Newbie to the forum with a few questions

brianwalker1542

New Member
Joined
May 9, 2021
Messages
17
Location
Munday, WV
So after being out of the TJ game for a few years (forced out because of starting a family lol), I'm back in! I have a 2002 Sport. I'm patching together a suspension lift with components that have the best reviews/affordability. I ordered BDS coils yesterday. 3 inch for the front, 2 inch in the rear, zone front sway bar links, and an adjustable front track bar. I caught a deal on quadratec shocks. I know there are much, much better shocks (namely rancho) but I have to step lightly with the prices around the wifey...for now. We do not do any major offroading. I drive 20 miles round-trip to work each week. The only "offroading" we do is weekend backroad drives with our 2 daughters. I have 265/75R16's on it now with 16x8 Tuff T01's with factory springs and shocks that have 200,000 miles on them 😳. They're pretty new tires but with the lift, I'd like to upgrade to 285's. Just looking for feedback and suggestions with what I have ordered so far and if I will have any trouble with 285's with the 3 and 2 inch coils. Thanks guys...its good to be back!
 
Should be in the ballpark with those.
 
Any need to get a rear track bar bracket with the 2 inch rear coils?
Normally no, they play out different sometimes, but normally you can do the coils, adjust toe and caster , be sure the bump stops are right and be pretty happy. I just had the same set up. Drove excellent.
 
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Normally no, they play out different sometimes, but normally you can do the coils, adjust toe and camber , be sure the bumos stoos are right and be pretty happy. I just had the same set up. Drove excellent.
How do you adjust the camber?
 
Welcome back! That setup should work out alright. Most people with 2” in the rear don’t require a bracket/adjustable track bar.
 
Thanks guys! So I went ahead and ordered a TB relocation bracket and bar pin eliminators too. I also have some frame rust on the driver's side rear so I got a repair piece for that. My Dad is a heckuva welder/fabricator so I figured it would be a good time to fix that as well. Plus, since we'll have to take the gas tank off while we're cutting/welding, it will be much easier to get the TB relocation bracket on. The rest of the frame looks pretty good. The tub has a couple of spots on each side of the rockers and the notorious front fender rust. I've had a couple of fenders that I ordered last year waiting to be painted and put on. I only paid $2500 for it so it was a steal for a 4.0...even with the little blemishes here and there. I know we've had more than $2500 in fun this past year so it's paid for itself already. I never wanted my girls to grow up without knowing what it's like to go on summer, backroad Jeep rides. They love it so much...almost as much as me 😉😂 Thanks again guys...I appreciate your tips and advice!
 
Yes you can actually, but no you don’t typically need to.
When I bought my first Jeep, an alignment shop told me I had to have offset ball joints to do a proper alignment and that my caster was off too. I learned quickly that neither is an issue that effects anything negatively on a Jeep. I haven't paid for an alignment in the past 18 years and have never had any issues, even with 4" lifts on stock control arms. I avoid "experts' now.
confusion.jpg
 
When I bought my first Jeep, an alignment shop told me I had to have offset ball joints to do a proper alignment and that my caster was off too. I learned quickly that neither is an issue that effects anything negatively on a Jeep. I haven't paid for an alignment in the past 18 years and have never had any issues, even with 4" lifts on stock control arms. I avoid "experts' now.
View attachment 251532
Ive gotten ridiculous advice at most shops-and hate it when I understand the vehicle better than they do

I use a tape measure in my shop.
 
So just an update because I'm really happy with my setup. I ended up going with BDS springs...3" front, 2" rear and a 1.25" body lift, new, thicker Energy suspension rear upper spring isolater pads (I think about 3/8" thick?), RC adjustable front track bar and rear track bar relocation bracket, Zone front and rear sway bar links, RE steering stabilizer, and Quadratec shocks (just because of the deal they had...I'll upgrade later), Tuff wheels and 285 Mastercraft blems that I got for $115 each. This is where my journey started though...

After I got it up on the lift, I saw how bad the frame was on the drivers side and passenger side rear at the control and the upper coil spring mounts. So what was going to be a fun upgrade with the lift turned into a month long job because I could only work on it in my spare time. Fortunately, my Dad is a pretty daggon good welder/fabricator so with his help, I think it turned out pretty good and should buy me a few more years. It gets worse though. After I got the frame repairs and lift done, I drove it a total of about 5 miles before the clutch wouldn't disengage. I replaced the master/slave but still wouldn't disengage. So I pulled the tranny. The moment that I started to separate the bellhousing from the motor, ball bearings fell out and onto the floor haha I discovered a throughout bearing in about 4 pieces inside. Replaced everything inside including the bearing retainer. It's back on the road and I'm pretty happy with everything I've done so far. Just attached some pics of the frame repair and a before and after my lift. I love this forum. I've learned SOOO much from y'all. You guys are always my "go-to" when I need TJ help haha

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