Looking to beef up my YJ any suggestions?
- Thread starter bigstags
- Start date
69jeepcj
New member
What are you looking for? More power, more off road ability? 31" tires are pretty small for a 4" lift. Will this be a daily driver or trail only jeep?? That makes a big difference in how you build. Lots of knowledge on here to help you build what you want. We need more info on your intended uses. What would you like to do with this jeep??
69jeepcj
New member
Actually if your springs aren't flat I would consider keeping them, as they will flex very well off road. Can you post a pic of the jeep?
I would get some longer steal braded brake lines, if you look behind your front tire you should see a rubber brake hose going up to the frame, its about a foot long or so, and for the rear there is a rubber hose going from the rear cross member above the rear axle down to the center diff on the axle. Those three hoses are what you would replace (all three come in the set), and will let your suspension flex more without ripping the rubber hoses apart. I would also get some longer shocks (shocks are the #1 limiter of suspension flex), most shocks that come in kits don't let the suspension work at its full potential although they are longer than the stock factory shocks. 1" can make a big difference in maintaining traction.
Try to get your suspension to flex like this until the rear tire JUST starts to come off the ground, then measure the distance between your shock mounts on each side of the front, then flex the rear and do the same. You will need a shock that will extend and compress that distance. The hoses and the shocks should let your suspension work much better off road allowing you to keep the tires on the ground more, IE: traction. Your rear axle isn't the strongest and the smaller tires will help it survive and with your 4cyl engine, your axles have 4.10 gears which is good. There are upgrades for your rear axle such as bigger stronger shafts, lockers, or complete axle replacements on the cheap from junkyards. Im not real familiar with your rear axle so I won't give suggestions on that, but there are many on here that can give you very good advice as to beefing or replacing the axle. Doing the brake hose and shock replacement will make a noticeable difference off road though. Oh, your jeep probably has a sway bar, they sell sway bar disconnects that allows you to disconnect the sway bar for off roading, that allows more suspension movement as well and you want that Hope this helped you get started in the right direction.
I would get some longer steal braded brake lines, if you look behind your front tire you should see a rubber brake hose going up to the frame, its about a foot long or so, and for the rear there is a rubber hose going from the rear cross member above the rear axle down to the center diff on the axle. Those three hoses are what you would replace (all three come in the set), and will let your suspension flex more without ripping the rubber hoses apart. I would also get some longer shocks (shocks are the #1 limiter of suspension flex), most shocks that come in kits don't let the suspension work at its full potential although they are longer than the stock factory shocks. 1" can make a big difference in maintaining traction.
Try to get your suspension to flex like this until the rear tire JUST starts to come off the ground, then measure the distance between your shock mounts on each side of the front, then flex the rear and do the same. You will need a shock that will extend and compress that distance. The hoses and the shocks should let your suspension work much better off road allowing you to keep the tires on the ground more, IE: traction. Your rear axle isn't the strongest and the smaller tires will help it survive and with your 4cyl engine, your axles have 4.10 gears which is good. There are upgrades for your rear axle such as bigger stronger shafts, lockers, or complete axle replacements on the cheap from junkyards. Im not real familiar with your rear axle so I won't give suggestions on that, but there are many on here that can give you very good advice as to beefing or replacing the axle. Doing the brake hose and shock replacement will make a noticeable difference off road though. Oh, your jeep probably has a sway bar, they sell sway bar disconnects that allows you to disconnect the sway bar for off roading, that allows more suspension movement as well and you want that Hope this helped you get started in the right direction.
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bigstags
New member
The front springs aren't as bad as the rear the rear springs are nearly flat I had to put lift shackles on the rear to get it sitting level again as a temporary fix which is why I just wanted to say screw it and get a new lift as for the axels I was thinking of swapping to Dana 44 s just for peace of mind
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69jeepcj
New member
Well, this is just a idea, but the rear suspension is the hardest to get to flex good with leaf springs. If your rear springs a sorta flat and you have added shackles to level it out and they are not too long, I may consider keeping them as it seems they would help it flex better and probably give a smoother ride. This is were a pic would really help. Really 44,s are for people doing the type of off roading that the stock axle cant handle, doesn't really sound like you are going to be doing that type of thing and may be much cheaper to just upgrade your existing rear axle, your stock front axle will be fine. Im not familiar with upgrading the dana35 but there are many on here that have done it, just ask.
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Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
You'll still have weak axle housings, small brakes, non-serviceable bearings..... The list goes on and on.
Consider a Wagoneer d44 front axle and an Isuzu Rodeo d44 rear axle. You'll have 4whl disc brakes and a 6-lug wheel pattern at all 4 corners. You'll have lower gear options, serviceable bearings, locking hubs, larger brakes, more affordable high-steer options.
69jeepcj
New member
There is a formula for this, and I cant think of what it is for the life of me, others will know though. At a guess, I would think somewhere around 4.88 or deeper. To run waggy 44,s you will have to out board your front springs on the frame, and I believe the diff is on the wrong side for a wrangler. There are other options if that is the case though.
Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
You don't have to outboard your spring hangers to run a Waggy axle, it's the same width as a stock YJ axle. Most Waggy front axles have the diff on the correct side for a YJ, only the early YJ axles are on the wrong side. Avoid the '84-'85 Waggy axle with the vacuum disconnect unless you want to run a spool like I do.
I have the 2.5L and 5spd and 5.38 gears are perfect for my 35" tires. I can run 70mph all day long and still pull most hills without losing speed. If you have the more rare 2.5L auto you may want 4.88 or 5.13 due to the lack of overdrive in the transmission.
I have the 2.5L and 5spd and 5.38 gears are perfect for my 35" tires. I can run 70mph all day long and still pull most hills without losing speed. If you have the more rare 2.5L auto you may want 4.88 or 5.13 due to the lack of overdrive in the transmission.
69jeepcj
New member
that's awesome about the waggy axles being the same width as a yj frame, never knew that, thanks!! Not questioning you, but did the waggy diffs switch sides as the years went on??, because waggys are a big swap option for cj,s as you know, and the diff is on the passenger side. Please help me understand this.
Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
I believe it's '74-'79 are passenger side drop, '80-'91 are driver's drop.
Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
The YJ has a front axle with the differential on the driver's side. He was saying the Waggy axle had the diff on the wrong side (passenger side) for use in a YJ. Turns out the Wagoneer front d44 can be found with the differential on either side depending on year.
My opinion is the only downside to the Waggy front d44 is the low pinion, which is why I'm narrowing a 3/4t ford front d44 to Waggy width. That and the thick axle tubes.
Southern Wolf
New member
I'm in the middle of what you could say is "Beefing Up". I to had sagging springs so I put a set of Skyjackers 3.5 inch with 3 inch body lift. I run 33x12.5x15. By doing just this the ride got a lot better but was lacking in power. I had a 4liter that was well used so I dropped a built up 350 that puts out 335hp and about 400fp torque. I went this way because I wanted an engine I could play with and would be easy to repair. The fuel mileage didn't change much but I no longer have to down shift for headwinds or hills. I researched the drivetrain and the AX15 and NP231 I have would do as long as I don't do serious rock crawling. I have now found out by accident that the rest of the drivetrain needs to be redone because I shattered the differential when my foot slipped off the clutch one morning. The best advice I can give is build the beast you want but keep it simple, don't do drastic changes or super modern up grades, I'd been given a lot of bad advice and wound up wasting a lot of time and money. On the axles you can keep the originals just upgrade to the 30 spline on both front and rear. I work with metal and the housings will be good as long as you don't do serious rock work. By doing this you would get rid of that locking sleeve and put the type of differential you feel comfortable with. Personally I am going with a Dana 44 Trutrak as I to use my little monster for everyday and will probably never put it in real danger. I will stick either 4.11 or 4.58's haven't decided yet. Hoped this has helped some.
Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
A large downside to the stock axles, besides the weak flexing housings, is the inability to gear lower than 4.88. That's not low enough for the 4banger and 35"+ tires.
