lockers, or steering, off topic answers weren't expected, they don't answer anything I asked. Maybe I should be a little more specific.

We are aiming for about 6" of lift, so if cutting the coils down is what we need to do, thats fine. Riding like a dumptruck isn't an issue, this will be a strict trail rig, its basic job will be to get the hell beat out of it on a regular basis. ECORS is an offroad racing circuit that is taking off here in NC, A class is a very basic class. The poor mans racing class, if you will. We will be running 33 M/T's, 8.8 rear locked, V8 ZJ steering, and a few other minor upgrades. Don't need more information on that, we have plans already.

Need to know if I will run into any rubbing issues, etc... that would make the shocks less functional. If you can answer those type questions, please do, it will be much appreciated.
 
I've never seen them in person, but I have read, and searched real quick & saw that some trimming of the coil may necessary to get them to line up with the little clip at the bottom that holds the spring in place on the axle. Other than that if your going for free/on the cheap racing etc I would go for it for sure.
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1021260&highlight=f150+coils
 
The other side of saying it'll ride like a dump truck is that dump trucks ride rough due to very stiff springs. Extremely stiff springs tend to not flex much, especially in a lightweight XJ. What kind of racing is it you're planning on? If it involves crawling, I'd recommend finding some cheap used XJ, ZJ, or TJ springs. If it'll be mostly high speed racing, then the cut Ford springs should be fine.

Also, pretty sure badron was pointing other tings as an example of what else would likely need to be changed if you went wit those springs, thus negating their cheapness.
 
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Well thats the issue, I have this posted on a few forums, so I am getting questions answered and asked between all of them.

Its a bit of everything, mud, some big hill climbs, rock obstacles, high speed, all of it.

I know that cutting the springs will make them even stiffer, which is a problem, on top of already being TTB springs, which is 1.5x as stiff as standard ford springs anyway.

Being that the race rig is a Club project, we have alot of XJ parts floating around, including some coils, but we believe stiff coils will be a bit of a strong point since they will be heavily abused. After adding front bumper/winch/some cage work/ plating/ etc... Front end might be a bit heavy.

Also, I understand what he was saying, but he still didn't even touch on my question.
 
Keep your eyes open for some Deavers. I got some used out here for $120 and love them. Their stiffer for high speed while still allowing flex at the slower speeds. What kind of shocks are you running? I'm running super stiff Bilstein 7100s for the front. I want to build mine to be a high speed type rig while still being able to rock crawl.
 
Haven't even bought the jeep yet for this project, waiting to find the right deal. Will probably run the F150 Shocks if I can make it work, the f150 was only driven with the lift for about 3 months. Shocks are superlift... I will post some videos of the racing so you guys can get an idea, but the points leader most of last round was a 96 XJ with stock axles, stock shocks, cut fenders, AAL rear and coil spacer front, running 33 M/Ts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYCDEidRktQ&feature=related

Video of the Class I would be running in, from a previous race, not the most difficult course, they started off pretty easy to get a feel for what vehicles could do.

Heres pics from the last race of this season, was CHAOS, not all A class, but you can tell the difference, A class is the guys on 33's or less, B class is 35's or more, c clas is anything goes, more to it than that, but for picture viewing thats enuff info.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27735&id=139959559385138
 
The coils will probably net you around 9" of lift. It you only want 6" and cut down the coil, if would take a stupidly stiff coil and make it unmovable in your XJ. I would try finding a used 6" XJ coil
 
The coils will probably net you around 9" of lift. It you only want 6" and cut down the coil, if would take a stupidly stiff coil and make it unmovable in your XJ. I would try finding a used 6" XJ coil

This is an option, one of our guys has offered to donate some 4.5" lift coils to the project, add onto that a small spacer and we are good to go.
 
This is an option, one of our guys has offered to donate some 4.5" lift coils to the project, add onto that a small spacer and we are good to go.
Sweet that a way better option, my buddy ran f150 coils for 2 weeks until he wanted to kill himself and ended it up swaping coils. It made my old procrap lift feel like a caddy
 
Is there a reason specifically for the 6" lift? Why not keep it at 4.5"? Should make it more stable.
 
Having been to 3 of the races this past season, and watched footage from some others, I have noticed that there are alot of obstacles where clearance would have made a HUGE difference, whether the bumper is hitting the rocks or tires crushing the fenders. Not a for sure thing either, plan is to test things out, worst case a spacer can be removed in no time.

Was also planning to run a Bastard pack in the rear and a 1.5" shackle kit.
Able to pre run all the courses, so would definately use that to our advantage, biggest problem is one of our guys drag races during the same months we have these races going on, he is the most prepared obviously, has a van packed to the gills with tools, generator, welder, whatever we may need for a track repair.
 
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