SOA Answers! no... actually questions

[gmarblestone]

Ok,

Tons of people on here want to know how to do SOA. I have read many a posting and i am trying to make sense of it all. See, i am a NOVICE everything, mechanic, welder, offroader. I am trying to put as little money into my rig but with the best BANG for the buck. SOA seems to be one of the things to do.

I have a 1985 GW. I see that the TT Kit (links below) seems to be great for moving the springs up. But then i need to know after i get it up what else i have to purchase. I see that i will also now need a high steer setup so that i can move left and right! And there is also someone out there making fab parts for that Bull gear (link below). The TT kit seems quite reasonable, but the Bull gear seems mucho expensivo! Again, i know nothing but can someone tell me if this is all i will need? Do i need new brake lines? ETC? And really has anyone documented in an easy way how to do this on a FSJ... step by step? I think that a topic this popular would be really nice to have a good link for people to get everything they need.

Lastly, is this something a novice should tackle, or should i just find a shop to do it?

Thanks again!
Grant

http://www.ttsfabworks.com/
http://bullgearinc.com/

[BRUTUS]

Ok,

Tons of people on here want to know how to do SOA. I have read many a posting and i am trying to make sense of it all. See, i am a NOVICE everything, mechanic, welder, offroader. I am trying to put as little money into my rig but with the best BANG for the buck. SOA seems to be one of the things to do.

I have a 1985 GW. I see that the TT Kit (links below) seems to be great for moving the springs up. But then i need to know after i get it up what else i have to purchase. I see that i will also now need a high steer setup so that i can move left and right! And there is also someone out there making fab parts for that Bull gear (link below). The TT kit seems quite reasonable, but the Bull gear seems mucho expensivo! Again, i know nothing but can someone tell me if this is all i will need? Do i need new brake lines? ETC? And really has anyone documented in an easy way how to do this on a FSJ... step by step? I think that a topic this popular would be really nice to have a good link for people to get everything they need.

Lastly, is this something a novice should tackle, or should i just find a shop to do it?

Thanks again!
Grant

http://www.ttsfabworks.com/
http://bullgearinc.com/

Here are some more things to consider...

Your driveshafts will be too short
You will need new brake lines, front and rear
Most likely you will need a new e-brake cable
You will need new shocks
You will need new u-bolts (unless T&T's comes with)I had a shop do mine... but I didn't use T&T's kit either.... mine was just a little different. I would at least consider hiring a portable welder to weld the suspension components. Considering if your welds were to break... bad things would happen.

[Casey]

A spring over lift is going to cost alot more than a good lift kit. Period.

Shop BJ's or Rusty's and get a good 4" lift, trim your fenders and wheel the thing.

On a narrow track rig the TT's shackle flip will make you feel like you're going to flip.
If you want to go SOA, use a rear spring not the flip kit. Take a look at the sticky steering solutions thread here as well.

Good luck.

[BRUTUS]

On a narrow track rig the TT's shackle flip will make you feel like you're going to flip.
If you want to go SOA, use a rear spring not the flip kit. Take a look at the sticky steering solutions thread here as well.

I didn't even think about that. You would be better served to put widetrack axles on at the same time you do the SOA much like Heimekin or Riverbeast did with some pocket flares. :thumbsup:

I know Riverbeasts site is down... not sure if anyone is hosting it anymore. Sure wish T&T's would host it as a part of their commerce site. Here is Heimekin's site...

http://snow.prohosting.com/heimeken/

[gmarblestone]

So basically the lift kit is the way to go for the "cheapest" over SOA. So i should go with BJ's Off-Road Lift Kit and then trim the wells?

Then should i go with a 6 or a 4... is 4 enough? I am NOT a serious rock climber, just want to mudd around a bit. But i dont want to get a 4 and then want a 6 right away either! Also, what are some good muddin tires for the stock wheels?

Prices for the 4 and 6 are as follows
4" 675
6" 780


Thanks,

Grant

[orangecherokee]

try Skyjacker. they love Jesus.

[BRUTUS]

try Skyjacker. they love Jesus.

Great Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley Moogley?:confused:

[orangecherokee]

have you never ordered from Skyjacker before?

geeez, who's the new guy?

j/k :thumbsup:

[gmarblestone]

I was kinda wondering the same thing... Never ordered from them yet... Do they mention jesus on the phone or something?

But, should i try skyjacker? its cheapest or best bang for buck?

[orangecherokee]

no not on the phone but they put religious related material (packing paper) into their boxes. sometimes you find it, sometimes you don't. they're based out of Lousiana if that makes a difference.

anyway, i'd try Skyjacker. And contrary to popular belief I picked them because I have experience with them not because I don't like BJs. From what I've heard they make even better springs now that are softer and have better flex out the box. :thumbsup:

[BRUTUS]

have you never ordered from Skyjacker before?

geeez, who's the new guy?

j/k :thumbsup:

I thought it was a running joke or something... I haven't ever ordered from them.

They love pork baked beans too... :D

[orangecherokee]

and crawfish. don't forget the crawfish!

[scotty]

i am a NOVICE everything, mechanic, welder, offroader. I am trying to put as little money into my rig but with the best BANG for the buck.

how attached are you to your sheetmetal? what size tires do you want to run? being a novice everything,id suggest holding off on the lift till you gain some experience and decide for sure what tires you want to run(based on your trails and wheeling style) and how you want to fit them.

youll find alot of "build it right the first time" attitude around here where folks will tell you youre wasting time and $$ if you do anything besides a full cage,coilovers,and a 60 front/70 or 14 bolt rear.

there are,however,alot of ways to skin this cat,and IMO its good in some cases to start in square one like alot of us did(and some of us that didnt, prolly should have :eek: ).

when i first got my GW heres what i did:
1)got it running
2)trimmed the fenders to fit 32x11.50 mudkings on the stock aluminum wheels(cost=free)
3)removed front and rear sway bar and track bars(again,cost=free)
4) packed up some spare fluids and tools and hit the trails and had some fun.

its good to wheel for awhile with 2 open diffs and smallish tires. it teaches you how to pick good lines and to have an awareness of the terrain.

you can easily trim the front and rear fenders to accomodate a 33-35" tire. after wheeling mine for a few months i fit a 38x15.5 on a 10" wide wheel with nothing more than a body lift and fender(and rear door) trimming :eek: and then i wheeled it that way for several years

dont get caught up in the "build it once" hype. nothing at all wrong with having some fun with a more stock rig while you figure out how you want to build it to suit your needs.

spend your $$ now on some decent used tires,some preventative maintence(fluid change,tuneup, wheelbearing repack,steering check,etc,),and maybe some fabrication tools if theres some left in the budget after that.

you dont need to jump in with both feet and get a SOA and 44" tires to have fun on the trails.

my 2 cents,for what theyre worth :)

[letank]

Very well said Scotty....
Check my sig...
i have fun all the time.... OK the gas tank has a little bump.... the exhaust pipe is a bit crunched



its good to wheel for awhile with 2 open diffs and smallish tires. it teaches you how to pick good lines and to have an awareness of the terrain.

......

nothing at all wrong with having some fun with a more stock rig while you figure out how you want to build it to suit your needs.

spend your $$ now on some decent used tires,some preventative maintence(fluid change,tuneup, wheelbearing repack,steering check,etc,),and maybe some fabrication tools if theres some left in the budget after that.

you dont need to jump in with both feet and get a SOA and 44" tires to have fun on the trails.

[Tad]

...you dont need to jump in with both feet and get a SOA and 44" tires to have fun on the trails.

my 2 cents,for what theyre worth :)
Exactly:thumbsup:
I learned my line picking in an old Willys truck.
Open diff's, T90, D18.
It makes you think and learn what works where and when:)

[Stuka]

The Skyjacker kit is really high quality stuff, and gives a bit over 5" of lift really. It flexes well too. However, it cost 1200 bucks.

[scotty]

38s, no lift :thumbsup:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/scotty85/scott2a.jpg

some more pics here:
http://nightcrawlers4wd.20megsfree.com/photo.html

just watch out for the pop ups if you dont have a blocker :eek:

[AMC_FAN]

I can't speak for Skyjacker in a FSJ, but I'll give you my thoughts on it in a Scout. I had stock springs and short add-a-leafs in the Scout with some 31"s. I went with the Skyjacker 4" system (and a 2" shackle) to fit 35"s. For some reason, I thought it was going to ride like crap with the new suspension. Guess I never realized how bad it was with the add-a-leafs. With the Skyjacker system in place, the Scout rode sooooooooooooooooo much better I can't even describe it. It literally felt like a Caddy compared to before. And I thought the flex was pretty great, too. This was also about 5-7 years ago, so the springs weren't as new technology-wise as the are today.

Just my 2 cents. :thumbsup:

PS- and yes, I did get religious material with the kit... :thumbsdown:

[N2Jeeps]

Kinda off the original subject I guess but......

I ordered the BJ's 4" kit but it is on backorder for at least a month. My tires are showing bands so she is parked and I have the new MTs ready to mount.

Is the Skyjacker kit really that much better than the BJ's kit? I mean it is $1100 plus $100 for brake lines and shocks.

It would have to be WAY better to be worth that much more.

** Back on Subject **

If I were you I would wheel this guy stock for a while to be sure you really want to get into the offroad thing.

I bet I learned more from my open diff 31" tire CJ than my 35" fully locked coil CJ.

Just my thought

[chr1s]

38s, no lift :thumbsup:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/scotty85/scott2a.jpg

:eek: - - - :eek:
I LOVE IT!

:cool::thumbsup:

[orangecherokee]

PS- and yes, I did get religious material with the kit... :thumbsdown:

it's ok, Jesus still loves you.

[gmarblestone]

Good advice. I think this is what i finally planned on doing. I was going to trim the fenders and try to find some cheap used mudding tires to go on my stock rims. Anyone got some near houston?

[Blake]

Check my posting here:

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=54365

All those people who say that SOA cost more than a lift are pretty much wrong. I did a complete write up on how to buy and build the entire thing. There are a lot of people who don't understand true SOA and therefore choose to get ripped off by the aftermarket with buying expensive SOA components. YOU DON'T HAVE TOO. Read my post carefully, then do some searching on the board and I bet you will see.