thanks for watching! FYI *it was noted: that you could replace the lower control arms after the factory coils have been removed and before you install the new suspension coils. This can allow for smoother install. But it’s not recommended by Skyjacker Also: Just keep in mind I bought this kit because i thought it was a perfect starter lift kit to upgrade as time and money allows! Future plans and up grades for this TJ: Removal of T- case drop kit Adams sye and cardan driveshaft All 4 upper adjustable control arms Steinjager cross over steering kit! FAST FORWARD OPTION : Remove & Replace = R&R Track bar R&R 1:55 / 4:13 / 13:32 Drag link ball joint R&R 2:09 / 3:30 / 8:28 / 11:45 Sway bar end link R&R 2:30 / 2:54 / 12:25 Front shocks removal 2:45 Factory front coil springs removal 3:01 Pitman arm R&R 4:40 / 7:58 Bump stops R&R 6:30 New DR coil springs install 8:34 New front shocks 11:26 Front lower control arms R&R 14:01 T-case drop install 16:56 Rear track bar mount install 21:06 / 25:00 Rear bump stops R&R 21:35 Rear coil springs R&R 21:35 Rear lower control arms R&R 22:50 / 24:12 / 24:45 Rear sway bar end links 23:34 Rear shocks 24:31 Safety check 25:20 I definitely understand your concern with the way it may handle on road. As this is my concern also! I can only share my experiences in hope that you can take this information and solve your own problems as we are different. A few questions I have for you : is the lift a short or long arm kit? did the lift come with the the pitman arm drop? Do you have adjustable upper and lower control arms on the front axle? I have two jeeps and both do not have death wobble or wandering! I suspect wander comes from loose steering, improper caster and tire pressure. Bad ball joints, loose track bar. Heres is a few different scenarios for perspective: My green jeep has an older 3.5” procomp short arm lift. Kit came with a frame side track bar drop down bracket (weld on) and adjustable heim track bar with a pitman arm drop. And after the lift i experienced wandering. The fix was a heavy duty moog inverted y link that allows for lift adjustment. The moog y link is very solid and if you were to grab it, it offers zero movement! The ball joints are very very tight. I suspect this is why people tend to go with Currie rock jocks y link and they are sold when it fixes these problems. Moog is half the cost and same quality IMO. It’s been 8 years plus on that lift and I’ve had to tighten the track bar twice. After hard wheeling, That jeep regardless is a smooth operator! Now for the red jeep: It has a 4” skyjacker short arm kit and dual rate coils. For this jeep I went a different route. The lift didn’t come with a track bar so I bought the steinjager track bar. I liked this track bar because I didn’t need to weld on a frame side drop down track bar mount. Just drilled a hole and mounted it to the stock frame mount. It’s configuration allows for no drop mount by design. After that I put back on the stock inverted y link and boom wandering and instant death wobble. I took the jeep to a alignment shop and the wandering seemed to be better but still getting a very good shake at the steering wheel from 55-60 mph. I could not deal with that at all. I got the crossover steering installed and yep still had the issue but the steering definitely felt tighter. The shake was still Happening. I started back to the basics, remembered that my jk has a light that comes on the dash if my tire pressure goes below 37psi or if there’s a significant temperature drop causing it. Known that i decided to bump up my tire pressure from 32 to 40psi , took the jeep for a ride and boom the shake in the steering was gone! The tires I have had side wall give and do not like lower pressures! 40psi all the way around did it for me and it’s now a smooth operator! After installing the crossover steer I put back on the stock pitman arm! But I honestly don’t think it matters. The lift was designed for it but the new drag link seemed to have adjustment for that. I would say the main purpose for the pitman arm drop is to correct bump steer with the stock y link setup! When the axle goes up to the frame after hitting a bump the drag link puts force into the pitman arm transferring to the steering box then up to the steering wheel where you can feel it and try to correct. That constant trying to correct can get very annoying! This is what I call wandering! Or bad road tracking. Even the roads play a role in this. As of now I don’t run the drop pitman and my drag link /ride seems to not care. The ideal fix is to get the drag link as parallel to the track bar as possible (near perfect horizontal). On Tjs that’s almost impossible because the passenger nuckle is set up for y link. On jks it’s very simple just add a axle side drag and track bar lift bracket to accommodate for the new lift correcting the steerings new geometry making them parallel and horizontal. One other thing to consider is caster , I have smaller tires so caster is less, larger tires offer way more caster and lift manufacturers know that you may be putting on larger tires. Adjustable lower and upper control arms correct caster by putting the axle out further ahead of the frame and the uppers correct the caster adjustment. Pushing that axle out further makes a world of a difference for our tjs you can correct caster and at the same time correct front pinion / driveshaft angles! Luckily on my 97 I was able to have eccentric lower control arm adjustment bolts. I’m currently maxed out without causing my front pinion angle to be out of spec. I’d definitely look at front upper and lower control arms as well. These cheap kits only offer and even say they are only good for offroad use . Not on road use! Go figure , 4lo is top speed 10mph haha. My suggestion is if you want a road worthy tj it’s going to be upgrading control arms and steering as well. Those cheap starter kits are not enough and are only meant for 10 mph offroad! Hope this insight helps Atem offroad
I just ordered my 2.5" lift for my TJ se. So glad you made this video. 2.5" lift doesn't have as many steps but this was a tremendous help! Keep making TJ videos my dude... HAPPY JEEPING!✌️
I thought about a 3" lift w/ 33's but fortunately very early on getting into off roading Jeeps, many told me, their TJ became very sluggish going from just 32's to 33's in addition to a domino effect of needing additional expensive parts. And I'm glad I listened! Because I drove a TJ with this set up and it didn't have that low end torque and was very slow off the line. And most of them returned to 32's while some fell for the aftermarket bait, very expensive bait. I get many who want to know what is the perfect build. Which is not easy to answer because everyone does different things with their Jeep. But I would like to share mine since my '05 TJ Rocky Mtn drives and handles absolutely amazing on and off road. Keep in mind, I am NOT a rock crawler, although I don't go out seeking rock crawling it's still a lot of fun encountering them on the trail and knowing the TJ can handle some of it. I'm an adventurer who takes the family beach wheelin, beach camping, surf fishing, and we hit fun, moderate trails in the fall and winter getting to our favorite fishing holes and camp sites. Which is why the build is for what's near and for what we do, nothing was put on this TJ unnecessarily for show. I see too many "spotless Jeeps" with 33's - 38's. As long as you have good off road instincts and common sense, a modest, high quality build will allow you and your family to have a lot of fun! All in, I'm at $25k with my '05 TJ Rocky Mtn. And I can honestly say build wise, I'm done!! I might Raptor line it since the TJ has a few rough paint spots and won't ever have to worry about off road pinstriping again. The best part is, this TJ not only keeps up, but outperforms a lot of these $40k - $75k JK's & JL' s. Due in part to people's inexperience and just "over building". The '05 TJ has a modest build, yet is extremely capable, durable and best of all, affordable. I encourage any Jeeper to search for a rust free TJ 4.0 I6, preferably stock, 3.73's w/ LSD and a Dana 44. And to use my build as a "guide". But I highly recommend this build for anyone who is an adventurer, not a rock crawler. Best of all, it will eliminate you from chasing your tail, and the aftermarket will have one less "just empty every pocket" victim out there! It was a lot of trial and error but it has been well worth it. 2" Old Man Emu coils 32" KO2's or 32" BFG MT's Quadratec Baja alloy rims - perfect backspacing - no rub! Currectlync steering Freedom Off Road front Adj track bar M.O.R.E steering box brace JKS quick disconnects Freedom Off Road front lower Adj control arms The rest are fixed Detroit Axles Transfer case drop kit Fox 2.0 Shox Fox steering stabilizer Professional 4x4 shop to do the alignment Since doing this, I have had the best experience with any vehicle I've ever had. Staying with 32's allows us Jeepers to maintain that great low end torque, saves us a lot of money on unnecessary aftermarket parts and still be able to wheel most anywhere. It's the best of all worlds! One of my favorite mods was adding a Banks cat back exhaust giving it a throaty growl, but not obnoxiously loud ticking off the neighbors. Absolutely perfect for the 4.0 I6. Most importantly, be honest with yourself, build your TJ for what you will be using it for. And know YOU CAN do great trails and much more with just a 2" lift and 32" ko2's or MT's! DO NOT let the aftermarket pushers fool or shame you into thinking you "need" 33" - 40" tires and a 5" lift to wheel. That's 🦬💩! They know full well, once they get you at 33's, it's a freaking cash cow for them! Because you just embarked on their multi thousand dollar build conveyor belt. And it's 100% unnecessary for moderate wheelin'! Your axles, drive train, drive shafts, engine, gearing and a host of a lot of other stuff now "needs" to be upgraded. The aftermarket pushers feast on naive people. Don't be that guy! Like cereal companies saying breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the aftermarket will continue to take advantage of the misinformed. And anyone with a 2 door JL Rubicon, while I definitely prefer my '05 TJ Rocky Mtn over anything from '07 - present, I have to say these 2 dr JL Rubicons are absolutely complete, no reason to do anything to them! 33" MT's, perfect stock height lift, 4:1 ratio, lockers, etc. I wheeled with a couple that have this animal of Jeep and told them to leave it alone, it's perfect! They knew what they had and I don't forsee them changing anything. I tell them mine is just as capable and $40k less. 😎 But at least they won't have to spend so much as a dollar in unnecessary upgrades. O|||||||O 🇺🇲 Only in a 2 Dr 🇺🇲 '41- '06
@jeeptjwheelin5799, I'd like to see some pictures of your rig! Are you on instagram or any of the jeep forums? What you described is pretty much in line with what I want to achieve with my TJ.
@@theberrymanmanman I am on Instagram but that's for my real estate photography business. I will add a Jeep TJ page/acct at some point. But everything I did is listed here. I'll try to get the TJ stuff on there soon though.
I just bought this same lift for my ‘06 TJ and, though I’m pretty mechanical, I was struggling with the install (Skyjacker’s instructions aren’t great). This video made everything much more clear and I’m ready to get back to it tomorrow with a much better idea of how it all goes. I don’t know what I would do without RUclips and especially this video. Thanks!
I think it’s a decent suspension so far it’s been good! And your right the instructions aren’t all that great! But it’s definitely doable, if I were to do things differently I probably would have installed the lower control arms on the front axles right after I took out the factory coils, as you seen i did have to do some tricks do get them in after the new coils were already in, but other than that it’s a fun little project! Take your time, good luck and thanks for watching!
You do not want to use that drop pitman arm. You should reinstall the factory pitman arm. Drop pitman arms are not necessary for TJs and will give you steering issues. Also with a 4 inch lift you want to run front upper adjustable links to get your caster and pinion angle dialed back in. Also highly recommend you get and sye and a double cardan drive shaft in order to remove the skid plate drop brackets. Then upper rear adjustable links to set pinion angle.
That is definitely going to happen! As soon as time allows, I thought I mentioned it at the end but maybe I didn’t! This is great info for those that don’t follow me on Instagram! Thanks for sharing and watching Cheers Future plans and up grades: Removal of T- case drop kit Adams Slip yoke eliminator kit and cardan driveshaft All 4 upper adjustable control arms Steinjager cross over steering kit!
Oh yeah we have had some absolute awesome weather these last couple of weeks here , a few showers off and on ! But I can’t complain we need the rain here, Thanks for watching @cgonzo cheers!
I have a stock 2005 Jeep Wrangler LJ unlimited, is all the parts in the description the only parts I would need to get to take it from stock to lifted? What about about tires what size of tires would work or could I use the standard tire that is recommended?
Yes The kit is all there and complete, as far as other items you need will be based on your judgement and preferences. For instance the spring perch isolators front and rear mine were still ok but yours may not be, it’s a good time to replace those. Also the Steering Y link, that doesn’t come in the kit and on my jeep all the ball joints were shot. I was able to replace one and run it for awhile until I upgraded those parts. You can see the crossover steer upgrade I did to the jeep in my later videos that this one follows but choosing upgrade and replacement parts for your build will be your preference. Also you could run 35” tires on your jeep with the correct wheels using this lift if you have the 4 liter engine without a regear but you may feel a dramatic power loss at acceleration, I run a smaller tire because it’s my daily and I haven’t regeared the axles yet.
@@ATEMOFFROAD I was wondering the same thing as Jacob and WOW - your answer was not helpful at all ... a few other items - just say what else needs replacing at the same time as the lift kit
@@Suesonly I’ve since updated my response . Not sure what happened at the time other than thinking that the kit is complete but have since made several changes. Do you have any specific questions? Here is my reply Yes The kit is all there and complete, as far as other items you need will be based on your judgement and preferences. For instance the spring perch isolators front and rear mine were still ok but yours may not be, it’s a good time to replace those. Also the Steering Y link, that doesn’t come in the kit and on my jeep all the ball joints were shot. I was able to replace one and run it for awhile until I upgraded those parts. You can see the crossover steer upgrade I did to the jeep in my later videos that this one follows but choosing upgrade and replacement parts for your build will be your preference. Also you could run 35” tires on your jeep with the correct wheels using this lift if you have the 4 liter engine without a regear but you may feel a dramatic power loss at acceleration, I run a smaller tire because it’s my daily and I haven’t regeared the axles yet..
Please check out proper use of a click type torque wrench. You aren't supposed to keep torquing after it clicks. Nearly every time you added additional torque 2-3 times over what you specified torque. Probably not as critical with suspension parts but damn.
@12:29 did you have any issues on the passenger side sway bar end link quick disconnects? I have a teraflex one that I cannot for the life of me get past the bracket that holds the steering stabilizer.
Hi Shawn, Frame side or axles side bracket? And No I didn’t have any issues they bolted right up to the factory link mount on the axle! Is that what your asking? Is your teraflex linkage adjustable?
@@ATEMOFFROAD it is adjustable. Axel side. The connection part though is just so think it won’t slide on the axel side mounting point without contacting the bracket right behind it. Would rather not grind the bracket on my axel but I may have to or else resort to different links.
That’s strange teraflex usually is good at making bolt on parts that need no modification. I just can’t see it to help you out at the moment, your on Instagram?if you want to send me a DM over there with a photo I can possibly help you more after I see it!
@@ATEMOFFROAD I noticed you didnt install the quick disconnect on the passenger side sway bar end link, you kept the stock bolt. This is exactly where my issue is and I'm wondering if you had fitment issues as well.
@@lundysgarage make sure your Jeep is on level ground, keep a hammer handy. so you only need to disconnect one side , the passenger side can remain bolted! But the side that is disconnected will be moving around , so you will want to take a bungee or zip ties and tie the linkage to the sway bar! But not the bar to the tub! If you tie to the tub or frame is will cause binding! Also if you do disconnect both and run at the same time you are going to want to hang up the sway bar to the tub. Or it will flop around so there is some options you have , I just think only disconnecting one side is much faster. Also make sure your Jeep is on level ground . And the links are adjusted properly also when you disconnect take the metal spacer out of the bushing and hold on to it or it will fall out on the trail and be lost it’s pretty important to have!
“In theory “ yes , most lift kits that come with the tcase drop kit and drop pitman are designed to work that way! But you can always upgrade , like I have done! Already Upgraded : Track bar Bump stops T case delete S.Y.E and adapted adams drive shaft. If your interested in an sye upgrade I have two videos to watch on the complete setup and install. Thanks for watching cheers 🍻
i enjoyed your video, can you clarify a little more about the transfer case dr/op. i have 97 wrangler automatic and i am confused to what the drop actually does becuase in your video the only thing i see lowered is the skid plate or does the transfer case rest on the skid plate. i just cannot tell from the video what you are actually doing other than loosening the bolts and installing the skid plate lowering.
Yes we need to lower the transfer case to correct the driveshaft angles from lifting up the frame side of the jeep in relationship to the rear axle pinion angle ! when the jeep gets its lift it throws off the Driveshaft Angles. This can cause bad vibration and U joints to possibly collide. it’s important to note that when you buy these lift kits they come with the drop-down transfers case lowering spacers to correct these problems for the factory driveshaft . tjs factory driveshaft has only two ujoints in which the transfer case should be as parallel to the rear axle housings pinion angle! Just keep in mind this is a fixed angle because the factory upper and lower control arms are non adjustable! Now this method of doing things works , but it’s not very conductive to off-roading! The best alternative is to install an sye kit upper and lower control arms and adapt a double cardon driveshaft to the rear axle to correct these issues and to not use the drop down transfer case method! Now I’ve already done sye on the jeep and if you were to watch these three videos I think it will all come to light and better understanding . Thanks for watching buddy I appreciate it. ruclips.net/video/XH-qz5Au_xw/видео.html ruclips.net/video/WlwwvQUThCc/видео.html ruclips.net/video/RHMCHfvzuwM/видео.html
@@ATEMOFFROAD I understand why it needs to be lowered, I also won't be doing much off reading either. To me in your video the only thing you lower is the skid plate with the square tubing spacers. What actually lowers the transfer case?
You bring up a good point there! they do have pros and cons but ultimately it’s dependent on your particular set up! I know you will have to extend your drag link ball joint out further with out the drop pitman arm, this allows less threads to be captured in the clamp if you don’t use it, when I look at these kits and I see drop pitman arms included the first Question I ask myself is why would they include them in the kit if there a bad idea? Some people will tell you that there a bad idea because they don’t use it and it works for them without it, but that necessarily doesn’t mean it will work for your particular setup. It’s what works is best! If your interested I can do another video on this topic
Because The new coils which are longer and stiff were causing the axel to rotate, Typically you wouldn’t need to move the axel because the weight of the vehicle holds the axel in place as you remove and replace each control arm, the longer coils for whatever reason caused the axel to rotate just enough to be out of position when I removed the first control arm! Then I jacked the axel up just a bit to see if that would help, it made it worse! So then I had to use the winch to basically rotate and pull the axel out to align to holes back. Thanks for watching
Yes , I replaced with a steinjager adjustable track bar , but there are many other brands that do the same job. Here’s the video to that set up ruclips.net/video/afis2s6YU_Q/видео.html
Just FYI a drop pitman arm is not needed unless your doing a 6" + lift .....4" lift with drop pitman arm just causes geometry problems and then using a spring compressor to install springs thats dangerous, just lift the jeep up drop one side of the axle maybe use a jack on opisite side lifting up should give you plenty of room to get the spring in
Do you have to do any transfer case drops or anything like that? I’m a new TJ Jeep owner, it’s got an OME lift and 31’s. Average off-roader, nothing Jeep crazy. Just minor stuff, small waterfalls in AZ. How has this been for you?
So far the lift has been great , in this video we did install the transfer case drop down kit , but since then we have deleted that setup for a more conductive setup for off-roading , there’s two videos that follow after this one it’s the drop delete and transfer case swap video , along with Sye set up and install . Thanks for watching 🍻
🤦♂️ much smoother than the single rate , I have two tjs and the ride quality is better on this for now, hoping to go long arm on the other jeep, that one can use an upgrade too, Thanks for watching
thanks for watching!
FYI *it was noted: that you could replace the lower control arms after the factory coils have been removed and before you install the new suspension coils. This can allow for smoother install. But it’s not recommended by Skyjacker
Also:
Just keep in mind I bought this kit because i thought it was a perfect starter lift kit to upgrade as time and money allows!
Future plans and up grades for this TJ:
Removal of T- case drop kit
Adams sye and cardan driveshaft
All 4 upper adjustable control arms
Steinjager cross over steering kit!
FAST FORWARD OPTION :
Remove & Replace = R&R
Track bar R&R 1:55 / 4:13 / 13:32
Drag link ball joint R&R 2:09 / 3:30 / 8:28 / 11:45
Sway bar end link R&R 2:30 / 2:54 / 12:25
Front shocks removal 2:45
Factory front coil springs removal 3:01
Pitman arm R&R 4:40 / 7:58
Bump stops R&R 6:30
New DR coil springs install 8:34
New front shocks 11:26
Front lower control arms R&R 14:01
T-case drop install 16:56
Rear track bar mount install 21:06 / 25:00
Rear bump stops R&R 21:35
Rear coil springs R&R 21:35
Rear lower control arms R&R 22:50 / 24:12 / 24:45
Rear sway bar end links 23:34
Rear shocks 24:31
Safety check 25:20
I definitely understand your concern with the way it may handle on road. As this is my concern also! I can only share my experiences in hope that you can take this information and solve your own problems as we are different. A few questions I have for you : is the lift a short or long arm kit? did the lift come with the the pitman arm drop? Do you have adjustable upper and lower control arms on the front axle?
I have two jeeps and both do not have death wobble or wandering! I suspect wander comes from loose steering, improper caster and tire pressure. Bad ball joints, loose track bar.
Heres is a few different scenarios for perspective:
My green jeep has an older 3.5” procomp short arm lift. Kit came with a frame side track bar drop down bracket (weld on) and adjustable heim track bar with a pitman arm drop. And after the lift i experienced wandering. The fix was a heavy duty moog inverted y link that allows for lift adjustment. The moog y link is very solid and if you were to grab it, it offers zero movement! The ball joints are very very tight. I suspect this is why people tend to go with Currie rock jocks y link and they are sold when it fixes these problems. Moog is half the cost and same quality IMO. It’s been 8 years plus on that lift and I’ve had to tighten the track bar twice. After hard wheeling, That jeep regardless is a smooth operator!
Now for the red jeep:
It has a 4” skyjacker short arm kit and dual rate coils. For this jeep I went a different route. The lift didn’t come with a track bar so I bought the steinjager track bar. I liked this track bar because I didn’t need to weld on a frame side drop down track bar mount. Just drilled a hole and mounted it to the stock frame mount. It’s configuration allows for no drop mount by design. After that I put back on the stock inverted y link and boom wandering and instant death wobble. I took the jeep to a alignment shop and the wandering seemed to be better but still getting a very good shake at the steering wheel from 55-60 mph. I could not deal with that at all. I got the crossover steering installed and yep still had the issue but the steering definitely felt tighter. The shake was still Happening. I started back to the basics, remembered that my jk has a light that comes on the dash if my tire pressure goes below 37psi or if there’s a significant temperature drop causing it. Known that i decided to bump up my tire pressure from 32 to 40psi , took the jeep for a ride and boom the shake in the steering was gone! The tires I have had side wall give and do not like lower pressures! 40psi all the way around did it for me and it’s now a smooth operator! After installing the crossover steer I put back on the stock pitman arm! But I honestly don’t think it matters. The lift was designed for it but the new drag link seemed to have adjustment for that. I would say the main purpose for the pitman arm drop is to correct bump steer with the stock y link setup! When the axle goes up to the frame after hitting a bump the drag link puts force into the pitman arm transferring to the steering box then up to the steering wheel where you can feel it and try to correct. That constant trying to correct can get very annoying! This is what I call wandering! Or bad road tracking. Even the roads play a role in this. As of now I don’t run the drop pitman and my drag link /ride seems to not care. The ideal fix is to get the drag link as parallel to the track bar as possible (near perfect horizontal). On Tjs that’s almost impossible because the passenger nuckle is set up for y link. On jks it’s very simple just add a axle side drag and track bar lift bracket to accommodate for the new lift correcting the steerings new geometry making them parallel and horizontal.
One other thing to consider is caster , I have smaller tires so caster is less, larger tires offer way more caster and lift manufacturers know that you may be putting on larger tires. Adjustable lower and upper control arms correct caster by putting the axle out further ahead of the frame and the uppers correct the caster adjustment. Pushing that axle out further makes a world of a difference for our tjs you can correct caster and at the same time correct front pinion / driveshaft angles! Luckily on my 97 I was able to have eccentric lower control arm adjustment bolts. I’m currently maxed out without causing my front pinion angle to be out of spec. I’d definitely look at front upper and lower control arms as well. These cheap kits only offer and even say they are only good for offroad use . Not on road use! Go figure , 4lo is top speed 10mph haha. My suggestion is if you want a road worthy tj it’s going to be upgrading control arms and steering as well. Those cheap starter kits are not enough and are only meant for 10 mph offroad!
Hope this insight helps
Atem offroad
I just ordered my 2.5" lift for my TJ se. So glad you made this video. 2.5" lift doesn't have as many steps but this was a tremendous help! Keep making TJ videos my dude... HAPPY JEEPING!✌️
Welcome to the channel and thanks for watching 🍻
I thought about a 3" lift w/ 33's but fortunately very early on getting into off roading Jeeps, many told me, their TJ became very sluggish going from just 32's to 33's in addition to a domino effect of needing additional expensive parts. And I'm glad I listened! Because I drove a TJ with this set up and it didn't have that low end torque and was very slow off the line. And most of them returned to 32's while some fell for the aftermarket bait, very expensive bait.
I get many who want to know what is the perfect build. Which is not easy to answer because everyone does different things with their Jeep.
But I would like to share mine since my '05 TJ Rocky Mtn drives and handles absolutely amazing on and off road.
Keep in mind, I am NOT a rock crawler, although I don't go out seeking rock crawling it's still a lot of fun encountering them on the trail and knowing the TJ can handle some of it. I'm an adventurer who takes the family beach wheelin, beach camping, surf fishing, and we hit fun, moderate trails in the fall and winter getting to our favorite fishing holes and camp sites. Which is why the build is for what's near and for what we do, nothing was put on this TJ unnecessarily for show. I see too many "spotless Jeeps" with 33's - 38's.
As long as you have good off road instincts and common sense, a modest, high quality build will allow you and your family to have a lot of fun!
All in, I'm at $25k with my '05 TJ Rocky Mtn. And I can honestly say build wise, I'm done!! I might Raptor line it since the TJ has a few rough paint spots and won't ever have to worry about off road pinstriping again. The best part is, this TJ not only keeps up, but outperforms a lot of these $40k - $75k JK's & JL' s. Due in part to people's inexperience and just "over building". The '05 TJ has a modest build, yet is extremely capable, durable and best of all, affordable.
I encourage any Jeeper to search for a rust free TJ 4.0 I6, preferably stock, 3.73's w/ LSD and a Dana 44. And to use my build as a "guide". But I highly recommend this build for anyone who is an adventurer, not a rock crawler. Best of all, it will eliminate you from chasing your tail, and the aftermarket will have one less "just empty every pocket" victim out there!
It was a lot of trial and error but it has been well worth it.
2" Old Man Emu coils
32" KO2's or 32" BFG MT's
Quadratec Baja alloy rims - perfect backspacing - no rub!
Currectlync steering
Freedom Off Road front Adj track bar
M.O.R.E steering box brace
JKS quick disconnects
Freedom Off Road front lower Adj control arms
The rest are fixed Detroit Axles
Transfer case drop kit
Fox 2.0 Shox
Fox steering stabilizer
Professional 4x4 shop to do the alignment
Since doing this, I have had the best experience with any vehicle I've ever had.
Staying with 32's allows us Jeepers to maintain that great low end torque, saves us a lot of money on unnecessary aftermarket parts and still be able to wheel most anywhere. It's the best of all worlds!
One of my favorite mods was adding a Banks cat back exhaust giving it a throaty growl, but not obnoxiously loud ticking off the neighbors. Absolutely perfect for the 4.0 I6.
Most importantly, be honest with yourself, build your TJ for what you will be using it for. And know YOU CAN do great trails and much more with just a 2" lift and 32" ko2's or MT's!
DO NOT let the aftermarket pushers fool or shame you into thinking you "need" 33" - 40" tires and a 5" lift to wheel. That's 🦬💩! They know full well, once they get you at 33's, it's a freaking cash cow for them! Because you just embarked on their multi thousand dollar build conveyor belt. And it's 100% unnecessary for moderate wheelin'! Your axles, drive train, drive shafts, engine, gearing and a host of a lot of other stuff now "needs" to be upgraded. The aftermarket pushers feast on naive people. Don't be that guy! Like cereal companies saying breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the aftermarket will continue to take advantage of the misinformed.
And anyone with a 2 door JL Rubicon, while I definitely prefer my '05 TJ Rocky Mtn over anything from '07 - present, I have to say these 2 dr JL Rubicons are absolutely complete, no reason to do anything to them! 33" MT's, perfect stock height lift, 4:1 ratio, lockers, etc. I wheeled with a couple that have this animal of Jeep and told them to leave it alone, it's perfect! They knew what they had and I don't forsee them changing anything. I tell them mine is just as capable and $40k less. 😎 But at least they won't have to spend so much as a dollar in unnecessary upgrades.
O|||||||O
🇺🇲 Only in a 2 Dr 🇺🇲
'41- '06
@jeeptjwheelin5799, I'd like to see some pictures of your rig! Are you on instagram or any of the jeep forums? What you described is pretty much in line with what I want to achieve with my TJ.
@@theberrymanmanman I am on Instagram but that's for my real estate photography business. I will add a Jeep TJ page/acct at some point. But everything I did is listed here. I'll try to get the TJ stuff on there soon though.
Also, leave nut threaded on when tapping tre. If you’re reusing, you could gaul the threads
I just bought this same lift for my ‘06 TJ and, though I’m pretty mechanical, I was struggling with the install (Skyjacker’s instructions aren’t great). This video made everything much more clear and I’m ready to get back to it tomorrow with a much better idea of how it all goes. I don’t know what I would do without RUclips and especially this video. Thanks!
I think it’s a decent suspension so far it’s been good! And your right the instructions aren’t all that great! But it’s definitely doable, if I were to do things differently I probably would have installed the lower control arms on the front axles right after I took out the factory coils, as you seen i did have to do some tricks do get them in after the new coils were already in, but other than that it’s a fun little project! Take your time, good luck and thanks for watching!
Outstanding video! Thanks for taking the time.
Thank you 🍻
Damn nice video, great tips, good pacing, tight views, better than most pro video instructions, well done, thank you
Thanks for watching, I appreciate it! Cheers 🍻
Great video! Very informative. Also, great tip on the headlights...something most people don't mention or forget altogether.
Thank you I really appreciate it! It was a really fun project! Thanks for watching
Great work ! Enjoyed every bit of it and I’m usually impatient, you’re a cool dude keep it up !
Thanks for watching
Looks great! You should do a walk around now
most definitely , thanks for watching
Dude hahaha I totally love the winch pull idea!! Best part of the vid!! Being creative !
Thank you for watching I really appreciate it! 🙏
Good work on this video! Very clear explanations and easy to follow along!! Stay jeepin
Thank you I appreciate it! I was a really fun project! Thanks for watching! Cheers
Great video, just as a psa.. you torque from the nut side unless stated otherwise
I agree , but the socket would not fit over the nut due to clearance issues. Thanks for watching
You do not want to use that drop pitman arm. You should reinstall the factory pitman arm. Drop pitman arms are not necessary for TJs and will give you steering issues. Also with a 4 inch lift you want to run front upper adjustable links to get your caster and pinion angle dialed back in. Also highly recommend you get and sye and a double cardan drive shaft in order to remove the skid plate drop brackets. Then upper rear adjustable links to set pinion angle.
That is definitely going to happen! As soon as time allows, I thought I mentioned it at the end but maybe I didn’t! This is great info for those that don’t follow me on Instagram! Thanks for sharing and watching Cheers
Future plans and up grades:
Removal of T- case drop kit
Adams Slip yoke eliminator kit
and cardan driveshaft
All 4 upper adjustable control arms
Steinjager cross over steering kit!
Thanks for the video. Cheers from about 40 min south of you in Cen Valley.
Thats where I’m at ! Thank you for watching, I really appreciate it! Cheers
Such a good quality video, thanks!
Thanks for watching
Looks so nice where your at , t-shirts weather make wrenching much easier,
Oh yeah we have had some absolute awesome weather these last couple of weeks here , a few showers off and on ! But I can’t complain we need the rain here, Thanks for watching @cgonzo cheers!
I have a stock 2005 Jeep Wrangler LJ unlimited, is all the parts in the description the only parts I would need to get to take it from stock to lifted? What about about tires what size of tires would work or could I use the standard tire that is recommended?
Yes The kit is all there and complete, as far as other items you need will be based on your judgement and preferences. For instance the spring perch isolators front and rear mine were still ok but yours may not be, it’s a good time to replace those. Also the Steering Y link, that doesn’t come in the kit and on my jeep all the ball joints were shot. I was able to replace one and run it for awhile until I upgraded those parts. You can see the crossover steer upgrade I did to the jeep in my later videos that this one follows but choosing upgrade and replacement parts for your build will be your preference. Also you could run 35” tires on your jeep with the correct wheels using this lift if you have the 4 liter engine without a regear but you may feel a dramatic power loss at acceleration, I run a smaller tire because it’s my daily and I haven’t regeared the axles yet.
@@ATEMOFFROAD I was wondering the same thing as Jacob and WOW - your answer was not helpful at all ... a few other items - just say what else needs replacing at the same time as the lift kit
@@Suesonly I’ve since updated my response . Not sure what happened at the time other than thinking that the kit is complete but have since made several changes. Do you have any specific questions?
Here is my reply
Yes The kit is all there and complete, as far as other items you need will be based on your judgement and preferences. For instance the spring perch isolators front and rear mine were still ok but yours may not be, it’s a good time to replace those. Also the Steering Y link, that doesn’t come in the kit and on my jeep all the ball joints were shot. I was able to replace one and run it for awhile until I upgraded those parts. You can see the crossover steer upgrade I did to the jeep in my later videos that this one follows but choosing upgrade and replacement parts for your build will be your preference. Also you could run 35” tires on your jeep with the correct wheels using this lift if you have the 4 liter engine without a regear but you may feel a dramatic power loss at acceleration, I run a smaller tire because it’s my daily and I haven’t regeared the axles yet..
Excellent video.
Thank you for watching 🍻
Please check out proper use of a click type torque wrench. You aren't supposed to keep torquing after it clicks. Nearly every time you added additional torque 2-3 times over what you specified torque. Probably not as critical with suspension parts but damn.
This one is off about 5 lbs , if this were head bolts buddy I wouldn’t even be using that torque wrench! You make a good point! Thanks for watching 🍻
@12:29 did you have any issues on the passenger side sway bar end link quick disconnects? I have a teraflex one that I cannot for the life of me get past the bracket that holds the steering stabilizer.
Hi Shawn, Frame side or axles side bracket? And No I didn’t have any issues they bolted right up to the factory link mount on the axle! Is that what your asking? Is your teraflex linkage adjustable?
@@ATEMOFFROAD it is adjustable. Axel side. The connection part though is just so think it won’t slide on the axel side mounting point without contacting the bracket right behind it. Would rather not grind the bracket on my axel but I may have to or else resort to different links.
That’s strange teraflex usually is good at making bolt on parts that need no modification. I just can’t see it to help you out at the moment, your on Instagram?if you want to send me a DM over there with a photo I can possibly help you more after I see it!
@@ATEMOFFROAD I noticed you didnt install the quick disconnect on the passenger side sway bar end link, you kept the stock bolt. This is exactly where my issue is and I'm wondering if you had fitment issues as well.
@@lundysgarage make sure your Jeep is on level ground, keep a hammer handy. so you only need to disconnect one side , the passenger side can remain bolted! But the side that is disconnected will be moving around , so you will want to take a bungee or zip ties and tie the linkage to the sway bar! But not the bar to the tub! If you tie to the tub or frame is will cause binding! Also if you do disconnect both and run at the same time you are going to want to hang up the sway bar to the tub. Or it will flop around so there is some options you have , I just think only disconnecting one side is much faster. Also make sure your Jeep is on level ground . And the links are adjusted properly also when you disconnect take the metal spacer out of the bushing and hold on to it or it will fall out on the trail and be lost it’s pretty important to have!
So if you go with the transfer case drop, you don't need the SYE?
“In theory “ yes , most lift kits that come with the tcase drop kit and drop pitman are designed to work that way! But you can always upgrade , like I have done!
Already Upgraded :
Track bar
Bump stops
T case delete
S.Y.E and adapted adams drive shaft.
If your interested in an sye upgrade I have two videos to watch on the complete setup and install. Thanks for watching cheers 🍻
i enjoyed your video, can you clarify a little more about the transfer case dr/op. i have 97 wrangler automatic and i am confused to what the drop actually does becuase in your video the only thing i see lowered is the skid plate or does the transfer case rest on the skid plate. i just cannot tell from the video what you are actually doing other than loosening the bolts and installing the skid plate lowering.
Yes we need to lower the transfer case to correct the driveshaft angles from lifting up the frame side of the jeep in relationship to the rear axle pinion angle ! when the jeep gets its lift it throws off the Driveshaft Angles. This can cause bad vibration and U joints to possibly collide. it’s important to note that when you buy these lift kits they come with the drop-down transfers case lowering spacers to correct these problems for the factory driveshaft . tjs factory driveshaft has only two ujoints in which the transfer case should be as parallel to the rear axle housings pinion angle! Just keep in mind this is a fixed angle because the factory upper and lower control arms are non adjustable! Now this method of doing things works , but it’s not very conductive to off-roading! The best alternative is to install an sye kit upper and lower control arms and adapt a double cardon driveshaft to the rear axle to correct these issues and to not use the drop down transfer case method! Now I’ve already done sye on the jeep and if you were to watch these three videos I think it will all come to light and better understanding . Thanks for watching buddy I appreciate it.
ruclips.net/video/XH-qz5Au_xw/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/WlwwvQUThCc/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/RHMCHfvzuwM/видео.html
@@ATEMOFFROAD I understand why it needs to be lowered, I also won't be doing much off reading either. To me in your video the only thing you lower is the skid plate with the square tubing spacers. What actually lowers the transfer case?
@@kgfielder the only thing supporting the transfer case is the the skid plate, you lower the skid plate you lower the transfer case!
Thank you for the clarity 🙏. Hope you have a great holiday
Cool Video Man. New suscriber..! 👌🏼👌🏼 Regards From Nicaragua, Central America 👋🏼👋🏻
Thanks for watching! Cheers
you dont need to pull your axle to install bolt of arms, just lift the axle side of bolt.
Maybe 🍻
Do i only need what the four Amazon links are
Yes everything is there. Thanks for watching 🍻
Wow those trails in the beginning of the video look awesome, where is this?
They are , this is in california thanks for watching 🍻
Forgive me if this has been asked... What size tires are those? If they are 35s... Did you regear... Or is that unnecessary with 35?
I’ve always read that the drop pitman arm is a bad idea.
You bring up a good point there! they do have pros and cons but ultimately it’s dependent on your particular set up! I know you will have to extend your drag link ball joint out further with out the drop pitman arm, this allows less threads to be captured in the clamp if you don’t use it, when I look at these kits and I see drop pitman arms included the first Question I ask myself is why would they include them in the kit if there a bad idea? Some people will tell you that there a bad idea because they don’t use it and it works for them without it, but that necessarily doesn’t mean it will work for your particular setup. It’s what works is best! If your interested I can do another video on this topic
Wonder why you had to use the winch to pull out the axle. Are the lower control arms longer?
Because The new coils which are longer and stiff were causing the axel to rotate, Typically you wouldn’t need to move the axel because the weight of the vehicle holds the axel in place as you remove and replace each control arm, the longer coils for whatever reason caused the axel to rotate just enough to be out of position when I removed the first control arm! Then I jacked the axel up just a bit to see if that would help, it made it worse! So then I had to use the winch to basically rotate and pull the axel out to align to holes back. Thanks for watching
Did you have to replace the track bar you mentioned in the beginning?
Yes , I replaced with a steinjager adjustable track bar , but there are many other brands that do the same job. Here’s the video to that set up ruclips.net/video/afis2s6YU_Q/видео.html
I want to do all this to my jeep!
It’s a fun little project! Thanks for watching 🍻
Nice and the only video in RUclips about this kit.
I run 34" tires in my tj you think fit on this lift kit?
Oh yeah 34” tires would look mint with this lift! Thanks for watching! Cheers
Is this all with the OEM drive shafts?
Yes this kit allows OEM shafts. Upgrades follow after this video, track bar , y link steering delete etc.
Just FYI a drop pitman arm is not needed unless your doing a 6" + lift .....4" lift with drop pitman arm just causes geometry problems and then using a spring compressor to install springs thats dangerous, just lift the jeep up drop one side of the axle maybe use a jack on opisite side lifting up should give you plenty of room to get the spring in
Currently I’m not using it , I’ve done a lot of changes since! Thanks for watching 🍻
@@ATEMOFFROAD ok thats good
In my state if you point the headlights down it won't pass inspection.
What state? Thanks for watching and sharing 🍻
what size is your tire
This jeep has 31” tires for now . Thanks for watching 🍻
No pull from winch.
That jeep is super clean man! U just buy it?
Thank you, we bought this jeep last year for my wife, now I have a trail buddy on the fly! Thanks for watching! Cheers
@@ATEMOFFROAD oh cool !
Do you have to do any transfer case drops or anything like that? I’m a new TJ Jeep owner, it’s got an OME lift and 31’s. Average off-roader, nothing Jeep crazy. Just minor stuff, small waterfalls in AZ. How has this been for you?
So far the lift has been great , in this video we did install the transfer case drop down kit , but since then we have deleted that setup for a more conductive setup for off-roading , there’s two videos that follow after this one it’s the drop delete and transfer case swap video , along with Sye set up and install . Thanks for watching 🍻
@@ATEMOFFROAD sweet thanks man!
take note i think he torked the bolts at inch pounds don't make the same mistake foot pounds
Nice tj, horrible lift.kit though.
🤦♂️ much smoother than the single rate , I have two tjs and the ride quality is better on this for now, hoping to go long arm on the other jeep, that one can use an upgrade too, Thanks for watching
you should rename this thing "project barbie car" because it's gulping seamonkeys by the gallon.
🤣🤣 if that’s your way of defining a Jeeps purpose, then I’d assume you drive a Barbie car too, anything to keep the environmentalists away right?!