Well the transformation will begin soon

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

streetglideok

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
413
Reaction score
1
Location
Colorado Springs
My new rubber showed up today finally, so just waiting on one last package from JBA this week. Hope the weather cooperates, ugh. Going to run Ironman springs front and rear, and after my Bilstein connection fell thru locally, I went to get Ironman for the front, but they are out of stock. So I'll be sporting an overload of yellow up front, with OME shocks up front. Hoping to get it in the shop Saturday to do the work and align it. I'll try and take some pics of before, compared to an early '02 KJ 2wd, then the after pics.
 

TwoBobsKJ

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
2,637
Reaction score
17
Location
Northern Ohio
Looking forward to your post-lift posts. Got a feeling you're gonna love your new KJ :waytogo:

Bob
 

streetglideok

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
413
Reaction score
1
Location
Colorado Springs
Hope so. Noticing how weak the shocks are getting lately, and it doesn't help that I've been comparing how it rides to a WJ and a Durango that got Reflex shocks all the way around.
 

wheeee32

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Messages
1,349
Reaction score
14
Location
Not the mountains.
Oh you'll be wondering why you didn't do it sooner. I love how mine rides now.....with the exception of a little spring contact but that will go away soon enough.:smokin: Pics of everything installed is a must though.
 

brokendad

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Messages
92
Reaction score
0
Location
Edmond, Oklahoma
Ride

My new rubber showed up today finally, so just waiting on one last package from JBA this week. Hope the weather cooperates, ugh. Going to run Ironman springs front and rear, and after my Bilstein connection fell thru locally, I went to get Ironman for the front, but they are out of stock. So I'll be sporting an overload of yellow up front, with OME shocks up front. Hoping to get it in the shop Saturday to do the work and align it. I'll try and take some pics of before, compared to an early '02 KJ 2wd, then the after pics.

You should really be happpy with your lift. I have Ironman/Bilstein all the way around and it's Great.
 

streetglideok

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
413
Reaction score
1
Location
Colorado Springs
Looking at the tracking, it appears I will get the remainder of my goodies Wednesday. Need to go pick up some hockey pucks though.
 

KJScott

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Messages
176
Reaction score
0
Location
East Central Florida
I just got my intermediate shaft yesterday in the mail. So all my parts are now in the garage waiting on me to do the lift. Bring all your stuff down to warm Florida and we can lift them both in the driveway. Ha ha!
 

Dave

Administrator
KJ Supporting Member
KK Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
15,567
Reaction score
15
Location
on here
Pics when you are done......better yet, before and after pics.


Dave
 

streetglideok

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
413
Reaction score
1
Location
Colorado Springs
I just got my intermediate shaft yesterday in the mail. So all my parts are now in the garage waiting on me to do the lift. Bring all your stuff down to warm Florida and we can lift them both in the driveway. Ha ha!

Too much humidity for this guy. Lived in West Palm for 4 or so years, haven't been back,lol. Though your temps are probably still warmer than inside our shop right now.

One hick up today. I got my OME shocks in, but the top plate, iso, and front bump stops were delayed for a shipment this week. I was hoping everything would make it in, but no go. I need to get the new tires on, there is a chance for a decent snow storm around Christmas eve in the extended forecasts. Hoping I can get caught up with all the work this week, but I have a 6.oh no powerstroke staring at me at work, ugh.
 

streetglideok

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
413
Reaction score
1
Location
Colorado Springs
Well the first stage of the transformation is complete. The rears probably gave me more fits than the front. I snaked the left front spring and shock assembly out without removing the battery, but had to pop the air cleaner out for the right front. In the process, I had the lone casualty of the job, I broke the breather line at the three-way, ugh. Put Ironman springs in front, with OME shocks, and Ironman springs in the rear, and Reflex shocks for a Dakota/Durango in back. Installed the hockey puck bumpstop spacers in back as well. While doing it all, I swapped out my well worn sway bar bushings as well. In the process, I loosened the lower control arm bolts for the rear axle to allow the bushings to relax to the new ride height, as well as the upper arms up front, and sway bar links. As a result, no squeaks or groans. Installed 30x9.5 Cooper STTs on 15x7 wheels that were already in use on the vehicle. Checked the alignment, and sure enough my toe was way positive, caster was almost even at 2.3* and 2.4*, but camber is another story. I'm right at 0* camber on left, and -0.8* on the right, with the cams on the right lower arm already maxed. I left it for now, and got my toe in line. It does have a little pull to the left, but I will address that in a few weeks once things settle some. I should get my new front bump stops, top plate, and rear iso on Tuesday.

Only gripe I have, other than new tires really drive funny till they break in, the front sits lower than I'd like. Granted, no clevis lift, and no top plate either. I also haven't actually done a re-measure since the lift today yet. 2 years ago, I posted on here I was hovering around 18" on the front and rear, at 45k miles. I would say at 78k miles now, that I was closer to the 17" mark, with well worn shocks. Shocks were not leaking, but routinely bottomed out on some of the roads in the area. Typical of late model shocks and struts, they wear out internally and do not dampen as they should. Now, no bottoming out, bumps are soaked up so much better with new shocks front and rear.

The Ironman springs, are a little longer than stock springs, and considerably heavier than stock. JBA did a great job packing everything, so absolutely no damage via shippers. Marlin sent me an email letting me know the Ironman shocks were out of stock, and he took care of me. Kudos to him and JBA on that.

I'll probably order some JBA arms, and do them, the top plate, iso, and possibly the clevis within a month. Wife was pleased with the difference in the ride, and didn't mind the nice tire hum I have now. Pics to follow
 

streetglideok

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
413
Reaction score
1
Location
Colorado Springs
Now I didn't do a lot of pics of the work, as it has been well documented. I may have cut some corners that others don't and may have made parts of the job harder than it should have been, who knows?lol. I didn't disconnect any balljoints to do the front, nor remove the battery. Living in a rust free state, things come apart a lot easier. I separated the clevis from the front shocks, and worked the shocks out towards the rear. Re-assembled the same way. I had the sway bar links loose as well. I used a special ratchet to reach the 18mm nuts on top, under the battery.
So here are the before, and after pics. Looking at them, once the front is brought up higher, I could see 31x10.5 fitting in there once the welds are beat down. 30" fits fine, but could use a little more underneath.
18" two years ago, can bet I was in the 17" range when I took these pics Saturday am.
You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

All spring lift, 20" in front, 22" in rear.
You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach
 
Last edited:

streetglideok

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
413
Reaction score
1
Location
Colorado Springs
Gotta get the front up a lil bit more, and fix the front axle leak I found, ugh. Plan is to add a truetrac in the back end, eventually migrate to the next set of gears down, which would be 3.73s and add a truetrac up front. 31"s will make her look a lot meaner and give me some height.
 

tommudd

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 14, 2005
Messages
22,456
Reaction score
3,642
Location
Southeastern Ohio
3.73s would be easy to find used ( whole diffs just swap out) But 4.10s in yours would be killer fine.
 

streetglideok

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
413
Reaction score
1
Location
Colorado Springs
There are a pair of KJs, an 05 and an 06 at the local bone yard with axles still. I think the 02 they had, had the rear end pulled apart for an axle shaft. I've debated going down there whenever it warms up, and if the wife bought me a 1/2" cordless impact for xmas, and ripping the gears out of the rear end, and dropping the front axle out and taking it with me. At least then, I could go thru the front unit, add a truetrac, and do a simple swap. Then just do a gear swap in the rear. I'll have to look more closely at both vehicles as their engines were of course long gone, and there is always that faintly remote chance one of them was a four ******.
 

tommudd

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 14, 2005
Messages
22,456
Reaction score
3,642
Location
Southeastern Ohio
TwoBobs just picked up a 4.10 low mileage rear diff right up the road from me for less than a set of gears would of cost almost . Had like 43,000 miles or so.
He had bought the front earlier for even less I think.
Easy to swap the whole thing.
Heck I have his old 3.73 rear here that looks like its going to the scrappers and there's nothing wrong with it
 

streetglideok

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
413
Reaction score
1
Location
Colorado Springs
Well save the ring and pinion then,lol. Its got to be worth a $100? I just need the front gears as well. As long as I was putting in a truetrac up front, I wouldn't need the carrier for the front unit.
 

Latest posts

Members online

Top