Budget Boost questions

Ok, I've searched a lot and probably read every single BB thread on this board but still have unanswered questions.

I just bought a 98 Classic and it's riding stock right now. I'm looking to boost and get new rubber in the next couple of weeks. I'm still tossing up between 30's and 31's?
I do a little bit of off roading, but mostly just basic forest service roads and getting myself into good fishing locations. I don't do any mudding or crawling really, but sometimes do some semi-challenging trails.

I've been reading all the reviews on BB's and other lifts but still can't really decide which one to go with. This is also the first lifted truck I will have so I have no experience with the matter.

I've got a rear hitch and put on tow hooks on the front, so I've got the extraction angles covered, and I'm ordering rails and underbody protection.

These are all the mods I want to do for now, and I want to install a lift that require little to no modifaction to other areas of the Jeep (trasfer case lowering, longer brake lines, SYE), I'm not sure this is even realistic.

Anyways, I'm trying to decide which BB to do and why? I've been eyeing the RE, and I was also looking at the OME, but I'm not sure I want to spend 8 bills. From what I've read, stay away from rocky road.... so then there's BDS, which not many people talk about. How do BDS and RE compare and why does the BDS cost over a hundered dollars more? Also, can anyone explain to me what the hybrid of RE and OME consists of and what kind of price I'd be looking at? I'm most likely going to order everything from DPG, just waiting for them to open up on Monday!

Again I want to do as little mods as possible aside from the actual lift. Any help would be much appreciated, and sorry if some of these questions are repeats.

I'm also not against going higher than 2" (BB) if you can convince me of the advatages. I've only been looking into BB's bc of the mods reaquired to go higher than 2"

If I was only going to 2" I would not even look at any of the companies mentioned. I would do the Junkyard lift. Front coils from an F150 and rear springs from a Dakota or S10. At 2" you don't need LCAs you may need new shocks but monroe makes ones with a longer travel than your OEM shocks and you have about the requested 2" for just about $150 plus new shocks. At 2'' you probably won't need a SYE or a modifed Driveshaft either. Cross those bridges if and when they need to be crossed.

I just installed a RE 3.5" kit on my '88. It seems to me that by the time you go through the work to install a BB kit you would have done almost as much work as installing a full kit, yet you have not upgraded anything with new parts.

For a mild lift I would look for/hold out for a quality 2" kit with new springs. Plus you can always boost the kit with spacers and shackles and feel confident you have new springs. I think you will be happier in the long run.

Mike, thanks for the info. I have looked into the junkyard lift and have given it serious thought. Would I be better off to get higher quality shocks, say OME than Monroes though?

bl87xj, what are some kits that are higher quality with new springs? Are you refering to OME?

I have the rocky road 3" BB on mine right now, and don't really have any complaints about the actual lift components them selves. For the wheelin I do, so far i'm happy with that part.

The JKS trac bar, however, i'm not so happy with at the moment...

I love my BDS lift. Rides well flexes well and can't beat the lifetime warranty springs. My system has been on for almost 2 years. The rear is still at 3.75" and the front is at 3" so I added a .75" spacer.

Brad Klammer said:

Mike, thanks for the info. I have looked into the junkyard lift and have given it serious thought. Would I be better off to get higher quality shocks, say OME than Monroes though?

bl87xj, what are some kits that are higher quality with new springs? Are you refering to OME?

Click to expand...

Depends on your usage of the vehicle. For an occasional trail ride I would buy the monroes but if this is to be used every weekend on trails etc then I would go to BDS or OME.

Personally, I have OME 2" front and rear springs - ride GREAT (medium spring rate), wish i had gotten better shocks, but that i'll tackle when these crap out. Been in a few rigs with OME shocks and they are awesome.

Get rid of your rear sway bar...with 2", you should be good with brake lines...track bar, well....i got a new one.....JKS adjustable with a horizontal frame side mount and LOVE it....

Brad Klammer said:

Mike, thanks for the info. I have looked into the junkyard lift and have given it serious thought. Would I be better off to get higher quality shocks, say OME than Monroes though?

bl87xj, what are some kits that are higher quality with new springs? Are you refering to OME?

Click to expand...

The downside to that JY lift, are those F-150 coils. They are very stiff riding. If you are planning on keeping the Jeep your daily driver, you probably won't be very happy.

bl87xj said:

I just installed a RE 3.5" kit on my '88. It seems to me that by the time you go through the work to install a BB kit you would have done almost as much work as installing a full kit, yet you have not upgraded anything with new parts.

For a mild lift I would look for/hold out for a quality 2" kit with new springs. Plus you can always boost the kit with spacers and shackles and feel confident you have new springs. I think you will be happier in the long run.

Click to expand...

The 3.5" RE kits are TONS AND TONS more labor than a simple 2" BB. Getting the longer coils in alone is more of a chore than getting a spacer on a BB.
Longer brake lines, LCAs, sway bar links, etc. alone in the standard kits, not to mention any optional equipment.

I ran Rusty's 2" Long AAL for almost 3 years on one XJ. Good lift for the price I paid. Ride quality wasn't sacrificed, and it cleared the 30 inch tires I wanted to run.

Ya know I gotta say that Budget Boosts rock!!!!! especialy when theyre redneckafied by your's truely I did a 2" front with a 3" rear made outa some heavy duty poly boards cut into spacers with a jig saw for the front and a 3" block in the rear, I love it, whole thing cost me less than 50 bucks!!!!!!!! just an idea.

Im suprised no one mentioned the best 2" JY lift. Go find some V8 ZJ coils and a two leaf packs out of a XJ. Disassemble both packs add some leaves get a MJ shackle or another companys extended shakles. For the front put the ZJ coils in and if you want some extra isolators. The spring rates remain the same and the ride is nearly stock. Check out rocklizardfabrication.com he has a great write up on this lift.

I'd go 30's for now and slowly build up step by step and do it right, and how you want

what about the homebrew bump stops, and bar pin eliminators to make up for the shock travel.

245/75/16 poly spacers in front and shackles in the rear. stock shocks 100 bucks is the most I would spend on Budget boost. It's called "Budget boost" for a reason

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFd9ugS8gqA

.

RE 2" BB with full-length Add-a-Leaf. The only mistake I made with mine was that I ordered it with the short leaf:


http://www.yuccaman.com/jeep/jeeplift.html

Jim www.yuccaman.com

goodburbon said:

245/75/16 poly spacers in front and shackles in the rear. stock shocks 100 bucks is the most I would spend on Budget boost. It's called "Budget boost" for a reason

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFd9ugS8gqA

.

Click to expand...

That was bad ass... makes me wanna run out and get some diff covers.

Not exactly what you'd call BB, but I just installed the OME 2" (which got me 3" over stock) and really love it. The Jeep rides better than new with no vibes. New coils, packs, OME shocks & stabilizer. I also went with a JKS adj trackbar to replace the worn original. I am also caught in the 30" or 31" tire decision. I found some LCA's from an '03 WJ and plan on replacing mine with them to help with potential tire rub. There are lots of cost-cutter ways to go, but my '96 has only 82K on the clock and it is still a daily driver. We travel about in a state park to hunt and fish on unimproved roads, and this setup will work great for me. I probably have around 1k invested so far, but the vehicle was well worth doing it right and it was wife approved:laugh:

OH_FARMER, sounds like I'm in the exact same boat as you. I'm leaning towards the OME, my Jeep also only has 120,000 kms (74,000miles) so I want something that will last long and be good for DD. Where, and how much was your OME? You say you ended up with 3" over stock? This might sounds like a real noob questions, but why does everyone replace the trackbar? What benefits do you get from this either than more frame rigidity?

The tracbar is replaced not for ridgity but for adjustability.

The higher over stock your suspension is lifted the more your axle will shift toward the drivers side because of the set length of your original trac bar. The adjustable ones will allow you to re-center the axle under your jeep.