4" Slee kit and be done?

[rickysa]

Stock '96 ready for the shop. Putting it on the lift tomorrow. I'm in NC where we are mostly mudding, but I planning to road-trip out west, having never seen the desert country.

I just finished a resto on a '90 YJ jeep...suspension/engine rebuild etc and am very happy with the results.

I've done some research and believe I need some lift for the rocks out west...I also want to maintain a decent on-road ride as we will be driving out west and not trailering. I see that the Slee kit comes recommended, yes?

New rotors and pads will be going on as well....Slee has some fancy rotors, worth the $$?

New tires, as the truck as set for the last two years...recommendations? Go to 4.88 gears with the above plan?

Put in a new battery and she fired right up after sitting so long...impressed! Any other system/maintenance things I should consider while she's in the air ("while you're in there" kinda things)

Thanks!

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Stock '96 ready for the shop. Putting it on the lift tomorrow. I'm in NC where we are mostly mudding, but I planning to road-trip out west, having never seen the desert country.

I just finished a resto on a '90 YJ jeep...suspension/engine rebuild etc and am very happy with the results.

I've done some research and believe I need some lift for the rocks out west...I also want to maintain a decent on-road ride as we will be driving out west and not trailering. I see that the Slee kit comes recommended, yes?

New rotors and pads will be going on as well....Slee has some fancy rotors, worth the $$?

New tires, as the truck as set for the last two years...recommendations? Go to 4.88 gears with the above plan?

Put in a new battery and she fired right up after sitting so long...impressed! Any other system/maintenance things I should consider while she's in the air ("while you're in there" kinda things)

Thanks!

With your lift installed and setting on the ground at ride height loosen and retorque all control arms and panhards. A common overlooked detail when installing a lift.

 

[bajaphile]

Regarding your thread title, I would say that getting the 4" lift from Slee would be a good idea. You'll get a bunch of high quality parts. When/if you want to change out your springs with variable spring rate, its just an easy swap. I've been very impressed with the Slee springs after running all OME springs for the last 5 years.

If you go with 35's, stock gears are sufficient. That being said, my next big purchase will be 4.88's. (I've run 35's for 5+ years on stock gears)

 

[half k cruiser]

Wow, a lot more than just suspension questions. Most of what you asked has been covered in various threads on this forum. I know it can be daunting but its worth it to make a pot of coffee, make yourself comfortable, then sit back and do some light reading on here.

To answer your suspension question. Everything I have ever bought from Slee was solid product. I do not run there suspension, or plan on running there suspension. However, I'm sure its good quality and the guys there can be quite helpful to talk to. Just call them up and see what they recommend. As I've said in other threads. The market for 80 series springs is about to blow up here in the states. You've got Trail Tailor bringing in two new brands of coils. Dobinson is supposedly making there presence more felt. Icon just released a kit, and Redline may or may not be getting more slinky coils. Be patient, take care of your preventative maintenance, and wait for the reviews to start coming in. Then you can make a more educated decision on your suspension. Its definitely something that pays to get right the first time.

 

[rickysa]

"Most of what you asked has been covered in various threads on this forum. I know it can be daunting but its worth it to make a pot of coffee, make yourself comfortable, then sit back and do some light reading on here."

Boy, have I been reading!!! And that is great advice. I ran into the "info overload" during the YJ rebuild...lotsa folks play that game..and the learning curve was pretty steep, what with the lingo and all (nutter bypass, etc.) What I have noticed here, is the folks seem the be really helpful. Figure I'll go ahead and order the Slee 4" kit, plus brake kit, for now and keep reading!

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[half k cruiser]

"Most of what you asked has been covered in various threads on this forum. I know it can be daunting but its worth it to make a pot of coffee, make yourself comfortable, then sit back and do some light reading on here."

Boy, have I been reading!!! And that is great advice. I ran into the "info overload" during the YJ rebuild...lotsa folks play that game..and the learning curve was pretty steep, what with the lingo and all (nutter bypass, etc.) What I have noticed here, is the folks seem the be really helpful. Figure I'll go ahead and order the Slee 4" kit, plus brake kit, for now and keep reading!

Thanks for the feedback!

Let us know how the Slee kit works out for you. I have heard lots of good things about it.

 

[rickysa]

"take care of your preventative maintenance"

Having read that most everything on these trucks is quite robust, at 207k is there anything in particular I should look at (other than suspension/brakes/tires/fluids)?

 

[bajaphile]

Very common practice to ensure the cooling system is in good condition...

-Thermostat
-Hoses
-Fan Clutch (They updated the design and is referred to the blue fan clutch since they started painting them blue)
-Pesky Heater Hose (Generally something most guys seem to change out early since it is a potential weak point due to it's location)
-Radiator (Koyo replacements are ok, but best is OEM...i'm happy with my Koyo but if I had more money, I'd get OEM)
-Water pump (To be honest, I rarely hear of anyone changing them out, but I did anyways)

Other than that, a few other very common items which need to be replaced based on how long you can deal with them:
- Oil leaks (Oil pump cover gasket -- very common leak source. Same with distributor O-ring and spark plug tube gaskets.)
- Power steering gear leak (Check to make sure return line has a good breeze style clamp on it where it attahces to reservior first)
- Front axle rebuild
- Fuel pump pre-filter "sock"

 

[rickysa]

Baja...copied and printed. Many thanks for that list.

I haven't decided whether to purchase the Tech manual for the truck ($200) + wiring ($150), or use the $10/month TIS, so that list comes in very handy.

 

[retrofive]

Baja...copied and printed. Many thanks for that list.

I haven't decided whether to purchase the Tech manual for the truck ($200) + wiring ($150), or use the $10/month TIS, so that list comes in very handy.

For Sale - 40, 50, 60, and 80 series FSM for a hell of a price.

 

[rickysa]

Retro, that is pure gold. Many thanks

If I hadn't already purchased a gold star, you can bet I would have.

 

[retrofive]

Retro, that is pure gold. Many thanks

If I hadn't already purchased a gold star, you can bet I would have.

Now get busy!

 

[baldilocks]

Welcome to Mud where you can check in but you can never check out. This is why we are inclined to be helpful.

I bought a set of used Slee 4" springs 18 months ago. I do like them as they are of thicker material and have more wraps when compared to an OME spring of same free height.

Are you planning on ordering the mediums or heavys? I have heavys. My rig is 5700 pounds when not loaded for a trip and the springs lift my rear end about 5.5" and
cause some stinkbug until I load up. They are definitely designed to carry a hefty load while maintaining a solid 4" of lift. The heavy load springs produce a truck like ride coupled with the OME "L" shocks especially while unloaded, which is a fare trade off for the confident road and trail manors they impart when my rig is loaded up. I don't like a wallowy, loose feel.

Beware that starting a thread that solicits opinions on 80 series suspension is like opening the biggest can of worms you can imagine. Good luck