Because I knew from the first post that the OP was going to be pushed to something outside of what they wanted to afford. They mentioned something that fits the factory location, also mentioned the king shocks being too expensive. They are pennies compared to outboarding, so right off the bat they are being led down a road too expensive. The members that are on this forum have the kind of knowledge that is invaluable and will be lost for ever when they are gone. But all that knowledge is misdirected when it doesnt help someone with their specific needs. It's like going to buy a house, and your budget is 150K. But the only thing your realtor is showing you is houses in the 400K price range. That has happened to me, it also happened here. It does zero good other than make everyone frustrated because the client wont buy a house over what they can afford but the realtor will only show them what is over and above what $$ they have available, or the client will give up and do nothing feeling shitty about their situation. The performance is irrelevant if it is not affordable or attainable to the OP, or anyone else. The other forum that a lot of folks migrated over from was very much the same way and that was 10+ years ago. I dont think anybody would ever tell you or Blaine or anyone else 'no I dont want your input'. But it's pretty frustrating when that input is too far and above what someone can get. So why not, with all the vast knowledge and experience, be able to offer some type of middle ground suggestion. The only suggestion I could think of is tuned fox shocks from accutune. Still expensive yes. But it meets the OPs objective and doesnt cost 10K plus permanent frame modifications. Or the Ranchos which everyone also talks great things about and are even cheaper yet! Or what about other suspension fine tuning things, like what you discussed on your build thread about honing in on shock travel and bump stops. I certainly learned a few things from that, things that I think the OP could actually benefit from and maximize their suspension within the cost constraints they have. I think everybody knows that outboarding is the end-all-be-all. But not everybody can afford a Lamborghini. Alls I'm saying is help folks understand maybe the steps in-between the maximum option. Because a 'all or nothing' kind of suggestion hurts a lot of people. Years ago, I took the advice of the 'all or nothing'. That's how I ended up with the suspension I currently have. I had to take a loan out for it, I bet nobody here knew that. Yeah.....a loan for a suspension - because "everything else sucks". And I was in dire need of new components so waiting another 5 years to save up was not an option, and I was lead into believing a 2K temporary option was 'a waste of time and money'. This was before Savvy developed their 3-link rear, so at the time the Currie/RockJock was the best of the best unless you did coil-overs. I also opted for the fox 2.0 reservoir shocks. Again knowing full well they were WAY above my budget. But why? Because "they were the best and anything else is a waste". Well...look where we are today. I have a suspension that, sure is great for what it is. But it was a permanent modification. I now cannot go with anything else unless I cut off all the brackets and re-weld factory brackets on, or stick with the JJ's. On top of this, I never even used the Jeep for the capability it was built for. So I basically wasted 10 thousand dollars, when a more modest 2K lift would have been more than sufficient. And, now it's going to be a very significant cost to rebuild the JJ's, almost as much as it would cost to just buy new ones, and probably 2500 bucks just in labor to test fit shorter lift springs and hopefully matching shocks that may or may not work with the current components. Its a pretty frustrating position to be in, and I would hate to see anyone else have the same regrets I have today because I went with 'the best' when it was way above my budget but 'everything else is garbage'. Granted outboards are not the same exact situation, but it is still a significant time and money investment and a relatively permanent modification. Not everybody can just run to the garage with a band saw, welder, cutting torch and go to town. Every single modification I do, I have to do outside. That means doing it in below zero temperatures in the winter. Not everybody even has a garage.
Maybe that makes a little more sense why I find it so important to keep in mind an individuals use case and budget and there entire situation. Maybe they can go full send. Maybe not. But spending time and money somebody doesnt have to get the maximum product is not always the right choice, and thats assuming capabilities, tools, workspace, etc.. For me, full send was a bad decision, and I am now in a real bad bind because of it. But that does not automatically exclude all of the other dozens of helpful information you and Blain and everyone else has isn't valid. They are not mutually exclusive. Theres a middle ground to be had somewhere.
