[Bryan_16]

Well I’ve got plenty of questions for you guys and gals.

First I want to put a 3" body lift with 32" tires on a 2002 TJ sport. My question is I've never driven one and I do go off road and the jeep IS used as a daily driver. Do you recommend this? Not only do I go off road I love the looks! My dad has driven a TJ with a lift kit and larger tires and he said it drifted a lot and the steering was mushy. We had an older CJ-7 totally redone with a 3" lift and 32" tires and the ride was very stiff and would bounce you outa of the seat. My question is how is the ride with the lift and tires? And is there anything I can do to improve the drivability of it? Thanks



Second question: I have mud CAKED onto the soft top and I can't get it out. It stained the top I think. Is there anything I can use to safely get this out? I've tried everything from letting soap sink in to scrubbing with a wheel brush... I’m looking for some sort of product or method that will help get out the mud



Third Questions: I have mud under the hood as well as under the body and I’m looking for the safest way to clean that out. Any suggestions? Also under the car I don't want to just power wash it off because I might be taking the grease off as well. I will need to do this often too....


THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

[TonyTJ]

I would stay away form the 3" body lift for a coulple of reasons.
First, if you have a/c you will have to take it out, due to jeep not making the cable long enough to accomadate any body lift over 1".
Second, a body lift will cause extra stress on the body mounts, and could cause premature failure.
Yes some lifted jeeps develope drifting, but it can be fixed. Also the ride quality will be much smoother than a CJ would ever be. As long as you do the lift right, there shouldn't be many problems with a 3" suspension lift. Also with a S.L. you will improve the capabilities, as with the B.L. you only gain ride height with goofy looking gaps inbetween the body and frame.
Your question about cleaning the top I found that terpintine works. Some punk kid last year sprayed my new tinted soft top windows with silly string on a super sunny 90 degree day. After about 4-5 hrs of cooking on there it was staind and burned in the top. After trying everything I brougt the terpintine out and it took out with hardly any scrubbing and left no stains
I hope this helps you out.
Tony

[Bryan_16]

alright i guess i'll start looking at suspension lifts. Will i have any problems putting on the 32" tires? also will i need anything else besides the lift kit and tires? thanks

[TonyTJ]

You can fit 32's on a 2-2.5" lift. If you want a cheap 2" lift look at a coil spring spacer lift. They cost about 1/3 of the $$$. You will want a t-case lowering kit or a Motor mount lift to help restore driveline angles. Depending on how much decrease in power you feel you might want to regear. Also depending on your off-road habbits there are other things to upgrade.

[TonyTJ]

Just wondering, where you at?

[Bryan_16]

pennsylvania. bucks county near doylestown if you've ever heard of it

[TonyTJ]

Nope sorry

[K9JEEP]

Where's 'drack with his Trailmaster plug...?? Or was it Rubicon Express... Man, so many commercials here!

['drack]

Originally posted by K9JEEP
Where's 'drack with his Trailmaster plug...?? Or was it Rubicon Express... Man, so many commercials here!

No, I'm an official endorser of Old Man Emu shocks . And anti RS5000 and Bestop Supertop. Duhhh ! Bryan, check out the OME kit. It'll give you new coils and shocks and a fantastic ride. 32's will fit fine and if you ever wanna go bigger, just toss in a 1" body lift and a some 3/4" spacers. Spacer lifts are a cheap stop gap way to run bigger rubber, but leave no room for expansion and you end up replacing them anyway. If you can, try and do it right the first time. Trust me, it saves alot of money in the long run(this is coming from a guy that has wasted alot of money). Be careful of PA's tire coverage law too. They're kinda far fetched but seem to be getting enforced more and more lately .

Keith

[gatorfish]

I agree with above. A 2" spacer lift is a good way to ease yourself into offroading and basic jeep mechanics. without costing you an arm and a leg and a ...

[01Sport]

Bryan, try using Simple Green on the top. Worked like a charm for me.
Enjoy the new Jeep.
Keep asking questions, you can learn a lot from these guys. I know I have.

[Bryan_16]

i think i might just go with the coil spacers for now. how will it ride though? Better or worse then the suspension lift? thanks and just curious what is the largest size tires you can put on a stock jeep? is it 30" thanks again

[Mark K]

Won't ride any different, [still using the same springs... just "making" the springs a little taller... ]

Mark K

[xencix]

No one really touched the engine cleaning question, I'd be interested in that too. Since about a month after I bought my jeep I went mudding (oops) and now the engine and engine bay has dry dirt all over, I've tried sparying it with just a little bit of water, and that got some of it but not the majority.

[K9JEEP]

As far as cleaning the engine, you can sit there with a strong hose or a pressure washer and go nuts. You won't harm anything, just mind the engine intake snout.

Use soap if you'd like, dishwashing handsoap whatever, but do not use any form of automotive degreaser. You can also get a brush and scrub away.

Lastly, if you do choose to operate a pressure washer (Found at most car wash bays) do not blast it into the radiator directly. I've seen a handful of bent fins and frustrated owners because of it.

Later, you can use armor-all or some other non-flamable tire dressing and pretty up the engine compartment once it dries.

Have fun