Can you lift a 60 on stock shocks?

[Doc]

Search yielded no real helpfull results, but I'm sure this has been asked before.

How much lift can you put under a 60 and keep the stock shocks?

The reason I ask is because I need to lift the 60 2-3" at least to ride some of the trails around here that the local off-road club uses. However, I just bought 4 new OE shocks from C-dan like 3 weeks ago. I'd hate to have to throw them out. It's on 31" tires now, so I have a bit of built in lift, but not much. I know I'll scrape bottom a lot because the TJ I was riding in last weekend hit bottom a few times, and they have so much more fudge room because of their shorter wheelbase, and no over the back overhang.

Maybe just rip the running boards off of it and put some sliders on instead?

 

[VTCruiser]

definitely get rid of the running boards, or nature will do it for you.....

good question on the shocks....how does one know what length shocks to buy for a lifted truck? never had to buy shocks for a 4x4 before...

 

[Jman]

Did you install the shocks? If not, try returning, and if so, you can probably sell them to someone else at half price.

I'd do sliders next (don't forget rear sliders, too) and if you want more, THEN go for the lift/bigger tires/regearing the diffs. (Of course, this coming from a guy who still has a stock 60!)

However, I'd remove the running boards no matter what else you do. They're just ugly rustcatchers.

 

[swank60]

What about doing a body lift? I'm not sure how that would look, but you could do a combo thing where you lift the susp with 1-1.5" with shackles and then lift the body 2-3". The goal is to get bigger tires under there, more than anything else, so I don't see that wouldn't do it.

Ditto on the stock 60 thing.

 

[Doc]

I did install them myself, as C-dan wasn't available to mail himself to my door. Actually, it was pretty easy. Easiest shocks I ever had to change.

They're just ugly rustcatchers.

Ironically, they are the only things on the truck NOT rusted. I suppose the fact that they are aluminum helps in that regard.

I'll probobly just have the local exhaust shop bend up some thick stuff and weld it to a piece of 2x4 steel square tube for a set of sliders. I don't know what I'll do about the rear. Maybe the guy at the exhaust shop has some ideas.

 

[kevin g]

Not to change the subject or anything, but I see you are from IA. Where do you wheel there. I grew up in Pella (~45 miles SE of DSM) and get back there a few times a year. I usually don't have anything at my disposal to wheel with there exept my dad's old *eep FC truck, but it would be nice to know of some place to go if I ever had a vehicle to do it with while there.

 

[Jman]

Ironically, they are the only things on the truck NOT rusted. I suppose the fact that they are aluminum helps in that regard.

I meant they tend to collect crap/road spray and promote rust on the rockers. And they're ugly.

Unless the muffler guy knows welding to the frame, I'd go elsewhere, somewhere that's done sliders--you need to make sure the welds will hold under abuse, or else you'll be in real deep doo doo.

 

[Landpimp]

I don't think you will have enough length in the stock shocks for 3" of lift.

I have some OEM fj62 shocks and the OME book that I think shows the lenghts of the shocks, so that might tell ya something. (I have lots of OME 60/2 shocks but don't feel like taking them off to measure..........plus I got stung by a bee and am swelled up like a ballon)

also the stockers will not have enough damping or rebound to handle new springs......at least that my guess.

 

[swank60]

Scratch what I said about the body lift...we can write that one off as a brain fart.

 

[Doc]

also the stockers will not have enough damping or rebound to handle new springs......at least that my guess.

It'd just be a shakle lift, if anything. I don't have too much money to throw at it right now.

I meant they tend to collect crap/road spray and promote rust on the rockers. And they're ugly.

Unless the muffler guy knows welding to the frame, I'd go elsewhere, somewhere that's done sliders--you need to make sure the welds will hold under abuse, or else you'll be in real deep doo doo.

Yes they are ugly. Unfortuneately, there is no place nearby that had ever done sliders. This will be a new thing for me, and whoever does the welding!

Kevin G- All of the trails that are used by this off-road club are on private land and are not open to the 'public'. You couldn't even go and drive your truck with another club member present, because of legal issues and insurance crap. I have found no-where to wheel in Iowa, hence my joining an otherwise 'jeep' club so that I have access to trails.

 

[dogboy2]

the stock shocks will not have enough travel to adequately handle a 2-3" suspension lift -- you would be bottoming out your shocks pretty quickly during any substantial offroading....

give the stock setup a go and see how you do -- if you need more offroad umph, then pop for the new suspension, tires, etc... there's really only one way to know how it's going to work

-dogboy- '87 FJ60

 

[dd113]

Take the rear shocks off. Jack the truck up and allow the rear to go to full droop. Measure that. That is the max lenght of the new shocks you will need. Cheapskate