02 TJ sport

[NCK]

Looking for advice from you experienced jeepers. What is the point of cutting the rear control arm brackets and moving them forward on the frame? Bought my wife an already lifted TJ and am going to lower it back down to a 2.5” lift from at least a 4” lift and am not sure what to do with this particular feature. I will post pictures later. Not going to be doing any heavy duty off-roading, just what the country life has in store! Advice is greatly appreciated

 

[JPNinPA]

We’ll see about moving this to tech section.

If you have long arms you may still be able to keep them with a 2.5 in lift. And change the springs. You will need to readjust for the axel angle.


If the frame side control arm mounting points are in stock location there is no need to move when going from 4 to 2.5.

Comment more when pics are loaded


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[TerryMason]

I think generally speaking, the longer, and more horizontal your control arms are, the better.
If you have short control arms and long springs (i.e. a lifted Jeep), your control arms will tilt more towards the vertical, and give you a rough ride.

This is probably on over generalization though.

 

[JPNinPA]

I think generally speaking, the longer, and more horizontal your control arms are, the better.
If you have short control arms and long springs (i.e. a lifted Jeep), your control arms will tilt more towards the vertical, and give you a rough ride.

This is probably on over generalization though.

A video, i think from bleeping jeep, explains this along with an axel rotation issue from high lift and short arms.

Every time I type short arms and tall lift I think of


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[Jeepergeo]

When a Jeep is lifted, the angles between the body, frame, and axle mounting hardware change, and these changes can lead to rough ride, loss of articulation, and can potentially be dangerous. To compensate, the better lift makers will include longer control arms to help mitigate the changes in angles.

Going from 4" to 2.5" of lift might be too much for the long arms and not enough for the stock short arms. You might consider having the long arms shortened...it might be less than buying new arms, but you would need to figure out the geometry. It might be better to buy long arms made specifically for a 2.5" lift.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[JPNinPA]

Many low center of gravity guys run long arm and 2.5 in lift. The shortening should be within adjustments.
And many run 2.5 inch on stock short arms without issues.


Regards,
JPNinPA

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up. -Jesse Jackson

 

[NCK]

Thanks for the info guys I got under the Jeep to take pics and noticed that I think I have a transfer case lowering kit with front and rear control arm brackets attached to the spacer. I’ve done some looking around and I haven’t found anything quite like it. So I wonder if I need to get rid of this and reweld stock control arm brackets back on?

 

[NCK]

Sorry guys having trouble getting pictures to upload, but I’ve got about a two inch thick or so piece of iron spacing down the transfer case with control arm brackets on either end, looks like a heavy duty setup or something made to fit off another vehicle.

 

[JPNinPA]

We will look for your pics.
Initially long arm kits had you cut and re-weld the control arm tabs. Then they offered their weld in tabs. Then lastly they made use of the skid plate bolts to bolt on control arm points. This made it more backyard mechanic friendly.

Being 3+ size lifts caused drivetrain vibes a skid plate spacers was often the easy solution. Now incorporated. You could leave it with a 2.5 lift. It should not hurt anything.


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[NCK]

Finally figured out the picture problem

 

[NCK]

 

[JPNinPA]

Looks like a long arm kit. Little rusty but it should work.


Regards,
JPNinPA

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up. -Jesse Jackson

 

[NCK]

Yeah the frame has got some surface rust I’m planning on addressing but on a good note the inside frame isn’t too bad, and I will go ahead with lowering this TJ. When you guys say to check the driveline to axle geometry after changing its height, how would I go about doing this? Is it playing with my adjustable long control arms till there’s no vibrations or is there a cheat sheet out on the inter web somewhere?

 

[JPNinPA]

Depending on the drive shaft you have will set the angles you need.
Conventional close to parallel with trans.

Double cardian :CV
The pinion angle should be within 2deg of the driveshaft angle.

Maybe more than you need.
YouTube


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson