budget boost

im looking in to get a budget boosty since i dont want to spend that much money. i've look at other threads but none of them had company names are they all pretty much the same. i want to use spacers in front and shackles in the rear to get about a two inch lift.

if you go with rubicon express you get spacers up front, add a leafs in the rear, and shocks it think for about $275.

Rustys, rough country, rubicon express... I would go with rustys, they have good prices.

-Alex

Rough Country sells what you are looking for on their eBay store for $90:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/84-0...004QQitemZ140212098569QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
Their shackles are pretty beefy, I don't know about their spacers. I think you would probably be OK with stock shocks on a budget boost but don't quote me on that.

the RC kit does not include shocks off of eBay I believe, but you could contact Grimus99XJ on here and he is the RC rep and could get yo the low down and prices. Give him a call and he can hook you up.

RE kit w/ AAL and shocks $259.95 plus shipping on their site
Rusty's kit with new 2" coils, AAL's and shocks for $270 plus shiping on his site, but his shipping is sometimes a bit high.

There are a few other kits on eBay that are affordable, but check to see what all components that they come with.

do you need new shocks with a budget boost i was only looking to spend about 100 dollars since i dont have that much money right now.

natesjeep said:

do you need new shocks with a budget boost i was only looking to spend about 100 dollars since i dont have that much money right now.

Click to expand...

you could run your stock shocks for a limited time but due to them maxing out they will go bad on you quick. It is highly recommended to go with some aftermarket shocks right up front. Or you could go with some BPE's to increase your shock travel.

as for the BB pretty much all are the same, i would go with a spacer/shackle combo vs an AAL as you can reuse your shackle in the future.

-Kyle

what are BPE's

you will notice that you stock shocks will be very squishy after you bump it up 2" and when your cornering you will notice a change.

bar pin eliminators

rustys also so has a AAL or shakel with spacer for 100. and if your doing less then 2 inches then you dont need new shocks.

how soon would my stock shocks go out because i do plan on get a bigger lift down the line.

Just go with this kit and be done with it:

http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=rustys&Product_Code=RK-BB40-XJ&Category_Code=sus_xj_kit

This kit is perfect for your budget. Your shocks will be fine.

The Rock Lizard Fabrication guy has some good info on budget boosts on his site: http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/home_brew_budget_boost.htm He recommends ZJ (Grand Caravan) stock "Up Country" package shocks front and Commanche shocks rear for up to 3" of lift. Monroe Sensa-Tracs are $27 each front and $32 each rear from RockAuto.com, just do a part number search for the Monroe PNs he lists.

Also look at FitchVA's site: http://fitchva.com/jeep/?p=56 . He states that stock shocks are perfectly acceptable on a "street bound" XJ with a 2" budget boost, but recommends the same longer shocks Rock Lizard does.

Also, regarding the BPE idea, I have yet to see a BPE that adds more than 1" of length to the shocks. My JKS front BPEs add about half that. So I don't really think that's going to be all that helpful for lengthening your shocks.

natesjeep said:

what are BPE's

Click to expand...

Bar pin eliminators
http://www.jeepinoutfitters.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=791

-Kyle

my first lift was a BB
i used these spacers
http://www.4wheelerssupply.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/1

and these aal
http://store.summitracing.com/partd...&part=EXP-13120&N=700+400145+115&autoview=sku

gave me a good 2" of lift

natesjeep said:

do you need new shocks with a budget boost i was only looking to spend about 100 dollars since i dont have that much money right now.

Click to expand...

According to this link you could probably get by with stock length front shocks for a (2 inch) budget boost but would need to do something in back, either longer shocks or BPE's or both. You could get by with your stock rear shocks for awhile if you don't go offroad or otherwise overextend them.

http://members.aol.com/Stvns/XJhelp2.html

so if i can get some stock zj shocks in rear can i also get the ones in front or will they not fit. because i know the local junk yard has at least to.

I think stock ZJ rear shocks would work. If memory serves me right they were recommended with the budget boost/bastard pack threads that have been active in here. You could search for "bastard pack" and find it i'll bet. I'm not sure I'd put shocks from the junkyard on my rig, but if they work for you go for it.

natesjeep, think about this. You mentioned you will move up in the future. When is the future? A year, six months? If its going to be under two years, then I recommend not spending anything right now, saving your money and buying a larger kit when you are ready. This will save you twice the work and a lot of money in the long run.

If you truly want just a budget boost or you really want to lift it twice or buildup just for the experience, then do the rocklizard budget boost, its easily the cheapest route to get a stable on and light offroad platform.

Instead of lifting the rear with shackles though, add both the main leaf and the second leaf from the donor pack instead of just the main leaf. This will give you exactly 2" in the rear and means you don't even have to take off the main leaf from your jeep.

Use v8 ZJ Grand Cherokee coils and add a second set of stock coil isolators. This will also give you 2" even in the front.

You can run stock shocks for a while on this, but like others said, it will be a bit mushy in the rear. Using the same upgraded shocks that he describes on the rocklizard site will give you the longer shocks you need and will be adequate for a 2" lift. The whole package can be done without shocks for between 50 and 150 bucks depending on how much you pay for the coils and donor leaf packs. New centre bolts and spring retainer clips should be under 10.00.

You can easily fit 30" tires on a 2" lift and 31's with some mild trimming.