2003 TJ—need some lift advice

[Trevair]

Hey guys. I bought my TJ a couple years back when I lived in Florida, at which point no form of off road adventure was on the table. With Cooper 33x12.5r15 AT3s, new (albeit, not that great) LED headlights, a de-carpeted interior, re-geared to 4.10, and some sort of lift (I didn't know enough to ask what it was), it did just fine as a daily driver. I had to put the rear tire carrier back on, since the PO had put a brake light there instead, so on went a HD tire carrier hinge. I'm not the handiest glove in the drawer, so it wasn't beautiful work, but still functional.

Since recently moving to Colorado, I've been looking more into what I have and going on mountain adventures. We've done Rollins, Black Bear, and Imogen since then, which were an absolute blast. I've also come to the realization that the Jeep has a 2ish inch budget boost. This is no bueno to me, so now I'm looking at options for something to replace it. My aim is a 3inch suspension for now, with the ability to add a 1" body lift and maybe a tummy tuck farther down the road.

Currie's 3" offering looks quality and inclusive, but $2800 is a lot of money. Teraflex is next down the list at $1600, but it doesn't look like I'll be getting a front track bar with them. The local 4x4 place recommended a JSPEC 3" kit, which seems more inclusive and comes out to $2200 or so. Right now I'm leaning toward the JSPEC kit.

I see from reading the Lift Guide on this forum (extremely useful, by the way) that I'll likely need a YSE and extended brake lines, though most of the videos I've watched of 3" lifts don't seem to show installing the YSE. I assume that's because it's not a part of their kit. I have no problem with adding one, but it is just beyond the level of things I'm comfortable with taking apart. Is it possible to just do the kit install myself, then drive the Jeep somewhere to get the YSE installed? My thinking being I'd just have some fun vibrations along the way.

Other things that need doing are replacing the side bar steps with real rock sliders, a new front bumper to support a winch, and a stinger that will actually perform its intended function (from what I can tell, the majority on the market won't actually catch a Jeep on its way over the top). I want this build to be sturdy enough that a newbie like me won't mash it up. I'm not going to be hardcore rock crawling, just daily driving plus whatever it takes to get some sweet night sky pics in the middle of nowhere!

Any advice you guys might have on the lift situation would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Alex01]

Great looking jeep. You should jump on the regional section and talk to the guys in your area such as @tworley, @jjvw, @rasband, @strumble8 and many more.

They will be able to give you a good idea of what is needed to tackle the trails in your area.

My advice would be to buy once cry once. I originally started with a RE Superflex 3.5" lift and the only thing I have left from it is the brake lines and rear sway bar links.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/jibber-jabber.18137/page-20

 

[tworley]

Welcome from Morrison! That link is our thread about nothing in particular. Feel free to post there to your hearts content. We have quite a bit of outings in the summer and fall months. Most trails are now going to be blocked by snow until about June.

Sounds like the shop is just pushing for a particular brand they stock. A quick look at the JSPEC and it shows they have clevite bushings in their arms. That will put a lot of stress on your control arm mounts. The stock arms are far better since they will allow the arm to twist. Also inlcudes a transfercase drop, which defeats the whole purpose of lifting, since you are dropping what you are trying to lift. Though doing it that way would eliminate the cost of an SYE and DC shaft. A stinger, in my opinion, isnt necessary out here. Though if you do begin to play in the rocks, a stubby bumper will give you great approach angles. I am using the stock bumper cut down 8.75" on either side with a rough country winch plate to hold my winch. I guess the question should be asked, what is your ultimate tire size?

 

[Trevair]

Great looking jeep. You should jump on the regional section and talk to the guys in your area such as @tworley, @jjvw, @rasband, @strumble8 and many more.

They will be able to give you a good idea of what is needed to tackle the trails in your area.

My advice would be to buy once cry once. I originally started with a RE Superflex 3.5" lift and the only thing I have left from it is the brake lines and rear sway bar links.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/jibber-jabber.18137/page-20

Thanks! I've been perusing for a while, just haven't jumped in yet. I'm thinking the bill for that Currie kit will be worth at least 1 1/2 cries though...

Welcome from Morrison! That link is our thread about nothing in particular. Feel free to post there to your hearts content. We have quite a bit of outings in the summer and fall months. Most trails are now going to be blocked by snow until about June.

Sounds like the shop is just pushing for a particular brand they stock. A quick look at the JSPEC and it shows they have clevite bushings in their arms. That will put a lot of stress on your control arm mounts. The stock arms are far better since they will allow the arm to twist. Also inlcudes a transfercase drop, which defeats the whole purpose of lifting, since you are dropping what you are trying to lift. Though doing it that way would eliminate the cost of an SYE and DC shaft. A stinger, in my opinion, isnt necessary out here. Though if you do begin to play in the rocks, a stubby bumper will give you great approach angles. I am using the stock bumper cut down 8.75" on either side with a rough country winch plate to hold my winch. I guess the question should be asked, what is your ultimate tire size?

Oh boy, that doesn't sound to great for the JSPEC. With that in mind, are the Currie control arms better due to the Johnny Joints? I'm planning on sticking with 33s for the foreseeable future.

 

[jjvw]

33s and a raised belly will get you most places around here. A stinger doesn't do anything except get in the way. If anything, make a point to keep the Jeep as high clearance, low profile and light weight as possible.

 

[Trevair]

33s and a raised belly will get you most places around here. A stinger doesn't do anything except get in the way. If anything, make a point to keep the Jeep as high clearance, low profile and light weight as possible.

That's interesting. I would've considered the Rockies to be the ideal trail conditions for going end-over-end. But duly noted! Leaves more money for a winch anyhow.

 

[jjvw]

That's interesting. I would've considered the Rockies to be the ideal trail conditions for going end-over-end. But duly noted! Leaves more money for a winch anyhow.

Hasn't happened to me or anyone around me yet. Any event where you go tumbling end over end of going to need far more than a stinger. It's best to just not do that.

 

[Trevair]

I finally got around to installing some new 7" fender flares. They look nice and stock, just the way I was hoping. If anybody needs a spare stock flare, let me know.

I've decided to bite the bullet and get the Currie 3" kit. Christmas is coming, right? I'll do the Quick Disconnects, and get the front and rear track bars. It looks like there're already brake line extenders on the Jeep, so that's nice. I'm planning on driving it to the shop to have the YSE put on after everything else is finished.

Finally, after replacing the serpentine belt (of unknown age), idler pully (rust city), and tensioner pulley (just looked at me funny), I've run out of ideas on a squealing sound I've been hearing. Only happens while in gear, both while accelerating and decelerating. The local mechanic is of the opinion that it's a clutch issue, and I'm somewhat inclined to believe him, as a little over a year ago I had it worked on in FL. Not sure what I'll be doing about that just yet.

 

[Chris]

Want the best advice you'll ever get? Save your money and do it right the first time.

I understand that most people don't want to hear that, but it's the cold, hard truth. Yes, a Currie / Savvy kit costs considerably more, but you pay what you get for. If you intend to really off-road it, then this will become very apparent.

 

[AndyG]

33s and a raised belly will get you most places around here. A stinger doesn't do anything except get in the way. If anything, make a point to keep the Jeep as high clearance, low profile and light weight as possible.

We've got a stinger on our '06 Rubicon, I think of it as a nose ring for a TJ.

I'm still trying to figure out what it's supposed to do.

 

[AndyG]

Want the best advice you'll ever get? Save your money and do it right the first time.

I understand that most people don't want to hear that, but it's the cold, hard truth. Yes, a Currie / Savvy kit costs considerably more, but you pay what you get for. If you intend to really off-road it, then this will become very apparent.

Great post.


It's waaay more expensive to do it wrong , and then do it right , than it is to just do it right ....and it's a headache to work through things that don't work .

Use this awesome forum , find out what works ,then wheel happily ever after.

The best source of TJ knowledge in the country is right here.

 

[Trevair]

We've got a stinger on our '06 Rubicon, I think of it as a nose ring for a TJ.

I'm still trying to figure out what it's supposed to do.

My understanding is that it acts as a point of origin for the shock cone that forms around the nose after hitting 65mph (downhill, with the wind, of course).

 

[Goatman]

The stinger hoop started for the pre-runner trucks. Out in the sand dune type environments. Go over a big Crest and the nose comes down a lot sooner than the rear. It is mostly seen nowadays at the mall or the kid's soccer practice.

 

[Trevair]

So I recently nailed down the squealing noise that's been keeping me more or less parked for months. I had taken the Jeep into a shop down the street, and they pointed at the u joints in the rear driveshaft being worn out. Great, I'll just take out the shaft, replace the joints ($25ish each at Autozone across the street) and be on my way...except I don't have a press for getting the actual u joints in and out. Ended up bringing the shaft back in and having them do the remove+replace after an unsuccessful attempt at the "hammer and socket" method. Reinstalled the shaft and nope, still hearing things.

A few weeks of work and different passengers later, and I've narrowed it down to the front driveshaft. Cool, I'll just replace the joints in that shaft. Easy! That was when I learned I did not have the dexterity to get around the transfer case skid, and would have to take it off to reach the bolts on the back end. Oh well, 3 new joints and a trip to the shop later, I put the shaft back in. Squealing still present. Shoot.

Then I read the ball joint in the DC joint on that front shaft could be my culprit. Off comes the front shaft, and with a new ball joint from amazon we journeyed to a driveshaft shop across town. Next day I put things back together again and...no noise! Woohoo! Now I can finally get back to working on replacing this budget boost.

Interesting side note: after sitting cold for a couple weeks because of this, my battery was dead enough to require jump starting for a while. This also prompted a check engine light saying an O2 sensor heater was out. But a couple days of normal driving later, it seems like the battery is recovered and the CEL went away on its own. Weird.

Now on the lift...it dawned on me that I actually have Rancho RS5000X shocks on here as part of the budget boost, which I mistook for the non-X model. With that in mind I'm thinking I'll keep those shocks and replace the stock coil springs and budget boost spacer pucks with OME 2" lift springs. As I have little to no driveline vibration the way things are now, my theory is since I should have the same amount of lift after the change, I should still be fine. Then down the road I can add a Brown Dog 1" MML and Savvy 1.25" BL concurrently, as well as some JKS disconnects. In my head this gives me 3ish inches of total lift (enough for my 33s to be effective) without requiring a SYE, new control arms, or trackbars for a while. Plus it's all work I can do myself, something I cannot say about the SYE.

Is this insanity or do you guys think it'll work?