I'm looking to help out a friend who would like to lift and get some bigger wheels and tires for her Liberty. I was wondering if anyone knows of any mild kits and or mods to help make this vehicle more capable for BC life. I'm looking for options and sources for parts so we can nail down what she'd like and can afford. Budget is around 3k plus rubber.
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Liberty mods
- Thread starter BigDave
- Start date
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Good point
If she is in BC, she could contact one of our Spring Fever sponsors. North Shore Offroad is in Slurrey & North Van and have a large line up of suspension options. Just quickly I see that BDS has a 2" kit. If she contacts them, make sure she tells them the OVO referred her 
Hey [MENTION=2150]BigDave[/MENTION] - she should check out 'lost' http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/index.php I'm the same username over there in case she wants to PM. Tons of info over there.
sorry didn't see the tag [MENTION=272]2Greys[/MENTION] thanks
I would not recommend the daystar spacer lift on the lib. The lib is too heavy and pre-loads the springs too much so they will be dead very quickly.
The best full spring lift is from Jeepin' By Al (http://jeepinbyal.com/liberty-2002-2007-kj.html). There are CRD and gasser specific springs, with the option of low/med/hd rates. Best shock there is the Old Man Emu (OME) from Australia, Ironman is second best, bilstein and rancho are last. This lift will get you to about 2.5" over showroom stock (stock is 19" hub centre to the flare). By now though, she is likely sagged significantly.
You can gain another 0.5-1.0" by the following minor tweaks:
Front:
'clevis lift', basically add three 2" conduit nuts (home depot like 80c each) between the clevis fork and the bottom of the front shock. - Because of geometry, anything added to the front ends up being double the lift (e.g. 0.5" added in spacers, 1.0" added in lift)
3/8" plate above the front susp assembly.
For the spring lift plus all this in the front, she *might* need JBA upper control arms for more spring clearance. Not all libs need them to clear though. They are nice and have regreasable as well as bigger ball joints.
If that's not enough, you can get another 0.5" out of the 08+ clevis fork installed in place of the stock one.
Rear:
she should buy two additional upper spring isolators to add to the one that is there (or buy three so all are new)
Longer bumpstops are also needed of course.
If it is just the spring lift, she can go with 31s (245/75/16 max), but she will need to pound down the pinch weld in the front wells. Nothing for the rear.
If it is springs lift + all the extra spacers, she can go with 32s: 235/85/16 or 265/70/16. Pound the pinch weld and trim the lower air dam (fog light door area). The former will rub only at full lock, the latter needs a spacer (can't remember how much) or a set of TJ Moabs or aftermkt steels with proper backspacing to clear the spring assembly, sways. Does she really want bigger wheels or just tires? With the limit on libs for tire size, I'd say go no bigger than 17s or you have no sidewall to speak of. btw most 15s and even Jeep-made 16s (OTHER than the TJ Moab wheels) do not fit over the calipers on the front.
31/32s are fine power- and fuel economy-wise on the CRD. In a gasser, minor difference with 31s and it's a little laggy with the 32s and bad mileage of course. If she dd's it with 32s, a regear to at least 4.10s (stock are 3.73) is needed unless she is patient and isn't worried about the mileage. I have not regeared and I get about 250-325 kms (winter-summer) on about 50L with about 80:20 city/hwy.
The front susp assembly is under tremendous pressure, you absolutely 100% positively CANNOT install the springs into the assembly with hand tools. Not at all, nada, zip, zilch, don't even try. It was almost a stretch for me using my 2 ton floor mounted spring compressor. The rear suspension is easy peasy, a scissor jack is about all you need aside from hand tools.
Basically 3.5" is about the max before going to coilovers, but some libs can acheive slightly more lift than others. If going higher than 3.5", the CVs run into mechanical interference, so you can get the outside machined down.
Tell her to be careful of her front diff when wheeling. It is a D30a with the 'a' meaning aluminum. A smallish number of people in US/Canada have blown it from spin/wheel hop and the pinion end goes poof. There is a steel collar that can be made to fit on it, but it doesn't eliminate failure.
Ok so that was a novel...
sorry didn't see the tag [MENTION=272]2Greys[/MENTION] thanks
I would not recommend the daystar spacer lift on the lib. The lib is too heavy and pre-loads the springs too much so they will be dead very quickly.
The best full spring lift is from Jeepin' By Al (http://jeepinbyal.com/liberty-2002-2007-kj.html). There are CRD and gasser specific springs, with the option of low/med/hd rates. Best shock there is the Old Man Emu (OME) from Australia, Ironman is second best, bilstein and rancho are last. This lift will get you to about 2.5" over showroom stock (stock is 19" hub centre to the flare). By now though, she is likely sagged significantly.
You can gain another 0.5-1.0" by the following minor tweaks:
Front:
'clevis lift', basically add three 2" conduit nuts (home depot like 80c each) between the clevis fork and the bottom of the front shock. - Because of geometry, anything added to the front ends up being double the lift (e.g. 0.5" added in spacers, 1.0" added in lift)
3/8" plate above the front susp assembly.
For the spring lift plus all this in the front, she *might* need JBA upper control arms for more spring clearance. Not all libs need them to clear though. They are nice and have regreasable as well as bigger ball joints.
If that's not enough, you can get another 0.5" out of the 08+ clevis fork installed in place of the stock one.
Rear:
she should buy two additional upper spring isolators to add to the one that is there (or buy three so all are new)
Longer bumpstops are also needed of course.
If it is just the spring lift, she can go with 31s (245/75/16 max), but she will need to pound down the pinch weld in the front wells. Nothing for the rear.
If it is springs lift + all the extra spacers, she can go with 32s: 235/85/16 or 265/70/16. Pound the pinch weld and trim the lower air dam (fog light door area). The former will rub only at full lock, the latter needs a spacer (can't remember how much) or a set of TJ Moabs or aftermkt steels with proper backspacing to clear the spring assembly, sways. Does she really want bigger wheels or just tires? With the limit on libs for tire size, I'd say go no bigger than 17s or you have no sidewall to speak of. btw most 15s and even Jeep-made 16s (OTHER than the TJ Moab wheels) do not fit over the calipers on the front.
31/32s are fine power- and fuel economy-wise on the CRD. In a gasser, minor difference with 31s and it's a little laggy with the 32s and bad mileage of course. If she dd's it with 32s, a regear to at least 4.10s (stock are 3.73) is needed unless she is patient and isn't worried about the mileage. I have not regeared and I get about 250-325 kms (winter-summer) on about 50L with about 80:20 city/hwy.
The front susp assembly is under tremendous pressure, you absolutely 100% positively CANNOT install the springs into the assembly with hand tools. Not at all, nada, zip, zilch, don't even try. It was almost a stretch for me using my 2 ton floor mounted spring compressor. The rear suspension is easy peasy, a scissor jack is about all you need aside from hand tools.
Basically 3.5" is about the max before going to coilovers, but some libs can acheive slightly more lift than others. If going higher than 3.5", the CVs run into mechanical interference, so you can get the outside machined down.
Tell her to be careful of her front diff when wheeling. It is a D30a with the 'a' meaning aluminum. A smallish number of people in US/Canada have blown it from spin/wheel hop and the pinion end goes poof. There is a steel collar that can be made to fit on it, but it doesn't eliminate failure.
Ok so that was a novel...
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ok - seems I now have some homework - thanks for the detailed info. She is hoping I can assemble the parts and do the install so shes not looking to have it done out West. She's still living here in Ontario until she sorts out things with her folks estate and her home here.
I am looking for a lift kit along with whatever mods are necessary so the list above is a great help. If anyone has a line on used tires and rims that also an option but we were discussing new rubbers as well. Price of the lift may dictate money for rims and tires.
I am looking for a lift kit along with whatever mods are necessary so the list above is a great help. If anyone has a line on used tires and rims that also an option but we were discussing new rubbers as well. Price of the lift may dictate money for rims and tires.
Sucks to have to buy that stuff from the US right now. I'm not sure how BDS stuff compares, also not sure if there is a JBA supplier up here.
You are welcome to come check mine out sometime and I can walk you through the front install (unless you are already plenty handy?).
How many kms does she have on it? If it is really well used, I'd suggest new strut tops too. I popped both of mine after the lift. 1 right after during the alignment, then one popped about 10? 15? kms out into crown land...luckily trail 'fixed' it and limped her home.
(btw you probably remember me from the Carp ride a couple years ago when I was stock...it couldn't even handle that trail)
You are welcome to come check mine out sometime and I can walk you through the front install (unless you are already plenty handy?).
How many kms does she have on it? If it is really well used, I'd suggest new strut tops too. I popped both of mine after the lift. 1 right after during the alignment, then one popped about 10? 15? kms out into crown land...luckily trail 'fixed' it and limped her home.
(btw you probably remember me from the Carp ride a couple years ago when I was stock...it couldn't even handle that trail)