The Official Tummy Tuck FAQ Thread

Hello! This might be my first post to this forum. I have been "designing" my next step for a 2000 TJ that I bought new off the truck. Currently, I have budget 2" Teraflex spacer lift and 1" body lift for my 33". I have Dana 30/Dana 44 wanted to regear for 35" tires and lockers, since old rubber is about spent. Then I start looking at all the details to get only 1-2" higher using tires ... and now thinking a TT might allow me to have better overland road manners less worries/risk failures overall.

Is a TT an optimal solution, with new springs and shocks and keep at 33" or maybe 35"? These decisions drive the gearing plan.
 
Is a TT an optimal solution, with new springs and shocks and keep at 33" or maybe 35"? These decisions drive the gearing plan.

It depends on your situation. If you do a lot of off-roading and regularly get your skid plate hung up on all sorts of things, then yes, it is indeed an optimal solution.

However, it's a rabbit hole, just ask people like myself and @starkey480 :ROFLMAO:
 
Hello! This might be my first post to this forum. I have been "designing" my next step for a 2000 TJ that I bought new off the truck. Currently, I have budget 2" Teraflex spacer lift and 1" body lift for my 33". I have Dana 30/Dana 44 wanted to regear for 35" tires and lockers, since old rubber is about spent. Then I start looking at all the details to get only 1-2" higher using tires ... and now thinking a TT might allow me to have better overland road manners less worries/risk failures overall.

Is a TT an optimal solution, with new springs and shocks and keep at 33" or maybe 35"? These decisions drive the gearing plan.
What engine, transmission, and gear ratio do you have? Hard to believe you wouldn’t need to regear with 33’s. I have the 6-speed and 33’s and regeared from 373 to 456.

4” total lift is great for 33’s.

A TT is a great mod for belly clearance. It’s a lot of work, amount is proportional to the amount of tuck you do. There are lots of people here who can help. It would look something like mine.
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Everything above 33" feels like a rabbit hole. Thanks for your thoughts.

You're definitely right about that!

I will add though that I think a tummy tuck is a must have for just about any TJ that goes off-road. That stock skid plate is just a shovel for anything and everything.
 
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What engine, transmission, and gear ratio do you have? Hard to believe you wouldn’t need to regear with 33’s. I have the 6-speed and 33’s and regeared from 373 to 456.

4” total lift is great for 33’s.

A TT is a great mod for belly clearance. It’s a lot of work, amount is proportional to the amount of tuck you do. There are lots of people here who can help. It would look something like mine.
View attachment 166740View attachment 166741
That is a very nice, balanced rig. I wanted to regear with lockers, so have suffered with low power for very long time. Did you do lockers front/rear? I am getting solid suggestions to either do both or do front.
 
That is a very nice, balanced rig. I wanted to regear with lockers, so have suffered with low power for very long time. Did you do lockers front/rear? I am getting solid suggestions to either do both or do front.
Thanks! Lockers front and rear. I did a PowerTrax No Slip in front and an Eaton E-Locker in the rear. Love them.
 
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Fitting a tire size is a separate endeavor from raising the skid. Though the two goals interact with each other.
 
That is a very nice, balanced rig. I wanted to regear with lockers, so have suffered with low power for very long time. Did you do lockers front/rear? I am getting solid suggestions to either do both or do front.
Lockers front and rear are the best upgrade you can do for off-roading. That’s where I would start personally.
 
I managed to pull off the tt for cheap. Ended up getting a used drive shaft and a yse kit from kris. He had the parts available because he did a atlas swap. Ended up fabricating my own skid plate, trans mount. As well as modified the rear track bar mount that came with my lift kit. Because I already went down the rabbit hole previously and had 1300 dollar Currie control arms under my Jeep, as well as a body lift from the zone combo lift.I was able to finish off the entire rest of the tuck for 300 bucks. Ya my skid plate weighs a ton. Wouldn’t recommend going this route. If I did it again I would probably go with the savvy aluminum set up.

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Why not both Eaton? I have plans for Eaton. Can’t decide on 1 or 2 lockers. For sure rears with 4.88 regear plan.
It’s the setup recommended by John Currie (automatic locker in front/ electric in rear). I figured he kind of knows what he’s talking about. The advantage is that the front unlocks while turning, unlike an electric. Plus, I could do it myself for $400. At the time I lived in central TX. No snow/ice. We planned to move to WA state. I had read the auto lockers were dangerous. Nonsense. Even Dave Kishpaugh recommends this setup in snow/ice. He says he wouldn’t do a selectable up front without steering assist and does not put them on rigs 35” and smaller. It’s too much stress on the front end.
 
Why not both Eaton? I have plans for Eaton. Can’t decide on 1 or 2 lockers. For sure rears with 4.88 regear plan.
The setup I went with was a Eaton in the rear and a Yukon grizzly locker in the front. This is a great setup proven to work well by multiple people on this forum. The reason I went this way was throughout my entire build I’ve been trying to save money when I can. The grizzly locker was in the 400 dollar range around Black Friday. I got it for about 250 bucks off. It’s half the cost of sticking a e locker in the front.
 
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The setup I went with was a Eaton in the rear and a Yukon grizzly locker in the front. This is a great setup proven to work well by multiple people on this forum. The reason I went this way was throughout my entire build I’ve been trying to save money when I can. The grizzly locker was in the 400 dollar range around Black Friday. I got it for about 250 bucks off. It’s half the cost of sticking a e locker in the front.
That is really interesting. I don't know why none of my shop bids bring this information forward. It makes me uncomfortable that the "experts" don't suggest an optimal build. Maybe just a waste of air for them?
 
I'm definitely not ready for a full tuck, but want to get rid of the 1" drop and the shovel from under the frame. If not for much more than aesthetics, maybe less drag under the jeep lol.
 
He says he wouldn’t do a selectable up front without steering assist and does not put them on rigs 35” and smaller. It’s too much stress on the front end.
It is?! Crap, that was my plan, I wanted a selectable up front and a LS in the rear.