Have you thought about installing 1/2" spacers? Would widening your track by 1" total width help? Something to think about, @JMT uses 1/2" spacers.
Inside-Out Build—2006 LJ
- Thread starter freedom_in_4low
- Start date
Have you thought about installing 1/2" spacers? Would widening your track by 1" total width help? Something to think about, @JMT uses 1/2" spacers.
Yeah I want to do 0.25” spacers as a start, see if that helps. I believe JMT suggested some in my build thread.
OP
Today I installed my Rockjock rear springs. I got the RH2 part number which is advertised as 3.5" lift for an LJ and 4" for a TJ. They replaced some unknown brand springs that I believe were a 2.5" lift and I had a 3/4" spacer on top. As it sat, the rear looked squatty but the frame was just about perfectly level at 21" on the driver LCA mounts and about 1/8" measurable squat on the passenger. My shocks were at about 19-7/8" eye to eye from my notes, though I didn't note which side I got that measurement from, and I later discovered the passenger side was 1/2" lower than the driver. So at least one side was nearly perfect at 50/50.
I now have 21.5" eye to eye on the driver side and 21" on the passenger. Frame heights:
Front driver: 21"
Rear driver 21-11/16"
Front passenger 20-5/8"
Rear passenger 21.5"
Rear driver spring sits at 12.7", indicating a 4.7" lift with the passenger side measuring about 4.2".
These measurements are all with a half tank of gas and loaded how I drive it most of the time.
The OCD in me wants to get a spacer for the passenger side by I figure it probably evens out with me in it. Plus the spacers I have are incompatible with the Rockjock bump stop kit and I don't really want to buy more and try to find something that works.
All in all I'm happy with the ride height change. The rake isn't overly aggressive but at least so far in the garage the squatty look is gone. I'm glad I went with the 4" TJ springs instead of the 4" LJ springs...I would not have wanted any more height.
Now for the bad news...my Ranchos are now at 5.9 up/3.7 down. That's about 62% uptravel which I'm not overly enthusiastic about so I'm thinking about some bar pin eliminators to get me back to 50/50 where I was. That said...the ranchos are blown anyway, behaving like a hydraulic shock just staying where I put it and not extending. Pretty disappointing having less than 20k miles on them, though my wheeling buddies do complain about my speed on the access roads so maybe a $50 shock just isn't up to driving like I'm in Baja
. So I guess it's as good a time as any to give the BlackMax a try. Gonna do some research to see if I can find one the right length without the bar pin so I don't have to mess with the bushing before installing it.
I now have 21.5" eye to eye on the driver side and 21" on the passenger. Frame heights:
Front driver: 21"
Rear driver 21-11/16"
Front passenger 20-5/8"
Rear passenger 21.5"
Rear driver spring sits at 12.7", indicating a 4.7" lift with the passenger side measuring about 4.2".
These measurements are all with a half tank of gas and loaded how I drive it most of the time.
The OCD in me wants to get a spacer for the passenger side by I figure it probably evens out with me in it. Plus the spacers I have are incompatible with the Rockjock bump stop kit and I don't really want to buy more and try to find something that works.
All in all I'm happy with the ride height change. The rake isn't overly aggressive but at least so far in the garage the squatty look is gone. I'm glad I went with the 4" TJ springs instead of the 4" LJ springs...I would not have wanted any more height.
Now for the bad news...my Ranchos are now at 5.9 up/3.7 down. That's about 62% uptravel which I'm not overly enthusiastic about so I'm thinking about some bar pin eliminators to get me back to 50/50 where I was. That said...the ranchos are blown anyway, behaving like a hydraulic shock just staying where I put it and not extending. Pretty disappointing having less than 20k miles on them, though my wheeling buddies do complain about my speed on the access roads so maybe a $50 shock just isn't up to driving like I'm in Baja
. So I guess it's as good a time as any to give the BlackMax a try. Gonna do some research to see if I can find one the right length without the bar pin so I don't have to mess with the bushing before installing it.
OP
Actually it looks like there's a B8563 with 16.05-27.3" length which would put me back at 50/50. I'll need to get back on the jackstands and check some things at that much droop ..that's about 2.5" more than I've ever checked for things like driveshaft bind.
Today I installed my Rockjock rear springs. I got the RH2 part number which is advertised as 3.5" lift for an LJ and 4" for a TJ. They replaced some unknown brand springs that I believe were a 2.5" lift and I had a 3/4" spacer on top. As it sat, the rear looked squatty but the frame was just about perfectly level at 21" on the driver LCA mounts and about 1/8" measurable squat on the passenger. My shocks were at about 19-7/8" eye to eye from my notes, though I didn't note which side I got that measurement from, and I later discovered the passenger side was 1/2" lower than the driver. So at least one side was nearly perfect at 50/50.
I now have 21.5" eye to eye on the driver side and 21" on the passenger. Frame heights:
Front driver: 21"
Rear driver 21-11/16"
Front passenger 20-5/8"
Rear passenger 21.5"
Rear driver spring sits at 12.7", indicating a 4.7" lift with the passenger side measuring about 4.2".
These measurements are all with a half tank of gas and loaded how I drive it most of the time.
The OCD in me wants to get a spacer for the passenger side by I figure it probably evens out with me in it. Plus the spacers I have are incompatible with the Rockjock bump stop kit and I don't really want to buy more and try to find something that works.
All in all I'm happy with the ride height change. The rake isn't overly aggressive but at least so far in the garage the squatty look is gone. I'm glad I went with the 4" TJ springs instead of the 4" LJ springs...I would not have wanted any more height.
Now for the bad news...my Ranchos are now at 5.9 up/3.7 down. That's about 62% uptravel which I'm not overly enthusiastic about so I'm thinking about some bar pin eliminators to get me back to 50/50 where I was. That said...the ranchos are blown anyway, behaving like a hydraulic shock just staying where I put it and not extending. Pretty disappointing having less than 20k miles on them, though my wheeling buddies do complain about my speed on the access roads so maybe a $50 shock just isn't up to driving like I'm in Baja
Ain't no way you're getting driveshaft bind with a SSYE on an LJ.
OP
Haha ok, fair enough. This is what I've got...still gotta finish putting it together so it hasn't been out of the garage yet.
Fully extended Rancho
Fully compressed rancho
I'm sure you're probably right. Just feels wrong not to droop it out and check it though. 27 sounds a lot longer than 24.5.
Goodness gracious, that's beautiful. That is 100% the look I want (if I stay 35s). Good choice on the TJ springs, my Currie LJs are too tall.
For sure, better safe than sorry.
Is an outboard in the cards for you?
OP
thanks!
thanks, I'm happy with it. I just saw too many posts with people that had way more height in the rear than they expected.
Honestly don't know. I seem to get by just fine with the travel I have (and I'm about to have 11") so I probably wouldn't outboard just to outboard, but I love the idea of having well-tuned shocks and at least to this point I'm not aware of a way to do that without an outboard, so....maybe? Probably not right now though. I gotta get me a decent welder, get reasonably good with it, and then psych myself up before I cut into the frame.
thanks!
thanks, I'm happy with it. I just saw too many posts with people that had way more height in the rear than they expected.
Honestly don't know. I seem to get by just fine with the travel I have (and I'm about to have 11") so I probably wouldn't outboard just to outboard, but I love the idea of having well-tuned shocks and at least to this point I'm not aware of a way to do that without an outboard, so....maybe? Probably not right now though. I gotta get me a decent welder, get reasonably good with it, and then psych myself up before I cut into the frame.
Cut, cut, cut….
OP
I'm just putting this here for my own record keeping.
RE: my Johnny joint grease experiment
Lower Control Arms
Front - Phillips Megaplex XD5 #2 aka Rockjock Johnny joint grease
Rear - Superlube w/ PTFE #2
Upper Control Arms
Front and rear - Redline CV2
RE: my Johnny joint grease experiment
Lower Control Arms
Front - Phillips Megaplex XD5 #2 aka Rockjock Johnny joint grease
Rear - Superlube w/ PTFE #2
Upper Control Arms
Front and rear - Redline CV2
Last edited:
When are you going to solve your creaking problem once for all and come over to the dark side?
OP
Haha. I might. I do have a pair of the Metalcloak JJ retrofit kits, I figure the first of the larger joints to get squeaky will get the Metalcloaks.
I went for my first drive with the new springs, and it rides really well. I know, "springs don't effect ride quality" but vehicle suspension is tuned to a frequency and the front and rear have a relationship to one another. I had some unknown brand rear springs that had what I'm thinking is double the spring rate or more of the Rockjock and I believe the spring-mass frequency front vs rear was doing some funky stuff.
I suddenly have a new rattle that I'm having trouble tracking down. It literally happened between the last time I drove it and my first drive with the new springs. I've triple checked everything I touched and I know nothing is loose, plus the sound seems to be coming more from the front. I checked the skid plates for any stray hardware, and it's clear. I think my next move will be to run a bore scope down the frame rails and see if anything is in there.
OP
Hmm, that's weird. Kinda sounds like when my tcase shifter linkage was hitting the spinning front driveshaft.
OP
I checked that area but nothing making any contact. I have a cable shifter but I can always check for loose hardware. Tomorrow I'm gonna go whack the catalytic converter with a mallet and see if that's where it's coming from. I really hope it isn't.
OP
What's baffling is that it has to be something I didn't even touch, because I've checked everything I did touch. I initially thought it was the tabs on my e brake cables rattling against upper control arms, but I added a zip tie so it's on there tight.
It do be like that sometimes..
You might need to walk and listen while someone slowly drives the jeep.
OP
I found it.
The last time I touched that fastener would have been when I did my AX15 swap in summer 2022. It's a nylock, so either the nylock isn't doing the job or I fit up the skidplate and missed tightening that, and it's just been hanging on all this time. No idea why it suddenly decided to start rattling right after I had my rear suspension apart.
Unrelated update. I do still have some contact between tire and LCA, but I can't feel in the steering wheel so it's still massively improved with the reduced arm body. It didn't show up until after I wheeled it so It may take some articulation to make it touch.
Gotchu, easy fix at least! I wonder whether nylock or serrated flange nut is better for this application.I found it.
View attachment 496577
The last time I touched that fastener would have been when I did my AX15 swap in summer 2022. It's a nylock, so either the nylock isn't doing the job or I fit up the skidplate and missed tightening that, and it's just been hanging on all this time. No idea why it suddenly decided to start rattling right after I had my rear suspension apart.
OP