ZJ front to rear lift questions

bchcky

New member
i currently have a 2" bb in my zj. i'm thinking about adding a front to rear swap along with that. just a couple questions. first of all, i know it depends on the wear and stuff, but theoretically....a front to rear swap should give me what? an extra 2.5"-3.5" correct? also, exactly what parts do i need? 3" lift coils for the front....t-case drop, sway bar links, i know i'm missing some stuff, just curious what ALL the parts i'd need would be. thanks for the help!
 

ps - i wanna do this to fit 33's, i run 31's right now with the 2" bb, so with this on top of it i dont think i'd have a problem. but just for pricing purposes i'm thinking this is def the cheaper route to go. (a 4.5" lift from rubicon express is roughly 1400, and a long arm 4.5 is $2649.95 + S&H) thats a lot of money, i mean i'm sure i could find one cheaper elsewhere, but thats just a rough start, i'm thinking for something like that, it'd be at least a grand wherever i buy from.
 
A front to rear on a TJ gives about 4" of lift, I'm guessing similar results from what ZJ springs I've seen.

That's a lot of lift for the short-arm suspension, but it's doable. You'll get some tire-jacking onroad and off, but you will get used to it.

Sounds like you have a pretty good handle on everything needed.
 

air horns

I lifted my 94 with F<R lift and gained 4 inches. Sway bar lengths were not neccessary as mine did work for a while till I had time to fabricate some discos. You will need to relocate the front and rear track bars to keep your axles under the center of the jeep. You can buy relocation brackets pretty easily but I found on my old XJ the they werent worth crap. instead I drilled a now hole for the front track bar and cut and welded a sleeve for the rear to realign axles center. Stock length aftermarket lower control arms elimated my death wobble and I would reccomend replacing

With my lift on my short-arm suspension the rear tire is much closer the front edge of the wheel well. My 31's give me about an inch on space between tire and fender. Unless you cut your fenders down or use longer arms to center the rear axle in the fender well which would probably require a longer driveshaft, I dont think it will fit 33's.
 
For over 3" of lift an adjustable trackbar is really the right way to go. Re-drilling will center the axle but the steering angles will not be correct.

In line with what ROGLSTUBB wrote, the relocation brackets are garbage.
 
so this is what i gather so far....

1. F to R will give me about 4 inches
2. i shouldnt do a front to rear ON TOP of my already existing bb?
3. the 4.5" from rubicon claims it will clear 33's, but....
4. simply 4" from a front to rear will not clear 33's?
5. ROGLSTUBB, how much did all the parts run you?

thanks for the help so far guys. my main goal is to clear 33's, i'm just looking for the best way to accomplish this while trying to get more info about a front to rear. other than a front to rear maybe, whats my best bet to clear 33's? should i just save up and buy a 4.5" lift somewhere? thanks again!
 

Do they make Bushwhackers for the ZJ's? That would definately make the difference if the 33's were a tight fit.
 
bchcky said:
so this is what i gather so far....

1. F to R will give me about 4 inches
2. i shouldnt do a front to rear ON TOP of my already existing bb?
3. the 4.5" from rubicon claims it will clear 33's, but....
4. simply 4" from a front to rear will not clear 33's?
5. ROGLSTUBB, how much did all the parts run you?

thanks for the help so far guys. my main goal is to clear 33's, i'm just looking for the best way to accomplish this while trying to get more info about a front to rear. other than a front to rear maybe, whats my best bet to clear 33's? should i just save up and buy a 4.5" lift somewhere? thanks again!

I used the parts from my Skyjacker lift I had on my XJ. You will need front lift springs for an XJ or ZJ front end. You should buy aftermarket lower control arms. I think I could clear 33's if I were to purchase longer lowers as so move the rear axle back into the center of the rear well. But this may require lenghtening the driveshaft. You will need shocks if you dont aready have them with your BB.

As far as the discos and the trackbar mods I Fabricated myself as I am a Foreman is a precision fab-shop. The adjustable track bars are an easier way to go if you dont have axcess to a welder. Dont forget about an alignment after you finish. You can do this yourself if your good with your trignometry but again is easier to have it done for the average person.

So as far as cost it didnt cost me anything since I allready had the major parts from my XJ and what I did not have I was able to make myself. Sorry I not much help as far as cost. I had a unfair advantage
 

siminsez01 said:
def need to fix the squeak b4 you drop a grand on a lift!

i was thinking the same thing. it'll be a while till i save up for a lift like that. but maybe you should get some tires of your own so you dont always have to ride shotgun in my jeep! :wink:
 
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