RE 2 inch lift kit question

[trippled]

Get the alignment. The lift will affect the toe. Done worry about the ball joint. For a good replacement tb just get a moog but do before alignment. The vibes are kinda up to you. Minor is probably ok but more than that is a problem. Lift looks good ive been eyeballing this for the womans jeep

 

[DieselSJ]

Looking great! IMHO, that is what they should have looked like from the factory.

1)I know I should get an alignment done - how critical and necessary is this? Which angles get changed during a lift that the shop can partly or fully account for (toe-in, caster, camber)?

Definitely get the alignment. Toe will be out of spec, and caster may be.

2) Last time I was in for an alignment about a year ago, the shop said that soon I would need an ‘off-set ball joint’ as one side was -.3 more than the other. They said that was within spec but at some point action would be needed. Would the lift make this problem better or worse?

I would not worry about an offset for .3 degrees. That is well within the factory spec from side to side.

3) They also said a year ago that they were starting to see a small amount of play in the track bar and steering stabilizer. I suppose any lay in the track bar would come from worn bushings right? There is nothing else to them….So if I decide to have them replace the bushings I may as well just go all the way with a replacement track bar. And if I do that what is the recommended bar for a 2 inch lift? Another thought – what if the play is due to the mount hole wallowing out? Or is that not likely?

Track bar can have play in the stud end at the frame, or the bushing end at the axle. Mine was starting to move at the frame end so I just installed a stock replacement, with the addition of a poly bushing at the axle end. IMHO, a BB doesn't affect axle location enough to worry about an adjustable track bar. If your bar is shot AND you plan to go to a bigger lift later, then look at an aftermarket bar. As for the steering stab, if the bushings are shot then replace it. The bolt at the tie rod side of my stab was loose where it went through the tie rod, so just check everything before you start tearing stuff apart.

4) U-joint vibes. So far I have had it up to 60 mph, so I haven’t seen it all just yet. Minor vibes at 30 35 mph – almost not enough to notice or concern me, but what is the limit here? How much of a vibe should be cause for concern?

If you had vibes that required a TC drop, you would know it. Your u-joints are now moving more than they have in a very long time, so they might just be complaining a bit. Mine did that for a hundred miles or so, but now it is smooth all the way to 90.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

Setting toe can be done with a tape measure, floor jack and a couple of wrenches. There may be a write-up on here somewhere.
Very common for the trackbar frame mount to wallow out. IRO double shear track bar/bracket set will probably run you about 200$. Probably the best, low price TB setup you can buy.

 

[Crawler]

Nice XJ, Alpine Jim...

That's just about how my current daily driver sits: ZJ V8 coils, bastard packs, JK Sahara take-off shocks.

It's possible to put a new bushing in the track bar if that's where the movement is. If it's the hole wallowed-out, just carefully drill you a new hole like Hypoid said.
As far as the stabilizer goes, You might want to pull it and check for the short travel dead spot. You'll know it when you feel it. You can replace it for cheap from NAPA.

If you have play in your stabilizer and track bar now, sooner or later you're going to find out all about death-wobble, the hard way, and when you least expect it.

BTW, a heat gun will blacken those bumper caps & door trim right up for ya'...