Do I have a lift?

Rex2022

Rex2022

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Peoria, AZ
I bought my 2003 TJ six weeks ago and would like to put new shocks on it. When I bought the vehicle from a private seller they said it had a 3" lift. How do I confirm if it has a lift and if it does how tall is the lift? Please see the pics if they are any help. I have new 33"s on her (BFG K02).


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Thank you!

Paul
 
Thanks for all the replies! I'll measure today and report back.

The reason I would like new shocks is that I believe it's the cause of the noise I'm hearing when I go over bumps. It's kind of like a clanking sound. At first I thought it was the rear hatch door that the rear tire is mounted to, like it was loose or something, but it's not. Is my assumption right that it's the rear shock that have gone bad? They look like the original factory shocks. There's nothing loose that I could find that would contribute to this clanking sound. The TJ has 93k miles on her.

I would like to put Rancho RS5000X shocks on my TJ.

Thanks again!

Paul
 
They've given you the how to find the lift, have you measured?

On the noise, it's not my personal experience that the shocks cause that kind of noise, but if they're original at this many years, maybe, and could be a good time to do it either way. I'd look at the control are bushings etc and make sure everything is good and tight.
 
It appears that the length of the rear coil is about 11.5", which is about a 3.5" lift, right? I also measured the front coil and it appears it measures about 15.25". The distance from the top of the rear wheel to the fender flare is about 7.25". Since I have removed the doors, hard top, rear seat I wonder if that would influence the current rear spring height due to less weight? Therefore, it truly might be a 3" lift.

Should I buy the 2"-3" (RS55239) or 4"-5" (RS55255) Rancho RS5000X Shocks?

Paul

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Last edited:
jrt2nd said:
I would say, check your control arm and track bar bushings.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advise. I crawled under the TJ and with all my strength I pulled and pushed the control arms and the track bar. All were tight and secure.

Paul
 
Rex2022 said:
At first I thought it was the rear hatch door that the rear tire is mounted to, like it was loose or something, but it's not.
Click to expand...

Don't be so fast to rule that out. You have a 33" tire/wheel mounted to what I suspect is a stock mount and hinges, which is too much weight for the stock stuff. With the door closed, grab the tire top and bottom, push and pull and watch that gate flex/bend at the latch. I'm not guaranteeing that's your noise source, but it might be.
 
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Rex2022 said:
Thanks for the advise. I crawled under the TJ and with all my strength I pulled and pushed the control arms and the track bar. All were tight and secure.

Paul
Click to expand...

They may be tight when you push or pull on them, but they experience a lot more force than that when the weight of the TJ is moving around. How do they look? If the bushings are cracked, odds are they're rotted out. When my OE bushings wore out, they were cracked and dry rotted and the source of all my snaps, crackles, pops and clunks.
 
BlueC said:
Don't be so fast to rule that out. You have a 33" tire/wheel mounted to what I suspect is a stock mount and hinges, which is too much weight for the stock stuff. With the door closed, grab the tire top and bottom, push and pull and watch that gate flex/bend at the latch. I'm not guaranteeing that's your noise source, but it might be.
Click to expand...

I removed the rear tire and drove around. Still had the same sound. It's not the rear tire.

Paul
 
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I pulled one of the front shocks and measured it. I called Rancho and the rep said I needed part numbers RS55255 and RS55256 (Rancho RS5000X) after I gave him the shock measurements. He said that my shock measurements coincide with a 3.5" lift. I went to my local Autozone and ordered them. They'll be in tomorrow morning. They priced matched Amazon.

Paul
 
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My aftermarket trackbar was clunking like u described due to the bolt not being properly torqued down where it connects to the frame on the driver side.

Edit: my buddy had a clunk and it was due to his shock’s bushing bing trashed. He’s good to go now using the Ranchos I sent him.
 
You should pull your springs and cycle your axles to determine which length of shocks you need and not base it on 3.5" lift.
Measure the distance between the shock mounting points with the jeep on its own weight. Then unhook your sway bar and let the axle droop to its lowest point and again measure the distance between the shock mounting points. When you raise your axles to full bump with the jack, measure again the distance between the shock mounting points. You'll want a collapsed shock length that fits the full stuff measurement, and a shock that extends to the same measurement as full droop.

This is the correct way to buy shocks. And while you're measuring the points at various stages of travel, you can see what else may or may not need fixed like trackbar to gas tank skid, trackbar to front diff cover and others and then set your bumpstops to limit those interferences. You'll have the most possible travel you can get from your jeep and you'll know you can travel fast and hard knowing nothing else is going to smash into each other.
 
Mikee024 said:
My aftermarket trackbar was clunking like u described due to the bolt not being properly torqued down where it connects to the frame on the driver side.

Edit: my buddy had a clunk and it was due to his shock’s bushing bing trashed. He’s good to go now using the Ranchos I sent him.
Click to expand...

I pulled the rear shocks and the bushings were totally trashed. I'm wondering if that's it?

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