suspension lift? just bought jeep tonight!

XaphanZ · 08-22-2009, 07:45 PM

hi, so i'm new to the jeep community and i'm hoping someone here can shed some light on what the heck i bought tonight.
i know my jeep is lifted, 4" i belielve. my question is about the sway bar end links which look removable. the have 2 pins on each ( top and bottom ) in the front. i'm guessing these are for hard core off roading to allow more travel in the front suspention. is that the case, and if so, how do i get them out and back in?
also, how much did i save myself by buying a jeep with the lift in it already? no idea how much a lift and installation goes for.
thanks in advance

Dmcastino · 08-22-2009, 07:52 PM

Thats exactly what those links are for, to quickly disconnect the anti-swaybar. Just park on level ground and pull the pins out and pull apart the links, the key to removing or reattaching the links is being on level ground. As for how much you saved, it really depends on how well the previous owner built your Jeep. If they did it correctly, you could have conceivably saved thousands of dollars building your rig, if they cheaped out and/or did things wrong, then you might find yourself dumping money into it correcting mistakes made by the previous owner. Here's to hoping it was the first scenario

and a big welcome to Jeeping and the Jeep forum!

gonzo99 · 08-22-2009, 07:56 PM

Correct, you have anti-swaybar disconnects.( Discos). Pulling the pins allows for more articulation. Price of a lift installed depends greatly on brand of lift, components of lift and if the shop owner fishes or not. Good luck with you're new ride. Remember JEEP stands for Just Empty Every Pocket.

JeffB · 08-22-2009, 08:05 PM

I was in your shoes just a few months ago when I got my TJ with a lot of stuff already done to it.

A good suggestion is to read through the sticky about stock TJ specs here:
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/st...ations-452871/

Check your front and rear axles and compare shape of the differential "pumpkin" to the pictures in that link. Also look at your rear differential and there is a tag on the back driver side engraved what gear ratio you have.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/fa...-ratio-615380/
Probably 3.73 but check what you have. If you're lucky you have a rear Dana 44 with 4.10 or 4.56 gears for those 33" tires.

See what kind of shocks/springs you have and post it here along with a photo if you have it and someone will probably be able to identify the lift you have. You can also take some measurements from center of axle to edge of fender flare to compare with stock and see how many inches of lift you really have.

It takes a while to discover all the non-stock items. Welcome to JeepForum.

Pillswoj · 08-22-2009, 09:58 PM

If it is like mine you will still sink thousands into it to do it right

What did you save??

4" Lift $700 - $1000
33" tires - $1000
Wheels with correct backspacing $200 - 600

Is the regear already done? $1400

XaphanZ · 08-23-2009, 12:36 AM

according to the tag on the rear i'm only sporting 3.07. aside from the lift, the tires, a cai and a throttle body spacer, can't find much else that's been done. feels like it could use some bigger brakes and i'm curious about the "regear". from a stand still she don't have much pep but once i'm about 3k rpms it finds it's power.
when i get my memory card back i'll see if i can get some pics posted and maybe someone will now what kind of lift it is.
oh... any chance that the 3.07 gears could've been replaced by a bigger gear inside the stock axles?

JeffB · 08-23-2009, 01:27 AM

Sounds like you most likely have the stock Dana 30 axle in front and Dana 35C in the back. 3.07 gears are less than ideal for 33" tires.

Different gears can be put in your Jeep and the parts are fairly inexpensive but its a tough installation that will run about $1000. There is a chart that has been posted many times telling what the optimal gear ratio is for different tire size:
Gear Ratio Guide for Larger Tires

Looks like you most likely would want 4.11 gears. I'm no expert - I'm just regurgitating what I have read here on this forum. Many other Jeepers have run 3.07 gears with 33" tires and though not optimal they have few complaints and run it that way for years. Best recommendation is to keep it the way it is and form your own opinion. The symptoms are exactly what you describe: lack of torque at low rpm so I bet the gears are exactly what the tag says. Majority of the time when a regear is done a new tag is put on it but not always. I think you have the three-speed automatic transmission 32RH which is probably the best TJ transmission for 33" tires and 3.07 gears.

Another issue is the D35C axle in the rear. Large tires means more stress on your axle shafts and the D35 is a notorious weak link for heavy off-roading. A lot of us that own TJ's have the same problem ( me included) so just be aware of that and don't push it too hard off-road. In a perfect world we would all have Dana 44 or better rear axles turning our 33" tires. If your Jeep is your daily driver and used almost exclusively on road then I wouldn't worry about it. I have the D35 axle with 3.73 and 32" tires which is fine for me and I've taken it on some pretty harsh trails. I won't win any rock-crawling competitions but it gets me to work and back and has conquered some canyons in southern Utah.

VanBCguy · 08-23-2009, 02:02 AM

Welcome to the Jeep world and JeepForum!

In short, as it's very late right now, in order to best answer any and all of your questions, fill out as much of your profile as possible and then make a post with everything you know and descriptions of what you don't know.

Everyone here will do their best to help you out. This place is a HUGE wealth of expert advice, knowledge and expertise.

Be prepared to get addicted...to Jeeps AND JeepForum!

P.S. - Warn and prepare your family now...they'll never see you anymore. You'll always be with your new best friends...your Jeep and us here on JF!

**TheBoogieman** · 08-23-2009, 02:49 AM

Welcome to JF

and prepare to empty your bank account and lose your wife (if you have one).It's all worth it.

**kellerumps** · 08-23-2009, 07:02 AM

Welcome...I'm glad to see another Newb like me here.

XaphanZ · 08-23-2009, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VanBCguy

Welcome to the Jeep world and JeepForum!

In short, as it's very late right now, in order to best answer any and all of your questions, fill out as much of your profile as possible and then make a post with everything you know and descriptions of what you don't know.

Everyone here will do their best to help you out. This place is a HUGE wealth of expert advice, knowledge and expertise.

Be prepared to get addicted...to Jeeps AND JeepForum!

P.S. - Warn and prepare your family now...they'll never see you anymore. You'll always be with your new best friends...your Jeep and us here on JF!

They don't see me as it is. i'm a WOW addict. 80 mage 80 druid 80 pally and upcoming hunter. i'm actually hoping i can replace my wow addiction with a jeep addiction. or at least limit my online time by questing in the real world. my ol' lady will prolly see me more now that i have a jeep. i'll be dragging her out with me to go riding instead of locking myself in my room with the phone off. :-)

Dmcastino · 08-23-2009, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XaphanZ

They don't see me as it is. i'm a WOW addict. 80 mage 80 druid 80 pally and upcoming hunter. i'm actually hoping i can replace my wow addiction with a jeep addiction. or at least limit my online time by questing in the real world. my ol' lady will prolly see me more now that i have a jeep. i'll be dragging her out with me to go riding instead of locking myself in my room with the phone off. :-)

That away, at least you can include your girl in this addiction. I have seen that game take over people. I had a friend get really into that game and we once calculated how much of his time was spent on there: it turns out that more than 20% of his year was spent playing WoW, so more than around 5 hours or more per day, everyday for a year. I could not believe it

XaphanZ · 08-23-2009, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmcastino

That away, at least you can include your girl in this addiction. I have seen that game take over people. I had a friend get really into that game and we once calculated how much of his time was spent on there: it turns out that more than 20% of his year was spent playing WoW, so more than around 5 hours or more per day, everyday for a year. I could not believe it

5 hours every day is bad, but i'm rocking about 8 hours+ a day, unless it's the week-end which i can go for 14+ hours a day. but i didn't play at all today!!! i spend the day in the woods with the windows out flinging mud through the air!! whooo-hoo!

brianangst · 08-23-2009, 08:57 PM

Is it bad to spend 5 hours a day on JF? I don't have a jeep anymore, it died... so I have to obsess about everybody elses heeps.

To the OP: those disconnects are nice. But make sure your brake lines are long enough to support the additional articulation. Carry a set of gloves with you when you disco/connect(keeps the hands clean). Keep those bushings greased too! Maybe find some way to secure your sway bar in place when you disconnect it. I disco'd mine and did not secure it and the swaybar managed to swing down and drag on a boulder; nothing broke, but I could see where if it hit at the correct angle it might cause the swaybar to bend or brake off..

**Cuder** · 08-23-2009, 09:15 PM

Welcome to JF. Check out this thread I started on getting addicted. Post #3 is funny.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f7/ad...-forum-791847/