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is a lift kit worth buying over buildng a cheap junkyard lift?

blazinjames

NAXJA Forum User
I have a 95 jeep cherokee Im planning on doing a small lift around 3 inches and im wondering what the differences in performance on and off the road is with buying a lift kit or building my own junkyard lift

Im considering buying 3.5in leaf springs and coils from rustys or RC or something along those lines

and Im also considering just building a bastard pack and going with grand cherokee coils and coil spacers

or i might get add a leaf and shackles

im not too worried about how much i spend or how little, I just dont want to spend extra money buying a kit if im going to get the same performance doing it cheap
 
Go the jy route and get hdoffroad's shackle relocation boxes to give a little extra lift and shackle angle adjustment.
 
If you know what you are doing, you can piece something together cheaper than a kit. The ride might not be as nice with mix and match components or a bastard pack but the lift height will be there. The nice thing about a good lift kit is that everything is included and there is no need to go searching for stuff - it's all there.
 
get used aftermarket coils/control arms, way cheaper then new!
then a bastard pack for the rear, new shocks all around. spend money where it counts.
 
new shocks are nice
but used ones get you in the air for cheap then just buy new ones next year
you can build a bastard pack, cheap used shackles if need be
used coils are cheaper
so are spacers and zj v8 coils
longer brakelines are cheap
(esp dakota rear and gmc frot lines)
make your tcase drop(only if you need it)
buy used control arms for cheap
why overpay for a new kit
when you can build a cheap used one for nothing
ive peiced together mulitple 3" lifts (leaf packs, coils and shocks) all used , both i gave for free to good freinds....
 
If you know what you are doing, you can piece something together cheaper than a kit. The ride might not be as nice with mix and match components or a bastard pack but the lift height will be there. The nice thing about a good lift kit is that everything is included and there is no need to go searching for stuff - it's all there.
There is no such thing as a complete lift kit, IMO. There is always something else you might need or should get. Lift kits contain the bare minimum parts to raise the height of the vehicle, but not always everything you may need to make it work correctly.
 
There is no such thing as a complete lift kit, IMO. There is always something else you might need or should get. Lift kits contain the bare minimum parts to raise the height of the vehicle, but not always everything you may need to make it work correctly.

buy the kit that fits your needs - thats why there are so many options(control arms, brakelines, etc) but some kits are available with those items too. most kits are complete to certain needs & uses.
 
I like the idea of building a cheap junkyard lift but Im worried I will not get the on road and off road performance I want

I started with a Rocky Road 2' BB. I like this "starter" boost because of the BPE's included in the kit. They effectively lengthen your shocks by about 1.5". No need for new shocks if yours are not shot.
Then, I put GC coils up front for a little more lift, and did a bastard pack (added stock long leaf to existing pack). Jeep now sits at 420. (all 4 hub to flare measurements = 20 inches.) Enough to clear 31's with some plastic trimming. Ride is firm, but not harsh. I think it rides much better than stock.
 
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