J10 Suspension Lift and Tires

[77_Honcho]

Hey guys!
I have a 1977 J10 Honcho completely stock. Details in my intro thread. I have looked at several of the threads in the suspension section that are archived but most of those are several years old. I was considering a 6" lift with 35" tires but think I've decided on a 4" and 33". Truck will be driven but won't see severe abuse. Any advise on setup? I've been looking at Rusty's, BJ's, and BDS. There is a budget but I don't plan on selling it so I want it to last. I would love to hear what others have gone with and pictures would be great! Thanks! I'm adding a couple of pics of what I have and the look I'm going for.

[bluehwy]

That thing is cool!!! I'm going with BJs 6 inch lift on my 79 waggy but no pictures or anything to report yet. Money goes really quick enough on these things so I stayed away from a coil over conversion. Excited to see what you do!

[DarkMonohue]

Welcome!

4" is just right with 32-33" tires, IMO. I have Trailmaster JP25S front springs and rear springs I haven't been able to identify. They work. Starting with a J20 with factory HD spring package, the ride didn't actually get worse when I went to lift springs - it was awful to begin with and may actually be a hair softer now. Unfortunately I haven't really bothered to get any decent pics of the bucket since I finished the lift.

You can get a full lift kit with shock absorbers or go full-race cheapskate like me and just use shocks from another application. My back-of-the-napkin calcs suggested shocks intended for the rear of a 1985 Ford F-250 4x4 would work in my late-model ('85) FSJ with 4" of lift. They did fit, though I think I had to shave a bushing or do some other hasty driveway surgery. Rock Auto lists the same shocks for your '77 as for my '85, so the Ford application may work for you as well.

You will probably want a dropped pitman arm. Unfortunately, the part marketed for lifted FSJs is not made specifically for FSJs. I think the intended application is a Ford product. The issue is that the splines on the steering box are keyed such that they point the steering wheel 75 degrees or so toward starboard with the front tires pointed straight ahead. You can correct that by adjusting the drag link, but it'll result in less steering lock in one direction.

There are other items to watch out for, like longer brake hoses, but they're pretty minor.

[77_Honcho]

Thanks for all the advice! I've heard some say you don't need a drop pitman arm for a 4" lift and others say you need one. I'll look into all the recommendations! Thanks again and I'm looking forward to pictures of everyone's rigs!

[DarkMonohue]

Thanks for all the advice! I've heard some say you don't need a drop pitman arm for a 4" lift and others say you need one. I'll look into all the recommendations! Thanks again and I'm looking forward to pictures of everyone's rigs!

There doesn't seem to be a consensus on whether a dropped pitman arm is really necessary, but it made sense to me to have all the steering linkage on the same plane, or as close as possible, so I went ahead with it. If a person was really ambitious they could get a hacksaw or triangular file and carve out some new grooves (i.e., remove the master splines) on the pitman arm so it could be re-clocked to better match the geometry of the OEM arm.

This interesting. In doing some research on this, I just found this dropped pitman arm which supposedly fits at least some FSJs, and has no master splines, so it could be clocked any way you like without modification:

http://www.partsmike.com/index.php/products/1bds083402-1-pitman-arm-hd-fordjeep-fsj

Sorry about the lack of decent pics. I do have some in the links in my signature if you feel like checking those out, but no real good overall shots after the lift was installed at both ends.

[77_Honcho]

Thanks for the info DarkMonohue! Greatly appreciated! I'm with you I'll probably do the dropped pitman arm as well!

[rocklaurence]

BJ's OffRoad has a lot of parts for our vehicles and they have the correct Drop Pitman arm. The 3" Rough Ride is the kit is considered the Worse kit to purchase.

[77_Honcho]

Thanks for the info rocklaurence! I'm thinking of going with BJ's for lift. Rusty's seems to be out of stock.

[DarkMonohue]

Just to be clear, the pitman arm I got from BJ's is the one with master splines that indexes the steering wheel off-center. It does fit but is not really what I would call correct. I think the version without master splines may be a better option.

[FleetFox]

If you are curious, I used the 6" lift on my honcho build. I do plan on running 35s. It's a lot of lift really, but personally I'm going for a specific look. I am attaching a pic below but a few comments. The tires you see are 265 rollers, so the 35s will add some height (31 vs 35). There is still hundreds of pounds yet to be added to the truck, so it it will likely come down another inch. If anything you take away, note the ample space in the fender wells. As a side note, BJ's springs are now manufactured by Deaver. Been around forever, proven and tested in desert racing. I can't comment on the ride thus far, I will leave that to others.



Fleet Fox

[77_Honcho]

Thanks for the info Fleet Fox. I do have a question regarding the rollbars. I have stock rollbars that I plan to install on my j10 but it didn't come with them from the factory. How are yours installed? I've seen some that are simply bolted on and I was wondering if they shouldn't just be welded in. Can't wait to see your rig finished!

[FleetFox]

Mine is stock, I believe the mushroom style was only for the sport side beds. There's a pic of it pre-install in my build thread. I'm pretty sure it's a Vic Hickey piece. To answer your question, it's just bolted in. There''s a mounting tray on either side and it just bolts through the bed floor steel. No reinforcement. It's a light bar not a roll bar so I saw no purpose in welding it. The only install modification i made was adding a neoprene rubber gasket between the bar's mounting flanges and the steel bed as an insulator for noise.

Now if your looking for something a little more functional, this truck his some good ideas built into it:

https://www.race-dezert.com/home/lowell-arnold-class-8-jeep-24453.html

Fleet Fox

[77_Honcho]

Cool! Thanks!

[DarkMonohue]

Unfortunately I haven't really bothered to get any decent pics of the bucket since I finished the lift.

Just following up on this. I did finally get a half-decent pic of the J20 with the aforementioned 4" lift and 255/85R16 (nominally 33") tires.

[MysticRob]

I'm a spammer working for an especially skeezy internet retailer in Tampa. I have nothing of value to contribute and have been banned for being a jackass.

LMAO, nice 'stealth' edit there, DarkMonohue.
Love the pic of your J20! Looks like great clearance everywhere and a perfect stance.
Eventually I'd like to give my GW a lift, but the wifey is a half-squat at like 5'2" or so, so I'm not too sure how she'd get in it.