Lift Going On Next Week!

[Sparky-Watts]

Yup, that's right! After 2 1/2 years of waiting, I'm finally getting the YJ lifted! I'm getting a BDS 3 1/2" lift and BDS Ultimate Sway Bar Disconnects installed for just under $875. I was going to get JKS Quick Disco's, but the guy showed me the new BDS Ultimates, and they are sooooo much better and soooo much easier to use, and pretty much the same price as the JKS. They can be disconnected with one hand, and also come with a pin that mounts to the frame that they connect to when not in use, that is just as easy to use. He had a TJ with the BDS and a CJ with the JKS and let me try them both. There was no contest, the BDS disco's were incredibly simple to use. He also said they are much, much quieter than any other disconnects on the market. They are starting to include them now with the box sets on 3" and 4 1/2" TJ lifts.

I'll drop the YJ off either Monday evening or Tuesday morning. Not sure how long it will take him. I can't wait!!!!!

I hope my stock springs haven't sagged out too much. I measured my clearance to the garage door, and right now I have a little under 6" between the door frame and the lights on my lightbar. That will leave me 2 1/2" after the lift, providing there isn't much saggage on the old springs! We'll see, I guess. I also measured the Jeep in a few spots. The bottom of the front bumper is 19.5" to the ground, the bottom edge of the body at the driver's door is 19", and so is the bottom edge of the body at the back.

 

[OutOfStep]

Congrats! Garage doors can always be made bigger...

 

[TwistedCU]

Congrats! Garage doors can always be made bigger...

Exactly lol

Good deal, Sparky! have your camera ready.

Those disconnects look pretty nice. I hadn't seen them yet.

 

[90Xjay]

Yeah. We want massive amounts of pics and a nice post-up in the "How-To" section!

 

[KrazyJeeper]

Sparky, did you calculate larger tires for that garage or are you staying with what's on it?

 

[mud4feet]

pics, pics, pics!!!!!!!!

 

[bchcky]

not doing the lift yourself? thats half the fun!

 

[Sparky-Watts]

Yeah. We want massive amounts of pics and a nice post-up in the "How-To" section!

The "How-To" is pretty cut and dried: Beg and beg and beg Sunshine to let you get a lift for the Jeep. Then, go down to 4x4 shop and say, "Put a lift on my Jeep. Oh, and make it comfy, I'll be sleeping there until 2031."

:lol:

 

[Sparky-Watts]

not doing the lift yourself? thats half the fun!

I really, really wanted to, but I don't have the tools, the space, nor the time to do it myself. I'm still working 70 to 80 hours a week, if not more, so by the time I get home, I'm so exhausted all I do is eat a little dinner and fall asleep in my Lazy Boy till Sunshine wakes me up to go to bed. I worked both Saturday and Sunday last weekend. Believe me, if I could, I'd do the lift myself.

 

[Sparky-Watts]

Congrats! Garage doors can always be made bigger...

Yeah, I thought about getting a Jackhammer and chiseling two ruts in the floor just wide enough for the tires to drive in!!

Reminds me of the old story my grampa always told about the farmer who couldn't get his mule in the barn. Every time he'd try to get the mule in the barn, the mule's ears would hit the top of the doorway, and the mule would balk and run off. So, finally, the old farmer got a shovel and started digging a hole at the entrance to the barn, so that the mule would fit. His neighbor came up and asked what he was doing. The farmer told him he was digging a hole so his mule's ears wouldn't hit the barn door and the mule wouldn't run off anymore. The neighbor just shook his head and said, "Ya dern fool. Don't dig a hole, cut a notch in the barn door! It ain't his legs that are too long, it's his ears!"

:lol: urple:

 

[Sparky-Watts]

I'm dropping the YJ off this morning. I couldn't sleep all night....it feels like Christmas when I was a kid!!!! The boss man said I could drive my work van till I get the YJ back, so that will save me from having to drive my father-in-law's F-250 at 9 mpg. The gas in the work van is free.....I like free. Free is perhaps my favorite word!!

I'm so excited, I think I just soiled myself!!! More later.........

 

[Joopin]

I'm jealous, those discos are awesome. I hate struggling with mine. Congrats on the lift!

 

[Wrangl3r93]

I'm so jealous... gettin another 400 dollar paycheck monday and i'll have enough for the lift and disconnects and shocks except i can't cover taxes... so that's 2 more weeks i have to wait! the thought has crossed my mind to go down to a cheaper lift but i have my heart set on the RE 4.5 extreme duty lift and i'm a stubborn boy... guess i'll have to wait... i haven't even thought about starting to save up for the 33's and new gears yet... i sure do love my money pit

 

[Sparky-Watts]

I'm so jealous... gettin another 400 dollar paycheck monday and i'll have enough for the lift and disconnects and shocks except i can't cover taxes... so that's 2 more weeks i have to wait! the thought has crossed my mind to go down to a cheaper lift but i have my heart set on the RE 4.5 extreme duty lift and i'm a stubborn boy... guess i'll have to wait... i haven't even thought about starting to save up for the 33's and new gears yet... i sure do love my money pit

I had pretty much decided on the Black Diamond 3.5" lift. Everywhere I looked it was about $200-$300 cheaper than the BDS 3.5" lift. The place I'm getting it put on is owned by one of my customers, so he's getting me a deal I just couldn't pass up. $435 for the lift and the disco's, and $400 for labor. He said he generally gets $1150 for the lift and labor alone, without the disco's (they're about $125 usually). So he's basically knocking about $450 off the price for me. He said he would have taken more off the labor if he installed it himself, but he's got too many other projects going, so one of his other employees is doing it, so he had to pay him the full labor. That's ok with me, I'm still getting a decent deal! It pays to keep a 4x4 shop owner's grass green all summer!!!! (Of course, I've done him several favors too, like getting him parts for cost and cutting the amount of labor when I do the work for him). You scratch my back........8)

 

[Wrangl3r93]

Yeah i'm gettin the lift and shocks and disconnects for a little under a thousand i think? don't know haven't been up to Essentially Offroad in a month or two looking and day dreaming... but i'm installing the lift myself... my grandfather owns a tool and die/machine shop and has every tool from sockets to mig/tig welders to a furnace that can get up to 3 or 4k degrees(all free for my use)... plus i have my dad and all my uncles who work in the shop to help me... for some reason i think it's gonna be satisfying knowing i did it myself(as long as it actually works that is)

 

[TwistedCU]

I'm so excited, I think I just soiled myself!!! More later.........

...Must be hell getting old.

 

[Sparky-Watts]

...Must be hell getting old.

You should know....pass the Depends, eh, bud?:lol:

 

[Sparky-Watts]

WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've truly compensated for my shortcomings now!!!!

Before:

After:

Before from the rear:

After from the rear:

I like it!! Now, here are the measurements I took before and after:

Bottom edge of front bumper: 19.5" before, 24.75" after.
Bottom of body at driver's door: 19" before, 24" after.
Bottom edge of body at back: 19" before, 23" after.

And yes, it fit in the garage door....just barely....I mean, really just barely!

I was going to get some poser shots, but the mall was closed by the time I got off work and picked the Jeep up. I'll get out to the lake and get disconnected when the temperature drops below 1,000 freaking degrees!!!!!

I did ok the first time getting in, but dang near killed myself getting back out. I'll have to change the way I get out, rather than just putting one foot out and sliding out, I'll have to swing both feet out and jump out now. Really kinda torqued my back on that first big drop!

I asked the guy to leave the rear trac bar off, but he said he couldn't, due to liability and such. So, when it cools off a bit, I'll take it off myself. One thing I forgot to ask for that I wanted was greasable shackle bolts...dang it! Oh, well, I can get those later. It's still pretty stiff, but I'll get it broke in soon enough. Even so, the ride is much better than I expected. The front end doesn't dip down at all when I hit the brakes, and doesn't raise when I hit the gas, and it doesn't roll side to side hardly at all like it did before in the corners. Just wish I had A/C either in the Jeep or the garage, 'cause I'll be sleeping there for a while till Sunshine gets over it....j/k. :lol: She's pretty much ok with it, and I was a good hubby and sorta kinda asked her permission first. But that was over 2 years ago when I asked if I could do it....it wasn't until a few months ago that she just came out of the blue and told me I could. Hey, I'm still the man of the house, but I also wanna stay married, so I don't spend mega bucks without at least discussing it with her first. If it's only a couple hundred dollars, I'll either tell her I'm going to do it, or wait till I've done it, then tell her.

Now I've got to go get horizontal for a while....somehow I picked up a nasty sinus infection. Must've been from diving in the meter vault last week. Sinus infections suck big time in 112 degree heat!!!:evil:

 

[Wrangl3r93]

O man props on the jeep! I can't wait now! Are you setting any bigger tires on it anytime soon? I know i'll still be running 31's for a while till i can get enough money to get the tires and still live comfortably. I feel a little better about that now seeing that your jeep doesn't look stupid lifted with only 31's on it. Now go out and get some poser pics.

 

[Sparky-Watts]

O man props on the jeep! I can't wait now! Are you setting any bigger tires on it anytime soon? I know i'll still be running 31's for a while till i can get enough money to get the tires and still live comfortably. I feel a little better about that now seeing that your jeep doesn't look stupid lifted with only 31's on it. Now go out and get some poser pics.

Yeah, I'll be keeping the 31's for quite a while. I was a bit apprehensive at first like you, thinking the 31's would look dorky with 3.5" of lift, but I really like the look. Especially from the front and rear, since with my backspacing the tires give it a bit wider stance anyway, it really looks good. I'll probably regear before I go any larger on the tires, and that will be a looooonnnnngggggg way down the road!!