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Lift Questions Cherokee XJ 1996

7K views 22 replies 8 participants last post by  straightsixjeep 
#1 ·
I know this has been covered already, as I have read tons of material on this subject hours on end. I'm lifting my sagging 2wd Cherokee around 4", and I wanted to know a few things:

I have read that the S10 bastardized pack should give me 4" roughly so i'm set for the rear. What length shocks should I use. There are some discrepancies with the JK shocks, whether to use Rubicon or non rubicon. Before I order these, I need to know which ones apply for my lift.

As far as the front lift, I know the Thunderbird/Cougar coils are supposed to yield around 4", but they require the top plate thing. It is unclear about which combination of Grand Cherokee coils to use for a 4" lift. I read somewhere that v8 coils with two spring isolators give 4", but how safe/effective is stacking two isolators? I have two pick and pulls in my area, so getting the parts is not a problem. Also, same thing with the shocks, which ones to use?

I already have the S10 leaf springs. Still have to go get the coils and the shocks. My stock brakelines should be good for daily driving i think. Ill need to replace them before flexing thats for sure. This is my daily driver so I have to minimize the time that it is Out Of Order.

Where can I get u-bolts locally dirt cheap, or at least with quick shipping. $50 for 8 bolts hurts, seeing that my two whole leaf packs cost that much.

As it sits now
 
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#2 ·
JK shocks will work. They do not have to be Rubicon, but those would work too. You can get these cheap used at many 4wd shops.

Stacking 2 isolators is perfectly safe and its adds 3/4" of lift.

You only need 4 u-bolts.

Now, here is what I would do if it were my 2wd Jeep. I would use the S10 springs but try to get 2-3" of lift. For the front, I would use spacers or Grand Cherokee V8 coils. Once you lift beyond 3", a lot of other factors come into play. These include the track bar, control arm geometry, sway bar links, brake lines, and pinion angles (possible needing a SYE). A 2" lift will get you a more agressive look with room for 30" tires without having so many other issues to deal with.

Im not saying dont do it, just know what you are getting yourself into. It becomes hard to justify more than a certain amount of lift on a 2wd. Its your Jeep though, so if you are set on 4", go for it! :thumbsup:
 
#3 ·
I would buy new coils for the front if it were me. You will get varying results with the V8 ZJ coils, I got less than 1" of lift and they rode like crap with very little flex. If you buy the ZJ coils and a set of spacers you won't be much different in price than a new set of 3" lift coils made for your XJ. Rusty's sells them for 99.00 a set. If you go much over 3" you will need new swaybar links, an adjustable trac-bar, and longer lower control arms. The JK rubicon shocks are the same length as the X model shocks, they are just stiffer. You will need a new rear brakeline at 4" of lift, but it will be okay at 3" as long as you don't flex it too much. You will also run the risk of needing the SYE with anything over 3" of lift on your 96 model.
 
#4 ·
Ok, so a synopsis:
any jk set of shocks will work for all fours
make a combo of s10 and xj leafs to do a above stock height of 3"

my local yard charges $15 a coil and will probably give me the spacers free. xjfever, did you use i6 or v8 zj coils or upcountry zj coils. They all have different spring rates. You may have installed some worn coils of the softest type (probably the i6)

now that I think about it, a 3" lift would be fine with me, b/c im ridin 1" below spec right now, so to me, it would be a 4" lift. I don't want to mess with sway bar links or SYE, its out of my budget. I don't mind changing the brake lines, just that I will be doing the lift outside of my home, so I have to minimize work time. I can do the brake lines at my house.
 
#5 ·
Sorry, I completely forgot you said 2wd. You shouldn't need the SYE at 4" of lift.
 
#7 ·
Just that they came from a 98 zj with a 5.2L engine. I gave 40.00 for the coils, and 40 for a set of 1.75" spacers and got about 2.5" of lift from them. I later bought a set of rusty's 3" coils for 99.00 and the difference is nite and day on the flex and ride. The rusty's coils sit about 5" over stock for a couple of weeks, but settled to exactly 3". I would have saved 80.00 if I had got the rusty's coils to start with, but I wouldn't have had the fun of swapping them twice:D
 
#8 ·
take off the rear sway bar and throw it away. you dont even need it.

JK shocks work great i have em in my XJ. only use them for 2-4" of lift.

get different rims and 31" tires to go with the lift. It looks funky when you have a lift on stock tires..

there are a few things that you need to buy aftermarket; tracbar, front swaybar links, and brake lines.

If you stay at 3" in the front you're fine with stock brake lines, but in the back you will need to replace those at 2.5" of lift.

as for the Ubolts, i reused mine. not sure if its a good idea or not but it holds up on the road.
 
#10 ·
Ok, so I have a pair of S10 leaf springs ($50)
I have thunderbird coils and the isolator thing that is required ($30)
I have new gas monroes for the front ($40)
I have new gabriel rear air shocks ($40)
I read in a few threads that if no wheeling/flexing is going on, I can keep the original brake lines. I will do those eventually.

I'm not sure if i will need to fab bar pin eliminators with these new shocks. Heres a picture


Do i need spring clamps, what kind, is there any specific length etc, or can i reuse my stock ones. I'm open to fabbing my own, and long as its simple.
Anything else I'm missing?
 
#11 ·
you could have gotten some JK shocks (all four) for $30. I got mine for $20 but thats just cause my neighbor had some sittin around. less than 100 miles on them!

things you will need:
spring clamps for a 2.5" wide leaf spring. (autozone wont have, you need to order online or find an ACDelco near you)
S10 center pins
depending on the condition of your current u-bolts, you may need to get new ones as well.
PB blaster (penetrating oil) if you dont know why you need this, you shouldn't be doing this on your own.

things you dont need:
bar pin eliminators, just use the bar pins ones from your stock shocks. (use a press)

if you really want bar pin eliminators, you can use the axel-side mount for the rear sway bar link.
 
#12 ·
awesome, i have an ac delco 5 minutes from my house. I doused the bolts in wd40 a week a go and doing the pb blaster tomorrow. my u-bolts are in pretty good shape, and for that matter, most of the hardware underneath.
Are the S10 pins a must or can i reuse the xj ones.
I would imagine ACDELCO has the centerpins as well, correct?
Where can you get shocks that cheap??!!
 
#14 ·
in some places, they call it a locator pin, but most just call it a center pin. and no, you need to have the S10 center pin because the hole on the S10 leafs is bigger, i personally saw the difference because i did this a month ago. so you will have to drill the locator hole bigger on your main XJ leaf.

ACDelco should have center pins. one location in my area didn't carry them so you should call them first and go to the right location the first time.

If you dont know anyone that owns a shop or someone who would have JK shocks, your best bet is craigslist. there are a lot of lifted JKs out there and the first thing they take off is the shocks, so there should a few guys who will give them to you for dirt cheap.
 
#13 ·
You do NOT and will NOT need a SYE on a 2wd XJ. There is no where to install it, as you don't have a Transfercase.
The other above 3" warnings that apply to the front end are true, trackbar, control arms ect.
 
#18 ·
the 4wd has been in the back of my head. I have local upick with like 10 cherokees at any given time. But that's for later ;)

I got the thunderbird springs and the spring isolator for it because these springs have a larger diameter. I have to drill a hole down the middle, as stated by other threads on this subject, to 2.1". How exactly do you do this, because I have hole saw, and on the rubber side, theres too much friction, and there's nothing to center the bit on the opposite side.
pics


This is were it goes once i do the lift
 
#20 ·
im plasma cutting the holes tomorrow. Everything seems to be coming together. I plan to do the lift on Saturday. Hopefully it turns out well. I'm doing the sway bar pin eliminators, thanks for the suggestion. PB Blasted everything today. Hopefully the hardware cooperates. Seems like its in real good condition, and they soaked on wd40 for the past 2 weeks. I'll probably paint my calipers and my drums the same color when I have everything off
 
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