Before I jump off the deep end...

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S

shinton

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Nov 25, 2007
Threads
46
Messages
326
Location
Kernersville, NC
Website
www.triadhelpdesk.com
Ok, previously I assumed I would be towing the camper back and forth to the beach every year with the 80 and therefore did not want to lift it / "mess" it up for towing.

It did ok for towing to Uwharrie, but just not enough "guts" to really pull the camper down the hwy consistently at 60-65mph, so plans changed, will just borrow a truck when going to the beach.

SO...that means the 80 has become basically my TOY. I am not driving it to work, just around town and to the trails.

I think about building (or selling the 80 and buying) a rock buggy, but I am a man who likes my creature comforts and a/c is kinda hard to beat and selectable lockers is sweet...

All of this to say, I want to start building my 80 to be able to handle most of the local trails. (URE, Tellico, Mtn City, maybe Harlan, etc)

My #1 goal is ground clearance. Down at DPG I could not believe how much I was hitting stuff on the diffs / control arm brackets. Tire size is the only thing that can cure those...

I want to retain the ability to still do 60-70mph down the hwy and drive to the trails...possibly towing a SMALL camper behind me or trailer for my Scanoe, etc.

SO I am guessing 35-37" tires...

LOTS of opinions on the tech side of the board, but alot of it comes down to personal needs and east coast wheeling is mix of some rock and usually MUDDY rock at that.

Budget...well would like to do this one step at a time to keep the :princess: happy, so won't be ordering a $2500 kit, but might piece together over time / as needed.

So, hoping I can get some good ideas from the folks who wheel 80s here in the area, know the trails and have tried various lifts, etc.

Also hoping if someone is about to sell off something or has stuff laying around they will let me know (or if you see something brewing here elsewhere in classifieds)

Here is my best guess on what I need:

Sliders (DONE!)
Winch...will hang inside of stock front bumper/fab to fit.
Rear bumper...prob build myself or just add to the stock center

Springs:
Front 850J which are the heavies, s/b 3-3.x" of lift
Rear 863J which are the heavies, again 3-3.x" of lift

Spacers?

Caster Kit...needed upfront or can wait?

Shocks... open to suggestions, Rancho 9k might dial in to road vs offroad?

Other brackets, steering dampers, etc...

I assume the above will fit 35s, maybe 36s.....37s?

Is there other cheats such as losing the flares OR even cutting the fenders/moving flares "up" to help clearance?

(Dumb question but is there body spacers or is the 80 a unibody or something?)

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this, if we decide it is too techy for the ONSC area I can delete, just thought locals will know the local "fits" best.

Sam
 
sam..... i got more time to chat about this next week but a couple quick points.

i like the j kit....but 35's will be close to your max. Id look at the j/4'' combo or frankie off road springs. His kit comes w/ the bilstein shocks and you have to convert from pin style to eye to eye adapters. Billy's would be my choice but the adjustability of the rancho 9ks is nice. Also consider the tall and skinnies like Q78 swampers which are around a 35.5 by 11, plus this will fit in stock spare tire location if you wanted. by spacers did you mean wheel spacers? i like the skinny tires w/ wide stance look......one member has 35x10.5 bfg m/t's on OME competition 5'' and it looks incredible.

Bumpers....stay light and you can fit more tire w/ less lift.... i like the corner tube bumperettes in the rear (check landspeeders ROTW, painless fab i think)

not many cheats w/ the flares....losing them will allow larger tires (minimally) w/ less chance of the subsequent damage when ripping one off. Mark at metal tech did a great write up on clearancing fenders, as well as brian (bjowett) sp? on the mudboard.

i would go ahead and do the castor correction....so much nicer to drive (hypocrit at his finest, mine is still under spec ;) )

fab up a pumpkin guard, and some angled rear control arm bracket guards, cat protection, a good skid and away you go..... I still hit all these points w/ 37's.

Roger Brown make a 1'' body lift and im heavily considering this cause i like my suspension setup as is for now....just want some extra room for the big meaties; and i like my flares :)

Ill try and find some links to everything ive mentioned here to help get you started, but might be this weekend. and btw I got some damn near new trxus MT's for sale 35'' if you want to swing by and take a look at them.























of course you could skip all this and just get portals :D
and a 18'' drop bar for towing

here is 35's 33's and 37's for reference........didnt make that much difference in what was doable at URE
Urejuly013.jpg
 
Can you do this in stages? Example, pick up the J springs and use stock shocks or those MUST go hand in hand?

Mr Concrete any closer to upgrading and selling off his stuff? :)

Not sure what I want tirewire, I prefer BFG M/Ts for the mix of on/offroad, but I also am thinking bias TSLs of some sort or IROKS....or BFG Krawlers, sigh.

but, it also sounds like I could get away with the NON-Js and fit basically the same 315s? Could also skip shocks too I suspect, less issues with steering, caster, etc?

Also, spotted someone in w/s yesterday, is this you Steve? OSNC sticker on there and a/ts but didn't know yours had been upgraded this much? (Also thought you were in gso?)
img078.webp
img077.webp
 
Sam, there are some shortcuts you can take to save some pennies. The J springs require a longer travel shock; however you can modify the shock mounting points by moving them up/down to prevent over compression/extension instead. Same for mounting tabs on brake lines ( but SS looks cool :D)

sounds like a good cheap combo would be the heavy front/ med. rear combo ( or J/Heavy ) and go w/ the bushings to correct castor, ditch the flares, slap on the body lift and 36's and have fun. and for ON and OFF road.....the trxus are hard to beat!!!! not just a plug for my tires either; i LOVE em.

Cant speak for him but Concrete has a new ride now for work purposes so the cruiser will be going under the knife at some point soon i'd imagine. He has my old J's up front and the tallest Mediums ive ever seen in back.
 
I'm at the other end of the spectrum... I've built the truck with 5" lift, 35" tires, cut-outs, etc. For now, I'm happy with my stock 80. I can run all the trails at URE, but bypass around the tough sections (ie. kodak). The nice thing about being stock height is that more of the trail is challenging, not just the big obstacles. Plus, if you're on a budget (like me), if you run the big lift, big tires, etc. you have a better chance of big repair bills if you get damaged running over the big obstacles.

Having said that, I do enjoy riding the trails with the bigger trucks (ie. jfz80 above) and watching them conquer the big obstacles.

I don't want to talk you out of building your dream machine, but I would recommend coming out with the club to URE in August and run the trails with us. Then you can see how the various levels of 80s compare when crawling the trails.

Here is another comparison pic of three 80s with various suspension setup. From left to right:
1) OME heavies (3" lift) with 33" tires
2) OME stock (~1" lift) with 33" tires
3) Stock with 31" tires

Also take a look at the picture thread from the July URE meeting last weekend. We had five 80s with all levels of setup from stock to 4"+ lift.
DSC03059_071908_2.webp
 
totally agree w/ Clint here coming from the other side as well. Its incredibly fun to watch these trucks pull through some difficult terrain in stock form. Even more fun watching the spectators faces of awe when you tell em "nah, that ones stock'' :D Joes and Clints did just fine this trip and the previous trips on daniel and rocky mtn loop. W/ some sliders and a good skid theyd be fine to push even further, not that they missed many opportunities at all last weekend.

The med/heavy lift (if any) some light tube bumpers, skids and a tucked exhaust and youd have lots of fun most places and still be able to tow light loads on the hwy(perhaps even a rock buggy on an alum trailer). Truxus makes a 34 to for that middle ground
 
Jason gives good advice.

I'm in the middle of my decision. I was going to go high and huge meats, but then after seeing j's truck with the 4 inch springs and not wanting to feel overly tippy; i think i am going to stay at my lift height now (j up front, medium in the rear) swap for some bilstein shocks, do the front hitch pin mod, trim the fenders and run 36 or 37 inch tires. Keep me low but gain ground clearance and flex.

Plus, J does have a great set of truxus tires ready to go and for sale. I would buy them if i hadn't pulled the trigger on a set of q78 swampers.

I'm really starting to believe for the 80, less is more.
 
The Heavy front / Medium rear combo basically keeps it more level, correct? (instead of stinkbug) I am leaning that way, hoping that my rear airbags will still be useful with the "2.x" inches of lift vs the 3-4" I would get with the J springs.

Medium on the rear so that I don't have a harsh ride when not loaded up...

And I think I am hearing / reading that the stock shocks are actually "ok" with the 2.x lift? I can move the mounting location up as well? (Shocks double the upfront cost is why I am asking)

The 2.x also would have less caster issues or other complications? Then any extra clearance will come from removal of sheet metal! Have not stuck my head under there yet, but I suspect I can reuse the flares by taking them off, cutting a new/higher circle and remounting them again. Jeep guys do this all the time and I am not afraid of sheet metal work, gonna paint the 80 soon anyway.

Thx for the thoughts! Will keep the crew in the loop when I get the springs ordered and in!
 
Forgot to ask, 860 or 863 for the rear? (864 is the 880lbs, 863 is the 440lbs and 860 is 0lbs/stock)

My price is $138 for pair of springs / new unless someone knows of a better deal out there? So 4 springs will cost me 276ish + ride.
 
Shinton, i have the 863 in the rear. It rides more like a Cadillac with the rear bumper on. If i were to add a ton of extra gear it may be a little much and want to squat. However, for every day driving my set up works good. The J spring up front works for me with the weight of the ARB and winch. If i had no front bumper or winch i would run the medium/medium setup. JMHO

I have the stock shock height, however, i know for a fact the front is limited by my shocks while running the J springs. It was obvious the last wheeling trip as Jason was spotting me up a climb with a wash out and he said he could tell my front wasn't wanting to flex enough to keep the tires planted.

I'm really not sure about removing sheet metal and remounting the flares. I also didn't think you could pull your rocker panels out after the dents but you did. So..... you will have to show us the light on that one.
 
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