To Lift Or Not To Lift, That Is The Question.

Ok. I am finally ready to put new springs, shocks and hardware on my 1970 CJ5 (134f). I have seen stock replacement parts from Kaiser Willys for about $600. I have also seen 2 1/2" lift kits from Rancho for about $100 less that include all the same parts. I use this jeep for mild off road but mostly daily commuting about 20 miles a day. I will be replacing the tires after the suspension upgrade. Witch way do you think I should go? Any experience? I will likely run 31 inch tires if I go stock. Thinking about 33 inch if I go with the lift. Thanks for any input.

 

I was in that position about 20-25 years ago, I put on heavy duty springs from JC Whitney. I ended up with about a2" lift. I prefer the stance, but the ride is harder. I am running 30.5s right now but plan on going to 32 or 33s in the near future.

By the way if you park your jeep in a garage be wary of your overall height versus garage door opening.

 

It's a slippery slope....

 

You will not be disappointed with a 2.5" lift, that is why you see so many. Just the perfect amount for these cj's. it allows for a few tire sizes up from stock. Great handling on the road and for mild off road. For the brand I chose BDS after a lot of research. In suspensions, going with a cheaper setup will yield regrets every time. A lot of posts here on ECJ5 with pictures too.

 

31" tires are fine IMHO. Remember 33s would be the equivalent of an even higher gear ratio, and an F-head has limited power.

 

Rancho is notoriously stiff ( I've had a set, my current superlifts aren't much better and they were used!) Echoing above with the f head and your mild off road needs I'd consider a 1" lift and a set of 31's. Most jeep springs are pretty tired by the time they get replaced. You'll likely be surprised by how much higher it sits even with new stockers.

 

I agree with Rich. Consider some 1" lift springs. I think they are just right for 31s. And they don't require a bunch of other stuff to make it happen.

 

31"s should not require any lift. The diameter of the rear wheel openings is about 33", and that's the usual limiting factor.

The main problem: no individual compares the various lift options - they have a single data point to compare to. I have a BDS lift kit and Skyjacker shocks on my CJ-6 and they are supposedly 2" pf lift. Realize that the factory heavy duty suspension is 1-1.5" lift compared to the standard spring configuration.

 

Where can I find some 1" lift springs? All I seem to see are 2.5" lift.

 

I have no recommendations on brand, but I prefer the softest spring I can find. It helps eliminate the buckboard ride, and actually preforms much better off road, while still being comfortable on the road. The downside is you have to corner a little slower on the road due to more lean.
About 30 years ago, I pulled 4 sets of springs apart and mixed/matched leaves between them and came up with a great combination with around 2" of lift, but very soft. I used my old Tux short bottom leaves, as well as some from a Ford pickup, all which were flat and heavy, so they were still 2-stage. The Jeep rode high on the arched leaves, but at compression would get stiff and hard at the limit.
I think this is what one of the old Sky Jacker springs did too, but don't know if they are still around. Consider how stiff you want when shopping for your springs; firm is not always better. I'm gathering parts to "build" my own springs for a '66 V6 that will use the 2 1/2" Wrangler style setup, and some Isuzu Rodeo rear springs are going to be the basis, again going 2-stage.
-Donny

 

Hmm. Yea, I'm not finding a 1" spring anywhere either. Maybe they don't offer them anymore. I think they are still available for flat fender jeeps but, that doesn't do you any good.

 

If you buy the heavier "optional" springs, you should get about 1" more ride height than the standard springs would give you. Here is an example of standard springs, 7 or 9 leaf front and 5 leaf rear. The optional "heavy duty springs and shocks" for this year had 10 leaves front and rear.

 

I put 2.5 " lift on mine with 31" tires and it seems to be the ideal situation with the 134F, but I also changed the carburetion (see below). The engine would have a difficult time handling anything larger. I also have a set of 15" mags with street tires on them. When I put them on, the jeep moves out more quickly, obviously, but I lose about 1.5" of clearance, too as the tires, when standing next to the 31" tires are about 3" shorter in diameter. Your speedo will be off quite a bit once you put the larger tires on. Just a reminder. I use my old GPS in the Jeep to keep track of my speed. Works fine...

 

Howard's (make that Tim's) photo shows the factory 2-stage springs at the top of his picture. You can disassemble these, have the curved springs re-arched, or find some other donor to get a little more lift. Reassemble and your on your way. I have added thin strips of plastic or teflon between the leaves to act as bearings. This way, you can keep a soft ride, yet still have full firm at compression.
-Donny

 

Who's Howard?

 

I bought a suspension kit for my 3b from KW and it has worked fine for 3 yrs or so now, I'm happy with them. I put a set of stock springs from KW on my cj 6, and they were way too soft. Actually so bad, they would bottom out on hard stops. I asked for a full refund, and Mike at KW was very nice about it, gave me exactly what I wanted. I now have a Skyjacker 2in. lift on my cj 6 and am very happy with it also

 

Ow!

 

Like James, I have a Rancho 2.5 on my V6 cj5. Purchased in the very early 90's. I like it a lot and feel that it's too stiff at all. But, I also have nothing to compare it to except the old lift that was on it when I bought it. Don't know what brand it was but, it was from before the days when we cared about flex. It was just about fitting bigger tires and it was extremely stiff.

If I were looking for a new 2.5 kit, I'd consider the BDS. Everyone seems to like them. I am not sure Rancho even offers a kit for the ECJ5 anymore. I recently contacted them about U-bolts for my '71 and was told they don't offer parts for that vintage anymore. Not enough interest in them. You can still find some Rancho stuff listed some places though.

Another option might be slightly longer shackles and a very modest body lift. I'd go no more than 1/2" net gain on the shackles ( 1" longer than stock gains 1/2" of lift) and 1" on the body. Just a thought.

 

Check these out. For Sale - M38a1 Springs

Also, I think some OEM sets even had more than ten leaves, at least in some years.
"The optional "heavy duty springs and shocks" for this year had 10 leaves front and rear. "