Help me surprise Dad his his LJ Build

SB99TJ · 03-16-2009, 08:47 PM

I need your help.

My brother in Law and I have (BIL paying tab, I do install) decided to surprise my father with a little gift. He will be out of town at the end of May and we are planning to completely transform his LJ while he is gone. He will come home to a completely built LJ Rubicon. He only has 5K miles on it. He drives it about 2k a year. It's a 6-speed.

He is 63 years old, so we don't want big. He LOVES his Jeep and does not want it "overbuilt" with too much lift. His favorite Jeep he has ever seen is my brother in laws 01 TJ with Rampage bumpers front/rear, Winch, teraflex 3T with 33" tires.

My "Must have" for this lift as follows:

Stock steering feel...and how do I best achieve this?
Stock or better ride.
NO body lift

So far, the plan will be Rampage bumpers front/rear with Superwinch EPI900, Red Rock Fab slider steps and a lift and tire combo. Here is where I need you.

OME Lift and 32" Mud Terrains, stock wheels
or
Teraflex 3T and 33" tires, stock wheels

Keep in mind, the steering is a huge issue. I can't have a flightly Jeep with steering wheel slop. Will this mean adjustable front control arms???

**0blcktj6** · 03-16-2009, 08:52 PM

If you end up changing your mind about the body lift the OME with a 1" BL works very well for 33's. Other than that the FT 3" lift also has a good rep with a good price.

With my OME and 33's I haven't really noticed anything negative about the handling, in all honesty it feels a bit more stable now than it did stock. My only problem is it likes to wander a bit at highway speeds but that's because of the tires not the lift.

vector6 · 03-17-2009, 07:44 AM

4" clayton long arm... and 35's

**Bennettj13** · 03-17-2009, 07:54 AM

The 2.5 OME kit will give the best ride. I'd throw the 1.25 JKS BL on there and run 33's. I am willing to bet he will love it.

TimBrown · 03-17-2009, 08:20 AM

I can only hope to have kids like you one day

**Divinitous** · 03-17-2009, 09:08 AM

I voted for OME. Everyone that has the lift loves it.

If you do a body lift make sure you also get the advanced adapters transfercase shifter bracket. Nothing worse than giving someone a surprise and having them complain about the shifter rattling.

Note: Not sure if it's needed for the rubi case. Can't tell ya.

Dogman · 03-17-2009, 09:09 AM

If you're sticking with the stock wheels, you're going to be limited on the tire width.

I would go with the 3"/33" package, but you'll need to deal with the wheels (or wheel spacers) if you want to run wider than 10.5" tires.

You guys are cool

EvilM0nkey · 03-17-2009, 09:16 AM

I have never seen a legitimate complaint about an OME lift. Everybody has great reviews on them. So much that I'm going to eventually install an OME lift on my Jeep (even though that's lower on the list)

Greg_Volkman · 03-17-2009, 10:17 AM

I ran an OME lift for 3 years, with a 1" body lift and 33" MTR's. I look back and realize that it was overpriced and didn't ride as well as everyone makes it out (I got one of the very first kits in 1999). $600 for 4 springs and shocks was a little much at the time, in my opinion. I then sold my old jeep, bought the new one and went to the RE 4.5 SF and eventually the 5.5" Long Arm.

here is the old TJ with the OME + 1" BL and 33's:

It is still a viable lift, but I have also found the BDS 3" lift to be top quality (friend ran one, and I liked it more than my OME).

I would caution you away from pro comp and tera - both have known issues.

honestly, if it were me, I would look into staying under 3" (unless you have a couple grand to spend). anything over 3" and you need to do a lot of things to fix the problems the height creates.

don't expect too much lift from the OME. I got about 2" and that was running the HD springs. I added in their .5" spacer and the 1" body lift and was just able to squeeze 33's under it.

SB99TJ · 03-17-2009, 10:21 AM

Thanks everyone. I am leaning toward the OME and 32" because of the wheel width and because I don't want too much Jeep for him...he is picky, however I am not completely decided yet.

The kink in that plan is he just loves Dan's Jeep with 33" tires and Teraflex 3T, however Dan has aftermarket wheels so the offset is not as much of a problem. My Dad likes the stock wheels, so I dont want to change that. It's hard, since this is a surprise, I cant just ask him.

The body lift is out of the question...again, he is picky.
The long Arm would fall into the "overbuilt" catagory for him.
He likes "simple".
We are trying to keep it around 4-5K total.

So far, I am duplicating Dan's Jeep exactly with Rampage bumpers front/rear, Winch and Jeeperman sliders (Now Red Rock Fab). Just need to clear up this lift/tire combo

The reason behind it all is he got killed on his retirement and now can't retire. He is under a lot of stress, so we are hoping this will put a smile on his face.

Thanks for your help, sorry i screwed up the thread title.

PS...comments on adjustable control arms/steering issues?

default_user2 · 03-17-2009, 10:44 AM

Why is everyone saying to put a BL on it?

He stated very clearly that he wanted NO BODY LIFT.

**RubiconRazorbac** · 03-17-2009, 11:07 AM

With what you say you want in your post, and more important what your Dad likes, go the OME route with the 32s. You won't be sorry with either the OME or BDS at that size (2-2.5") lift. But since your choices are OME or the Teraflex, go OME. Not a shot a Teraflex, just a personal preference.

With 32s you shouldn't rub except at full lock turning or unless you're really stuffing into the fenders (which it doesn't seem like your Dad is interested in). But, if you do rub you can either throw some washers on your steering stops (the cheap easy way), or get some wheel spacers (go Spider Trax).

SB99TJ · 03-17-2009, 11:21 AM

I should clarify that the only reason I chose OME and Teraflex is because I have experience in both and I know the ride. I am not opposed to looking at BDS in the 33" tire, but if I am going 32", I will do OME because he knows and likes the reputation of OME.

The key is the ride and the steering feel. I want it to feel as close to stock as possible. I don't want him to say "I love how it looks, but it wanders now"

NEastUnlmtd · 03-17-2009, 11:33 AM

How about you save some decisions for him? Maybe buy him a stack of parts, a full set of adjustable control arms maybe, a few ACOS, the items you already chose, let him have some of the fun for him. Toss in a \/i$a gift card even. Unless of course choosing mods is a chore for the guy and he could not be bothered.
Anyway good luck and remember huge is not so huge in an LJ so I say Go BIG.

SB99TJ · 03-17-2009, 11:44 AM

He would see that as a stress right now. He trusts us for the build part. He would say "I don't know, just make it handle nicely" and "I have heard good things about that OME lift" and "I like Dan's Jeep".

And...if we told him or gave him a Visa...he would give it back tell us that's too much.

The only way is to build it and surprise him. He LOVES his Jeep and has wanted to do this, but due to his losses, he can't now. This will really make him happy, so the surprise part is big.

I will post before and after photo's for everyone when I get this done.

The poll results are killing me. It's exactly 50/50 right now with 11 votes each. That's exactly how I feel...ahhhh

View Poll Results: For Dad...OME lift w/ 32's or Teraflex 3T with 33"
OME lift with 32" Tires	71	43.83%
Teraflex 3T with 33" Tires	91	56.17%
Voters: 162. You may not vote on this poll

03-17-2009, 10:44 AM	#11
default_user2 Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1,071 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	Why is everyone saying to put a BL on it? He stated very clearly that he wanted NO BODY LIFT.