|
|
| Cost - Suspension Lift Upgrade/Installation |
| |
When I got the Jeep, the front end was sagging, and the tires were barely fitting
under the wheel wells. I am not sure what type of lift was on the Jeep, but it did have some aftermarket shocks on
it, so it led me to believe that there was probably a 2.5" lift stuffed in there at some point.
So, I set out looking for a suspension lift. I did some reading on the forums and looked around on the internet to
determine exactly what I wanted to go with. I read all about problems that could arise from just body lifts or just
shackle lifts as well as driveline angle issues if you did or didn't use a transfer case drop bracket.
So, with all my research under my belt, I opted for a 4" suspension lift, 1" polyethylene body lift and some
heavy-duty 1" shackles to get about 6 inches of lift for my new 33x12.5x15 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrains. I didn't want
to spend a ton of cash, but at the same time, I didn't want to nickel and dime myself getting pieces here and
there, especially in the area of hardware, pitman arm drop bracket as well as the transmission drops and oh yeah,
shocks.
I was able to get a Superlift kit off eBay
for a good price and it came with shocks, the new pitman arm, as well as the transmission drop brackets. It also
even included the extended sway bars, but I didn't have that setup. So this I sold after I put the whole thing
together.
The install is very straightforward and requires some basic hand tools. There are no hidden costs with this
installation, although you could use a second set of hands to help get the suspension on the frame.
|
| |
Cost Center
Complete Superlift 4" Suspension lift kit
1" Daystar Body Lift Kit
1" Daystar Shackles
|
Cost
$475.00
$125.00
$150.00
|
| |
$750.00 |
| |
Total Time:
8 Hours
|
| |
| Cost - Offset |
| |
| To offset the cost of the buildup, I sold off the extra sway bar links that
came with the lift kit. I didn't need these and they were brand new. The old shocks and springs were
shot as were the body mounts as well as the shackles. Actually a lot of this had to be cut off due to 30
years of crap in the eyeholes, but selling the sway bar end links helped to offset this project somewhat.
|
| |
Cost Center
Extended Sway Bar end Links
|
Cost
$25.00
|
| |
$25.00 |
| |
|
Total Cost:
$725.00
|
| |
| Conclusions |
| |
The total time should be around 8 hours all said and done. That being said,
I spent a lot of time to get the frame cleaned up before any of this stuff went on. Also, I spent a large amount
of time getting the old suspension off. That thing really wanted to stay put. It was quite a bear to get that
off. The eyeholes were filled with 30 years of mud and crap. The pitman arm didn't want to come off the manual
steering box either. Looking back, I should have just unbolted the manual box and sold the whole thing together
since it only netted me an additional $15.00 during the power steering sway. My power steering box came with an
original pitman arm as well. I stupidly tried to remove this when it wasn't on the frame. The easier way would
have been to install it on the frame and then remove it once it was securely on there.
Also, I had a second pair of hands when doing the suspension install and a third pair of hands when the engine was
dropped in. This made a huge difference in getting this thing done in a shorter amount of time. I wouldn't
suggest trying to do this by yourself unless you and he-man have a lot in common.
As you can see, the offset of the over $25.00 for selling the sway bar links helped with the project
somewhat. All this said and done can be had for around $675.00 or less depending on what you replace with new
parts. It is up to you and what you decide and how much you want to do.
|
|
