4" lift or 6" lift for Wag?

[Elkchaser1973wag]

I pretty much know the answer but would like to reconfirm my thinking on this as I respect the group’s input.

1973 wag bone stock 35,000 org miles.

Goals for the lift.
1) Get rid of Wag Sag.
2) Ad some bigger tires for snow and mountain drive during hunting season.
3) No fender trimming.
4) Make the rig look like it could of come factory with a lift.

Pretty much sure I’m going with the 4” but bj’ says they will be releasing a 6” lift later this year for my year rig.

What’s your vote 4” or 6”?

Thanks

Matt

[ January 31, 2006, 02:10 PM: Message edited by: Elkchaser1973wag ]

[KaiserMan]

If you want it to look like as though it where stock, I would go with the 4". There is no way you can pass the 6" off as stock.

[janie]

Go with the sixer.

[twoponchos]

I have to agree with Janie.

[89grand]

The 4" lift fits your criteria better. And believe me, the 4" lift makes a huge difference in off-road ability.

Sometimes I wish I had gone with the 6", but that would have caused my to spend more money. I already had 31" tires before the lift, a 6" lift would have required something larger than 31's to look right, and that in turn would require re-gearing it.

[AMX factor]

I have the 6" on my Gwag. Love it. 33"s and it's a tank. 4" will give you at a minimum 31" tires and the look the Wag should have had from the factory. It's a personal preference and how much your wife will b*tch about it being too big!

[Stuka]

I have run 4" and 6" lifts, I say go 4" ith 31's as mentions. The 6" really lift you up notcably higher, and dos not look stock at all. Having a 73, you will need a post mount lift, so there is no 6" lift for it anyways. You have to wait for BJ's to come out with their kit.

[jeepstrapped]

In both of my lifted jeeps, I have 4" suspension,
and then around 2" body lift.
It works great, and there is more room to work under the jeep, especially to get at bell-housing bolts when swapping engines, and tracing vac-lines.
on the GW am running 35" m ud tires
on the 78 chero am running 36" bias ply swampers, and still have plenty of room for articulation.

but then again - neither of them look stock
just my $.02

[Elkchaser1973wag]

Does anyone make a 2-3" bodylift for a 1973 Wags?

[Tad]

Originally posted by Elkchaser1973wag:
Does anyone make a 2-3" bodylift for a 1973 Wags?Your 73 has the old style mounts.
You can make your own out of standard 2x2x3/16 box tube with a brace welded in for strength.
I made one for a member here (beloth) a month or so back, I actually made several sets at the same time, I might still have one left, I'd have to check.
Things we had to do:
Install longer fuel tank breather tube (filler tube was ok).
Weld in 2" of shift linkage for TH400 and adjust.
We did not have to lower the radiator but I think his was mounted a bit low and he has this huge fan.
Keep track of all wires and lines that travel from the body to frame areas and it's about a 1/2 day job. Upgrade all bolts while doing it to grade 8's but reuse all the big thick stock washers (inless you can find better ones).

EDIT:
If you use the under rig spare tire carrier that will not works anymore as it uses the distance from the body for compression. It could probably be modified I would guess.

[ February 02, 2006, 02:23 PM: Message edited by: tadsal ]

[Elkchaser1973wag]

Thank you Tad, I will save that information to file if I cross that bridge on a body lift. Right now looks like I will stick with a the 4", like I have a whole lot of options. But It is what I am looking for overall in my Jeep project.

[ February 02, 2006, 08:00 PM: Message edited by: Elkchaser1973wag ]

[fulsizjeep]

The rig Nate Marsh has is a 73 and he used hockey pucks for a body lift. He runs it pretty hard and they are holding up. He has gone wild with fab work on that chalupa thing he drives... :cool: Here he is on Poison Spider in Moab last year. Yeah baybee, 40" MTRs. :eek:

http://frontier.net/~mystkblu/05moab/images/poison_nate1_jpg.jpg

[fulsizjeep]

and on the Wedgie... :D

http://frontier.net/~mystkblu/05moab/images/wedge_nate_jpg.jpg

[Elkchaser1973wag]

Those are some killer pictures Flint. Hockey pucks? Good idea.

[will e]

Originally posted by tadsal:

If you use the under rig spare tire carrier that will not works anymore as it uses the distance from the body for compression. It could probably be modified I would guess.Actually, I think if you have a 31" tire as a spare it is okay. On my 81 the 31" tire fits from a circumference standpoint but is just a bit too wide. I don't have a body lift.

[Tad]

Originally posted by will e:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by tadsal:

If you use the under rig spare tire carrier that will not works anymore as it uses the distance from the body for compression. It could probably be modified I would guess.Actually, I think if you have a 31" tire as a spare it is okay. On my 81 the 31" tire fits from a circumference standpoint but is just a bit too wide. I don't have a body lift.</font>[/QUOTE]Mike,
Sorry, I could have made that more clear.
When you do a body lift, say 2", it increases the distance between the tire holder and the body so the tire will not comperss up aganist the lower body and be stable, at least for a stock tire.
You could probably just add a 2" block (math may change depending on tire size) to either the carrier (or under the body where the tire hits) and be good.
As far as what fits under there, I have no idea, never tried to use one, I only have removed them.

[funwheeling]

I going 6!! Need to get it running first. Lift will go on when the engines out.

[acacia_is_awesome]

ok yall i got a question. i bought a 73 J4500 w/ a 360 that im gonna beef up. 3 speed and model 20. rear is a D60 and the whole thing is a rust bucket but i love it. it has 43,000 original miles cuz the guy died and it sat under a tree since then. anyways i wanna seriously wheel it and im buyin a rustys lift kit. either 4 or 6 inch idk,thats the problem. the leafs are shot so they need to be replaced and i was thinking about the 4 because i could just cheat and add blocks. also i read up and tires would be a problem($$). i love this truck and im tryin to get her road legal and worthy(at least drivin,lol) but the 4 inch is about $200 less than the 6. i like the tall ride height and would love to have the 6 but idk if its worth the money. can yall help me out with some opinions. ohh and im in MI and im gonna mount a plow for makin money in the winter cuz we get alot of snow. thanks Ladd and BIG ORANGE:)

[shimniok]

IMHO factory look = 2" lift and 31" tires.

4" lift looks fine with 32's or maybe 31's on 8" rims.

I am not a big fan of 6" lift... that is a lot of curve for the front spring, but what do I know. I still only ramp like 550 with 4" Skyjacker... oh well.

At least the ride to/from the trail is nice.

Also for consideration, 4" plus 33's would require rear fender trimming... I don't know if 6" would help; 33's are just too big for that tiny rear fender opening. 31's will work with a little pounding/grinding of the forward lip if there is any rubbing with 4" (probably not).

Michael