Can I remove or reduce transfer case drop with body lift & MML?

Rick2004LJ

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 11, 2018
Messages
159
Location
Texas
My Jeep is a 2004 TJ Unlimited (LJ) used almost exclusively as a trail/rock crawling rig - NO daily driving. It has all of the following done by previous owner - 4” short arm suspension lift, No Body Lift, No Motor Mount Lift, no SYE/driveshaft replacement, a 1 1/2" TC Drop, running on 33" tires. I assume the TC Drop was to avoid the cost of a SYE and Drive Shafts. It is my understanding that the longer wheelbase of the LJ's allows for more lift without the SYE/drive shafts - is this correct and if so how much more?

Can I ditch (or at least reduce) the existing 1 1/2" TC Drop by installing a 1" BL and 1" MML?

I know the right answer is to do the SYE/Drive Shaft, but I dont have unlimited $$ and plan to stage additional mods over the next couple years. I am just trying to get a little additional ground clearance in the short term and the BL/MML is fairly inexpensive, the existing motor mounts could use replacing, and I can do this work myself.

I am sure this has been covered and I have searched & read a ton, but still not sure I have my head around it. Thanks for any help/advice!
 
If I were you I would;
1. Install 1" BL and 1" MML
2. Remove TC drop
3. Check drive line angles to make sure they are good. (do you have adjustable arms upper or lower in rear?)
4. Test drive
5. If vibrations are noticed add washers in between frame and belly pan until eliminated.

6. If washers are needed add sye and new driveshaft to my want list.

I would bet with a MML you would not need 1.5" TC drop on an LJ. But, it may be more then 0.
 
Recommendations on make/model for BL & MML?
Jks aluminum blocks for the mml have worked great for me. Some will say brown dog but I find them more likely to induce vibs if not done correctly. As far body lift goes most prefer the savvy 1.25 ALUMINIUM spacers over the poly that jks and others sell. Myself I have the jks poly mounts but if I was going to do it again I would go savvy since the price is roughly the same.
 
Daystar makes a 1" body mount kit - it is a complete replacement for the body mounts, not a spacer. They also make a 1" motor mount. That is it's a complete mount but the frame of the mount is 1" taller. Just a couple other options.
 
Recommendations on make/model for BL & MML?

If your motor mounts are in good shape ... Savvy 1.25" body lift and Savvy motor mount lift. If not ... Savvy 1.25" body lift and either new MOPAR motor mounts and Savvy motor mount lift or M.O.R.E. rubber 1" lift mounts.
 
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I have the JKS 1.25” BL and I’m about to dump it for the Savvy because of how much the pucks compressed and deformed. I recommend something with rigid pucks that go over the stock mounts
 
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A rigid body lift puck like aluminum over the stock rubber mounts allows the body/frame connection to work the way it was intended to. The stock mounts have an internal sleeve that establishes a fixed height to the rubber isolator, while allowing the two halves of the isolator to clamp onto the frame mount. An aluminum spacer will still allow this attachment to take place the way it ought to.

A poly mount without an internal sleeve like JKS will compress because it can never be properly tightened. The resulting height is variable and the attachment is not as strong.

Daystar might be an improvement over JKS in that it has a factory style internal sleeve. However, it replaces the entire mount with poly which might reduce the ability to isolate vibrations from the frame.

I'm sure there is a way, but I haven't figured out how to be picky about motor mounts yet beyond wanting rubber. Mine has the common aluminum block under the stock rubber mount.
 
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I'm running the Daystar 1" set up with all new components, hardware and internal spacers to prevent crushing the poly body mounts. So far so good! no squeaks, no slipping, no damage to them. I'm happy with the product.
 
My run down for the OP -
1. BrownDog 1" MML
2. Daystar 1" body lift
3. OME ZJ/LJ springs

I was really hoping to defeat the need for SYE. As it sits, I gained over 3" in the front and over 2 in the rear. The front has a nice stance just a hair higher than the rear and handling is excellent. Unfortunately, I have some vibes around 35-40 and again around 65-70. My rear driveshaft has been rebuilt. If I was to do this again, I would go with new stock motor mounts and JKS or another block type motor mount lift. The Brown Dogs are nice but no matter how they are adjusted, I still have some vibes from the engine. I have the mounts with the rubber bushings.

It's really a crap shoot once you hit around 3". You may or may not need SYE or a plate drop. SYE is on it's way for me and I may get some new mounts and sell these. Good luck however you do it. Every single Jeep is different and there's more than a few ways to skin a cat.
 
On the rear upper control arm axel mounts, there are the holes for the control arm bolts to go through. Take a look at them and you will see where there is a slot stamped into the mount where the holes are. You can knock out the slots (I used a die grinder) and then get some cam bolts and you can roll the axel up to adjust the pinion output angle to match the T case output angle. The cam bolts with off set washers hold it in place and once I was happy with it, I tack welded the cam washers which fit in between some small ears on the axel mount in place to prevent them from moving. This is not the best way to solve vibrations, but it worked for me.