[dabomb5756]

Hi, i am getting a Dick Cepek 3.5 inch lift for my 95 yj. The kit comes with t-case drop kit, and axle shims. I was wondering if i would be able to run 1 inch lift shackles with the lift kit. Will i still be able to keep driveshaft angles in spec?

Next, i am thinking about not using my trackbars when i lift it. I tow a small trailer with 1 atv every weekend, so will i be ok without the track bars? I will prolly be making sway bar discos so they will still be on to stabilze the jeep.

This jeep needs to be a DD and a wheeler, so i am looking for suggestions about street driving and no trackbars. Thanks.

[BackRoadJPin]

Use the search feature on the lift question - this topic pops up at least weekly.

As for the track bars and towing do a search on removing track bars this topic comes up often as well but not nearly as often as the lift questions.

I think that i have read most ppl say 3.5" or taller no track bars is a scary ride, search on it and see what others have to say.

[sjlplat]

Originally Posted by dabomb5756

Hi, i am getting a Dick Cepek 3.5 inch lift for my 95 yj. The kit comes with t-case drop kit, and axle shims. I was wondering if i would be able to run 1 inch lift shackles with the lift kit. Will i still be able to keep driveshaft angles in spec?

Next, i am thinking about not using my trackbars when i lift it. I tow a small trailer with 1 atv every weekend, so will i be ok without the track bars? I will prolly be making sway bar discos so they will still be on to stabilze the jeep.

This jeep needs to be a DD and a wheeler, so i am looking for suggestions about street driving and no trackbars. Thanks.

Should be fine. I ran an almost identical setup on my '95 YJ. No driveshaft mods required, and it was stable on the road, provided you aren't driving it like a Ferrari.

3.5" Superlift springs
1.25" Performance Accessories Shackles
WP Swaybar Discos
No trackbars
32x11.5" BFG A/T's

[dabomb5756]

OK, i will search, i tried, but cant find the right answers.
sjlplat, you and i will have the same setup, except i have 32 inch mud terrains. How good did that thing wheel?

[sjlplat]

Originally Posted by dabomb5756

OK, i will search, i tried, but cant find the right answers.
sjlplat, you and i will have the same setup, except i have 32 inch mud terrains. How good did that thing wheel?

With the lincoln locked rear axle, it was decent. The D35 isn't the strongest axle in the world, but it'll take care of you if you understand it's weaknesses. Be easy on the skinny pedal, don't let it bounce, and don't push it if it doesn't want to go. Better to back off and drive home than to push your luck and get towed.






Of course, I wanted to do things a little tougher, so I've moved up to a 1-ton drivetrain and 39.5's. If that wasn't enough, I'm ditching my current setup to upgrade with 2.5-ton Rockwells and 47" to 49" tires.

[dabomb5756]

Nice, well im only 16, so im just gettin started. I might be putting a quick lock in the D30.

[sjlplat]

Originally Posted by dabomb5756

Nice, well im only 16, so im just gettin started. I might be putting a quick lock in the D30.

Locking the front axle is good. 95% of the time, when a wheel loses traction, it's in the front.

[ohhpe]

sjlplat... did you paint that thing too??
thats huge.. as for the red one, with the 3.5" lift and 1.25" lift shackles... you had no problems with the drive angles ? ive ben tryin to determine if i should go 2.5" or 3.5" suspension lift and have heard TONS of opposing answers referring to needing an sye and cv shaft, needing steering upgrades etc..
i currenty have a 2" bl and want to run 33's

[sjlplat]

Originally Posted by ohhpe

sjlplat... did you paint that thing too??
thats huge.. as for the red one, with the 3.5" lift and 1.25" lift shackles... you had no problems with the drive angles ? ive ben tryin to determine if i should go 2.5" or 3.5" suspension lift and have heard TONS of opposing answers referring to needing an sye and cv shaft, needing steering upgrades etc..
i currenty have a 2" bl and want to run 33's

Totally different rig. I sold the red YJ and bought the white Renegade. Original plan was to build the red one up with 1-ton axles and the 2.5L drivetrain, but I ran into a deal on the Renegade that I couldn't pass up, so here I sit -- unsatisfied with the 4.0L and 1-tons...I've gotta go bigger with a 5.9L and 2.5-tons.

I never had any driveline problems with the red YJ. No SYE is required if you drop the t-case and shim the rear axle, although you do lose 1" of belly height. The only steering mod you need for 3.5" lift is a dropped pitman arm.

To run 33's, I'd suggest installing TJ flares to open up your fenderwells, and ditching the body lift. Go with the 3.5" suspension and you're set.

[ohhpe]

whats wrong with the 2.5" suspension and 2" bl combo?
i have heard from a variety of ppl with the 4" suspension kit that there drive shaft plopped out of the tcase, or that they couldnt eliminate vibes...
im not sure though? does the 3.5" bds kit really give you enough less lift to avoid sye?
so go 3.5" suspension with lift shackles and ditch a body lift? thatd be like another hundred bucks to go back to the stock body mounts.. i dont wheel that hard... thers no terrain around here like in those pics you have with the rocks..mostly just trails.. dirt/mud hills..

[sjlplat]

Originally Posted by ohhpe

whats wrong with the 2.5" suspension and 2" bl combo?
i have heard from a variety of ppl with the 4" suspension kit that there drive shaft plopped out of the tcase, or that they couldnt eliminate vibes...
im not sure though? does the 3.5" bds kit really give you enough less lift to avoid sye?
so go 3.5" suspension with lift shackles and ditch a body lift? thatd be like another hundred bucks to go back to the stock body mounts.. i dont wheel that hard... thers no terrain around here like in those pics you have with the rocks..mostly just trails.. dirt/mud hills..

You can do the 2" body lift and 2.5" springs too. I'm simply not a fan of body lifts. I ran a 3" body lift on the red YJ and it was nothing but trouble. Fan clearance was bad, body mounts were bad (broken nylon blocks), shifter was too short, and frankly I didn't like the idea of the body separating from the frame in a hard roll.

With a t-case drop, you need to check fan clearances, since the engine is actually tilted at the motor mounts. Make sure the top of the fan doesn't contact the fan shroud, and the bottom of the fan doesn't contact the radiator.

An alternative to the 1" t-case drop is a 1" motor mount lift. It tilts the drivetrain just as a t-case drop would do, but you don't lose belly height. Fan clearances are still a concern when going this route.

The SYE is used to allow use of a CV-style driveshaft. A CV shaft improves the angle of the u-joints at the t-case, but the rear axle still needs to be properly aligned. You gain the same angle with a t-case drop or a motor mount lift, without the need of a new driveshaft.

[ohhpe]

thanks for the advice.. kinda confused on what to do still..
what option would be best for COG? 2" bl and 2" suspension seemed good to me b/c the fram stays lower to the ground. I dont want to go so big with the suspension that it causes problems.. ive never really seen anyoen have problems with a body lift, its a 2" lift though, not a 3" which might not be as bad?
but yes, if i put the 3 or 4" suspension lift on i would atelast take the bl to a 1" since 6" is too much for 33's.. atleast i think it is..
so maybe 2" suspension is the right route? but then again do jeeps that have just the 3.5" or 4" suspension look better and actually have better ground clearance than one with the 2 and 2 combo?
also, what is the difference in a 3.5 bds kit and a 4" kit?

[dabomb5756]

I would lose the Body lift, and get a 3.5 inch lift. You want more ground clearance for mud, ruts, breakover angles, rocks, etc. You want ground clearance.
SJL, tell me more about this motor mount lift. I think i would rather do that than a t-case drop. will it still give me enough angle to run stock shaft with 3.5 inch lift, 1 inch shackles, and the 4* shims?

[sjlplat]

Originally Posted by ohhpe

thanks for the advice.. kinda confused on what to do still..
what option would be best for COG? 2" bl and 2" suspension seemed good to me b/c the fram stays lower to the ground. I dont want to go so big with the suspension that it causes problems.. ive never really seen anyoen have problems with a body lift, its a 2" lift though, not a 3" which might not be as bad?
but yes, if i put the 3 or 4" suspension lift on i would atelast take the bl to a 1" since 6" is too much for 33's.. atleast i think it is..
so maybe 2" suspension is the right route? but then again do jeeps that have just the 3.5" or 4" suspension look better and actually have better ground clearance than one with the 2 and 2 combo?
also, what is the difference in a 3.5 bds kit and a 4" kit?

Center of gravity would be better with a body lift and less suspension lift. 2" blocks put twice as much strain on the body mount bolts as a standard body mount, which means the bolts can handle half the load.

Ground clearance would be better with more suspension lift, since the frame is moved up. If the 3.5" and 4" springs are made with the same material, the 3.5" springs should flex better, since they have less arch to them.

Originally Posted by dabomb5756

SJL, tell me more about this motor mount lift. I think i would rather do that than a t-case drop. will it still give me enough angle to run stock shaft with 3.5 inch lift, 1 inch shackles, and the 4* shims?

The motor mount lift should yield the same angle as the t-case drop. Basically you're lifting the front of the powertrain by 1", instead of dropping the rear by 1". I'd bet you could get away with running a stock driveshaft going that route.

[ohhpe]

so less arch to springs flexes better?
the bds 2" is said to net 3" lift adn settle at about 2.5" (so i hear)
the 3.5" bds im not sure about?
the mml costs another 100 dollars, so i think atleast at first i would run a tc drop..
how does a tc drop work the same for a 2" lift as it does for a 4" lift? are the shims at different angles?