how to raise a 87 gw

[kansasplowboy]

I have a87 grand wagoneer...it is squatting in the back right now, and on some rinky dink 235's. Now being a off road freak....I would like to get this think on AT LEAST 31's and sitting level.

Two things pop into mind from prior projects...
1) Add -a leaves...did this on a chevy to clear 33's....but to make it set level, will I need 2 sets in back?

or 2) put axle below springs in front and blocks in rear to make er level?

the third option is to put a lift on, which is about 300 in JCW.

Any opinions out there?

Also, I am pretty sure of having a 44 in the front, but what does the rear have?

Thanks guys....

[AMC258]

I run 31s on mine with no lift at all, it's an 84, so not too much difference, if the springs are bent or sagging in the rear, then you might consider replacement. Also check the tech archives here, there are several posts about spring over axle conversions.
Good luck

[ May 08, 2003, 01:11 AM: Message edited by: AMC258 ]

[talntar]

i have 31s on mine with 2" of lift.fit very well.unless it was swaped you will have a d44 in the rear as well

[FSJ Thing]

Cheap route, addaleafs, best route, lift springs. A SOA will give you a heckava lot more lift than you need to clear 31s. I'm bettin you gots an AMC20 with one piece shafts in the rear cause that's what I got and mine's only one year older than yours. About as strong as a D44 but aftermarket parts are not as readily available.Welcome to the Forum!!

[robselina]

first off, you're right, you have a Dana 44 up front. On the back you have an AMC 20. It's relatively equivalent to a Dana 44, it's not the same as the AMC 20 they had in CJs that is prone to failure. To get her sitting level, easiest thing would be 2" blocks in the rear I bet. If you want some REAL lift, you can use the RB kit in the rear (http://home.earthlink.net/~riverbeast/RB_Kustoms/) and do an SOA (spring over axle) conversion on the front. You'll still be a little unlevel though, probably need 2" blocks still or new springs out back. Stay the heck away from that budget JCW lift, I've heard all kinds of problems (second hand info though granted). If you want a cheap lift check out www.rustysoffroad.com. (http://www.rustysoffroad.com.) He has a couple of different varieties. If you're really into off road, don't do an AAL (add-a-leaf) suspension. It will make it very stiff ride, not good flex and eventually it will sag back down. They're an affordable approach but all new springs work a lot better. I think you need a 2-3" lift to fit 31s on a GW. They have kinda narrow openings in the rear. You can cheat though by trimming the fenders a little in some cases. Guys who don't care about their fenders have fit 38s on a stock suspension ;) If I were you I'd do rusty's 4" lift kit and stick some 32" tires under her. I bet that would make you pretty happy. You don't really want to run larger than 32" tires on a GW unless you regear, since the axles have 2.73 R&P ratios. It makes it really hard on the engine and trans if you go bigger than that. Anyway, welcome to the forum.

[kansasplowboy]

Thanks guys! I always used to have chevy's so I am used to cheap plentiful parts...but the additional room and comfort in the gw make up for all of that.

I had 33's on my sb chevy, and dont want to go that big really, 31's are about right.

I am also looking into some engine mods, but not sure I want to stick cam in and manifold and 4bbl with 145000 on her...

This is a project that is going to stick around...

Thanks for the welcome to the forum..it looks great!

[Rye]

You should have a Dana 44 rear axle..... 86 was the last year the AMC 20 was used.
I did the rusty's lift with 32" and I'm very happy that I did! I prefer to have new springs vs keeping old saggy springs. As far as engine mods on a high mileage rig....I'd wait. If it's not broke don't fix it. Welcome to the forum!!

[robselina]

You should have a Dana 44 rear axle..... 86 was the last year the AMC 20 was usedGood little tidbit. Don't know why but I was thinking that M20s where used from 1980-1991, but 1980-1986 makes more sense since that's when they ditched the M20 in the CJ line too....and the CJ itself granted ;)

[loborph]

I have that Rough Country from JCW. Sorry, that should be ROUGH! Country. I got 3&1/4" outta the front springs - there are only 4, thick leaves in the spring pack, so if 'softness' is truly a function of leaf count in a pack, this is evidence - I bounce down the road, but control it well with RS9000s. In the back I used the ROUGH! Country aal's which are only 21" long. I wouldn't waste the $ on it (hind-site 20/30). Anyway, it comes with only a 2" block for the rear (stupid). What I ended-up doing, was cutting apart my stock front leaf pack and incorporating 4 of the leaves from it into my stock rear pack. Now this may be completely moronic, so I'm hoping others will respond to this idea. Anyway, my rear sits a little high , which is what I wanted - as my departure angle needed help, and now I'm due for breakline extensions. Hope this helped.

[kansasplowboy]

I lifted a 66 Chevy k10 with springs out of a leaf pack for a s-10, so I understand what you did. Never been a real fan of JCW stuff, it is cheap, and that is what you get. I am looking seriously at Rusty's 4" lift with new springs all the way around. Thanks for the help guys....I will keep you informed.