Topic: How does your YJ drive??

[N8whitie]

hey everybody, New to the forum and I have a 95yj I bought. It has a garbage shackle lift on it and a 3 inch body lift with 33's. The engine is tough as nails but I feel like it could have more power. My first order of business is to take the long shackles and body lift out and change the suspension and get a rear Dana 44 on it. What is a good size lift where I can put 35's? I currently use it as a daily driver and this shackle lift is a reeeeally bouncy ride and I feel like it screws the steering up too. I was going to do an engine swap eventually but you guys talked me out of it already just by reading the posts on here. 4 banger pride! lol.

 Im looking at the RC 4". Would I be able to fit 35's with some trimming?

   Thanks in advance.  Nate

[Jeffy]

I'd go with some custom springs from Alcan or Deaver, probably 5".  Then swap the flares for some TJ flares and trim the openings.  Swap those shackles you have for Currie boomerangs.

[N8whitie]

Thanks man, I head out to the gulf to get on a boat for a few months tomorrow so I'll have some cash to throw into this when I get home. What kind of shocks are you running. I dont know how to figure out the size I would need for that lift. Is there a formula to figure it out?

[N8whitie]

Also, I'm looking at some tube fenders. I think those look killer.

[Jeffy]

Tube fenders will give you enough clearance without having to do TJ flares up front.  It's still a good idea to do them in the back unless you're going to go with rocker corners that have the flares built into them.

I would wait on shocks till you have the lift and tires on.  Then you can have it flexed so you can measure the max and min lengths.  I'll also recommend changing out the front shock towers for some Ford F-series ($15 each) so you can run longer shocks which have a standard eye instead of the stud.

The reason for going custom leafs instead of off the shelf is that you'll get exactly what you want and typically, it's a sure bet, it will ride better.  They build them to your needs and specs.  They account for the weight of the Jeep which is good.  Although if you wanted to do an off the shelf lift then I'd probably go with Rubicon Express 4.5" XD but for that coin, you might as well go custom.

[N8whitie]

Cool man, Thats exactly what I'm going to do then. Thanks for the advice. I'll post some pics when I get back from sea and get this put together.

       Thanks again, Nate

[sharpxmen]

for the same purpose (35'' tires) i'm installing a 4'' lift and i have 1'' shackles and 1'' body lift (it's ok at this size, 3'' is a bit extreme).

[N8whitie]

Yeah, I knew the lift set up was shitty. I just bought it because I liked the year, color and the engine is a beast. It has 155,000 miles and I've driven it from the bay area to San Diego and back, Santa Barbara... everywhere and never had an inkling of a problem. I'm going to change the tranny from the ax5 to the ax15 too.

[Jeffy]

Yeah, I knew the lift set up was shitty. I just bought it because I liked the year, color and the engine is a beast. It has 155,000 miles and I've driven it from the bay area to San Diego and back, Santa Barbara... everywhere and never had an inkling of a problem. I'm going to change the tranny from the ax5 to the ax15 too.

If I was going to swap out the transmission, I'd highly look into swapping in a NV3550 5-speed. The NV3550 is pretty common swap and since the AX-15 and the NV3550 use the same bolt pattern, you should be able to swap between them.

I'm not certain if you can use a NSG-370 6 speed manual but that's another I'd look into.  Although, I think it might have an integrated bellhousing which will make it not work.

BTW: thanks for your service.

[TahoeYJ]

The RE's work pretty well, and they were fairly cheap too. I paid $137/ea when I ditched my Rough Country springs last summer. Rough Country springs ride ok too and definitely flex great, but they have a tendency to sag... I had two sets of rears sag. Not everyone has had theirs sag but again it's possible. 

If you look on this page there's a thread I started called "Finally!..." with pics of my new KM2's on my rig. I clear 35's in the rear no problem, the front do hit the fenders but the springs are virtually flat when they rub, so some bumstops are in order.

If I was going to swap out the transmission, I'd highly look into swapping in a NV3550 5-speed. The NV3550 is pretty common swap and since the AX-15 and the NV3550 use the same bolt pattern, you should be able to swap between them.

I'm not certain if you can use a NSG-370 6 speed manual but that's another I'd look into.  Although, I think it might have an integrated bellhousing which will make it not work.

BTW: thanks for your service.

I think swapping the NSG-370 would be somewhat of a challenge. A guy on JF was swapping one behind his YJ w/ a 6 cyl and it took him some time to get it right but he eventually did... I think. I'd love to do this swap but if it's possible it's got to be a real PITA. I think it'd be awesome to have this tranny with my gearing and 35's, it'd kick ass to have for driving to and from Tahoe when I get in to the mountains.

[aka-justin]

I have the Pro Comp 4" lift on my YJ for over the last year.  The really are stiff and I'm happy with them.  I'm thinking about changing the shocks, the haven't seemed to last too long, but I'm pretty hard on them when I go play.  Like hitting whoops too fast in Anza-Borrego Springs, launching tools out the back...   With that said, I have not as much experience as these guys.  They won't steer you wrong.

[FourbangerYJ]

I'd go with some custom springs from Alcan or Deaver, probably 5".  Then swap the flares for some TJ flares and trim the openings.  Swap those shackles you have for Currie boomerangs.

I would agree with this 100%! It would depend on your budget. http://www.deaverspring.com/products/leafsjs.html I have run the H78 still on and H79 swapped them for some custom made Deaver springs. That and some Bilstein shocks you should be good to go. I ran 35's with some fender trimming and a 1.25 body lift. Not sure it was needed but I already had it on.

Thanks for serving