[il_marcello]

This year I got a 2" body lift for my YJ as a Christmas present (from my wife, no less - talk about surprises!), so now I need some advice on how to proceed.

My YJ is 100% stock, I do very little (and very light) offroading, so basically the lift will be for aesthetic purposes only.

I googled around and searched the forum for a write-up or detailed instructions but didn't find anything apart from a few precautions (PBblaster etc), so here are some questions before I proceed:
- first of all, is there anything wrong (security wise) with a 2" body lift? I'm ok with the idea of a cool looking jeep, but if it brings security risks I'll probably pass.
- I'm a bit concerned with the steering wheel shaft, and the instructions that came with the kit are not very clear: can someone clarify what kind of mod will be necessary? Same thing with the gear shift levers, I'm a bit confused.
- I don't have a "comfortable" workplace where to do the job, so I'm thinking of asking how much a mechanic will charge me to install the lift. Does this make sense? Or is it overkill for such a simple job? (Note: I'm very motivated, but I'm noob )

I don't have the kit with me right now, I'll post more details later if necessary.

Thanks, and nice 2009 to all
Marcello

[MLJeeper]

Body lifts are extremely easy to install assuming you dont have any of the nuts break welds in the frames. Thats why you soak it all in pb blaster. As far as security issues, i am not sure what you mean. The steering shaft just involves loosening a bolt and letting the shaft extend. Its plenty long enough.

[jeep95xj]

Honestly return it and buy 2" shackles. Much less work and you actually gain ground clearance. Body lifts dont help your ground clearance they just make room for bigger tires.

[ZeroGravity]

Advice- go give your wife a big hug.

[Mean Max]

I have installed 4 or 5 of the Daystar poly mount lifts. Both of our YJ's have them, and I installed the others in YJ's/TJ's/LJ's for other people as well. There is no sign of any sagging (or other issues) in any of the kits I've installed. The only recommendation I have is that you use the black mounts. I have the "red" mounts in my '91 YJ and the rear corner ones have faded to an orange color. This appears to be limited to that ones that are colored, as all the rest are black kits & they still look like new.

Here is some advice for installing your new body lift, regardless of which brand you choose.

Below is a "cut & paste" copy of a reply I've made in a few posts, concerning the body lift installation you're considering.


Regardless of whether you are installing a body lift, or just changing out the cruddy stock mounts that are broken, here is something that may help. It's something I've learned over the years, the hard way, naturally.


I've installed a half dozen or so body lifts on YJ's & TJ's. I found a simple little trick using the PB Blaster that will save a lot of time & aggravation. Spraying just the heads of the bolts won't help. If you look at the 11 body mounts, there is one under the radiator support and then 10 (5 along each side) on the frame rails, starting behind the front wheels. The forward-most mounts can be sprayed near the threads by removing a plastic shield & spraying the nut area. Moving rearward, the next three body bolt nuts are in-accessible, under the floorboards. Inside the Jeep, locate the area of the floor right above each body mount & drill a tiny hole in the floor just big enough to get the spray can straw in, and spray generously. Lastly, the ones in the rear corners of the tub can be accessed by removing the plastic shield under the body's rear corner. Look above the mount and you'll see that the body nut area is boxed in with sheet metal. Again, drill a tiny hole & spray liberally.

Do this daily for about a week prior to the body lift install, and things will go much smoother! The holes can be filled with just a small bit of RTV sealer later.

I learned this the hard way, after breaking several body bolts in my '91 YJ.

If you have any reservations about drilling small holes in your floor, I'll show how big of a hole you'll need to dig out the body nut after the bolt breaks!

Hope this helps!

[MLJeeper]

Originally Posted by jeep95xj

Honestly return it and buy 2" shackles. Much less work and you actually gain ground clearance.

2" lift shackles would kill his springs, affect his steering, change his pinion angle and murder his approach and departure angles. Assuming no welds break on the nuts, its also easier to install.

[Mean Max]

Originally Posted by MLJeeper

2" lift shackles would kill his springs, affect his steering, change his pinion angle and murder his approach and departure angles. Assuming no welds break on the nuts, its also easier to install.

I would tend to agree. I would prefer a 1" body lift, but a 2" isn't nearly as obscene as a 3", so being as he has it already, I would just go ahead & install it.

[jeep95xj]

2" of lift will not hurt the steering or pinion angle. Change it yes cause problems deff not. you need 4-5" before you have any concers about that.

[MLJeeper]

[QUOTE=jeep95xj;6315149]2" of lift will not hurt the steering or pinion angle. QUOTE]

2" of shackle lift will.

[Tomb Raider]

Originally Posted by jeep95xj

Honestly return it and buy 2" shackles. Much less work and you actually gain ground clearance. Body lifts dont help your ground clearance they just make room for bigger tires.

Nothing like 8" long shackles to hit the rocks that your diff misses.

[Cbaughn]

Originally Posted by jeep95xj

Honestly return it and buy 2" shackles. Much less work and you actually gain ground clearance. Body lifts dont help your ground clearance they just make room for bigger tires.

I could never disagree more. A 2" BL allows clearance by allowing larger tires to be installed threfore lifting the height of the differentials and body/frame. 2" shackles are awful looking as well as functioning. They affect steering negatively and also get hung on everything on a trail, I have seen both first hand. 2" shackles as far as I'm concerned NEVER a viable option for a YJ, or any vehicle for that matter. A 2" body lift when properly installed is safe and will not negatively affect steering or trail capability, plus you don't get dracula fangs on the front of your Jeep.

[Cbaughn]

Originally Posted by jeep95xj

2" of lift will not hurt the steering or pinion angle. Change it yes cause problems deff not. you need 4-5" before you have any concers about that.

Also have to totally disagree. Many people have had problems with the Rough Country 2.5" lift causing driveline vibes. Any amount of lift is going to change the steering angle and driveline angle. Ever had experience with a YJ lift?

[jeep95xj]

Yup i installed a 4.5" RC lift in a friends 95 YJ 2.5 manual with 33x12.5 mickey thompson MTZ's Springs all around shocks all around braided break lines all around. No track bars extended sway bar links up front t-case drop and stock drive shafts. Not one vibe in the truck. Runs great wheels great. While a body lift makes room for taller tires which do lift the truck up some it deff does not raise the belly pan off the ground as much as a suspension lift. On that note body lifts look terrible. Who wants to look through the frame out the other side? Makes the body look like it's on stilts and thats because it kind of is. Personally id never put anything more than a 1" body lift in a truck. I also agree that shackles are ugly. If you want to do it 100% right buy new leaf packs. This is just one of those things we will never agree on.

[whitie_08]

Originally Posted by jeep95xj

Yup i installed a 4.5" RC lift in a friends 95 YJ 2.5 manual with 33x12.5 mickey thompson MTZ's Springs all around shocks all around braided break lines all around. No track bars extended sway bar links up front t-case drop and stock drive shafts. Not one vibe in the truck. Runs great wheels great. While a body lift makes room for taller tires which do lift the truck up some it deff does not raise the belly pan off the ground as much as a suspension lift. On that note body lifts look terrible. Who wants to look through the frame out the other side? Makes the body look like it's on stilts and thats because it kind of is. Personally id never put anything more than a 1" body lift in a truck. I also agree that shackles are ugly. If you want to do it 100% right buy new leaf packs. This is just one of those things we will never agree on.

a 3" Bl looks TERRIBLE.

a 2" isnt really that bad.

and a 1" is almost hard to see.

[jeepian]

3" ones look way ugly