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Custom 8" lift XJ suspension mounts..... Help?

jlake000

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Randle, WA.
I am looken to do my own 8" custom lift on my 87' Cherokee. I'm in college for welding fabricating and want to design and fabricate my own lift. I want an 8" lift. What I am planning to do is cut out all the stock suspension mounts and make new ones only 8" taller and weld them on with a 7018 rod. What I would like to know is if anyone out there has an 8" lift on their Cherokee and can give me a heads up on what they went through getten it on. Who makes a steering arm to accomodate an 8" lift? Hopefully one of you guys out there have done something simillar and can lend some advice. Thanx, jlake000
 
i am by no means a fabricator of any sort but i really dont think that would be a good idea to weld the mounts 8 inches higher. do it right the first time and get the actual 8 in suspension components. Maybe someone with a little bit more know how can back me up on this one. Good luck though

scott
 
NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

dont, please god, dont.

If you want cheap order some of rustys 8-9" coils and some 7" rear leafs.

if you want to fab, make your own control arms at best, then move up in the fabbing. if you add 8" spacers or whatever you will never live down the flaming, remember all the redneck fabs of using 14" leaf blocks? or 20" shackles?
 
you need to buy 8" lift springs and then fab the control arms and brackets. It screws up the whole balance and geometry of the vehicle with 8" lift blocks. You can buy front lift springs for a ZJ that'll give 8" of lift easily and you could also build you own 8" rear leaf springs. I used ZJ springs in the front and just bought 6" BOR springs with boomerang shackles for the rear and I have at least 8" of lift. Just raising the brackets will get into all kinds of problems such as axle wrap, etc. Good luck on the fabbing. It's fun!
 
jlake000 said:
I am looken to do my own 8" custom lift on my 87' Cherokee. I'm in college for welding fabricating and want to design and fabricate my own lift. I want an 8" lift. What I am planning to do is cut out all the stock suspension mounts and make new ones only 8" taller and weld them on with a 7018 rod. What I would like to know is if anyone out there has an 8" lift on their Cherokee and can give me a heads up on what they went through getten it on. Who makes a steering arm to accomodate an 8" lift? Hopefully one of you guys out there have done something simillar and can lend some advice. Thanx, jlake000

Rod is for arc welders not cherokees :D

It would be very tough to weld any susupension mounts to the unibody using a hot arc welder, a non gas shielded Mig is realy tough too. best results are a MIG with gas shielding.

8in drop brackets is Rasilious.
Dont buy a kit, but do a search and learn how it could be done right.

Long arm...
 
Follow the advice you're getting here. You need taller springs to get lift, not just moving the axle brackets up 8". Think about what the front axle will look like with all of the mounts and brackets repositioned 8" higher. The geometry will suck big time. Plus, taller lift springs are stiffer, which you need for stability with a taller lift.

I've welded a bunch with a stick on my Jeep, I didn't get a MIG until recently. To me, 7018 rod is nearly impossible to use in the upside down and vertical welding positions we're always in while welding on our Jeeps, plus the dirty and galvanized metal. I find good old 6011 is easier and more forgiving in the way less than ideal conditions of welding to our undercarriages.
 
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