RSD TJ lift advice

[JustinM]

Hello all, new here. I recently purchased a 1999 right side drive TJ and cant wait to start the customization, but have a few questions first. Im looking at the Rough country 2.5" suspension 1.25" body combo lift kit at the moment, is it going to cause any installation problems with the vehicle bieng right side drive? next question, just how hard is it to install these kits? Im not super technical, would i be better off to have it installed professionally? And if so, does anyone have an reccomendations in the bedford/blair county areas?  Thanks in advance, Justin

[hillbilly]

if you got a couple buddys around for the lifting its not that difficult. we had a member, peter84, who received a 4 lift at the jeep show that he had to install there and with little knowledge and some friends he was able to do it. just ask him about it. the body lift would cause more issues,being right hand drive,  i would think than the suspension lift.

[Jeremy]

I am NOT a fan of body lifts, they do two things for you, they add a little extra body height for tires and in some cases it can make it easier to take drive train parts out for clutch replacements the second thing they do is casue problems. My 1982 has a 3" body lift in it and it causes no end of problems once they get old and start to rust. Now 3" is the upper limit in body lifts and a little 1.5" shouldn't cause half the problems that I fight but they are not unknown either.  In addition to the extra leverage the body lift puts on the frame and body themselves, you have to address all the connections between body and frame like clutch linkages, steering wheel, brake lines, fan shrouds fuel fillers and electrical connections.  To anyone looking at body lifts these are the things that reach out and bit you down the road, keep them in mind. 

I would rather match your planed springs with a JKS ACOS that allows you to tune your suspension height or attain the extra height with springs.  I consider body lifts a last resort and even then, know what you are getting into.

[N3IW]

I have a 2000 TJ (left hand drive) with a 2.5" coil lift and 1.25" body lift and it works well for me.  I only run 31 x 10.5s right now, and I can probably go to 33s without any trouble.  If I go to 35s I'm looking at cutting fenders and going with hiline type front fender.  I like low center of gravity and would rather get my clearance from tires and low profile skid plates than suspension lift.  That is purely a matter of personal preference and I'm sure there are many others with different preferences that can give you good advice in that direction as well.

The 1.25" BL should not give you any problems if you do a motor mount lift at the same time to keep the fan and shroud lined up and also to help the drive line a little.  My personal preference in a BL is no more than 1.25" and that gives you a few advantages in addition to more tire clearance.  You have room to get a better gas tank skid plate that raises the tank up for more rear clearance.  You can more easily change the stock mid skid plate to a tummy tuck type.  And I did not have any issues with hoses or wiring with that minor combination of lifts.

One thing to be wary of is the rear driveshaft on the regular TJ is very short and even a 2.5" suspension lift will require a SYE kit or skid plate spacers to keep it from binding when you have full flex on the rear axle.  You might get away with it on the street, but the trail is a different matter.  I have a spacer on my non factory skid plate until I finish my NP241 TC and go to the CV style Rubicon shaft with it.  With the BL, I have no fear of fitting the 241 right in place even with the higher skid plate.

Good luck - I'm not sure what you'll have to work around with the RH drive.