hey everybody, Im getting jealous having my sidekick at stock height and was wondering what lift i should get.  

Would a suspension lift be better than a body lift? or which is the better one to get first. I dont wanna have a high body, but everything is saggy and hitting the dirt.  

any input would be appreciated  

coil spacer and a small body lift with 31's sounds perfect

Perfect would be an SAS with 10" lift, 4 link coil spring suspension and 35" tires

But yeah, a 2" coil spacer then 3" body lift can be done on a budget of anywhere from $75 to a couple hundred (depending on how much of the stuff you make/do yourself).

http://www.whitepineclub.com/offroad/tech/budgetbodylift/index.htm



This is a link to Heather's budget lift. I was tired of stock height and I was doing more wheeling before and this is the setup I'm starting with. It's not too crazy, looks great, and it's cheap! Hopefully I can get on it soon so I can post my own pics.  

EDIT:

Oh yeah, this here is Heather's response to one of my questions concerning lifts. Consider it a lesson in the basics... I did! Thanks again Heather!

A body lift is basically made up of spacers (blocks) that go in between your body and frame. This raises up your body away from your frame somewhat, and therefore keeps your rocker panels from being the first thing that comes in contact with the ground when you get high centered. Doing this usually requires extending your shifters as your transmission and transfercase are attached to the engine, which is attached to the frame, which the body is now sitting two inches higher from. Usually companies like Calmini include shifter extensions with their body lift kits.  



A suspension lift basically just raises or extends your suspension. Such as putting spacers on top of springs or struts, replacing struts and shocks with longer ones, and replacing the a arms with some that allow more height and articulation. This does not move the body away from the frame, and instead, this is where you recieve "ground clearance" from, as this "raises" the frame height from the ground.

steveo

can i do just the Jeep spacer thing and not the body lift?

Depends what size of tires you want to run.
I'm starting with the spacers, and then moving into the box tubing, as I have little time to do all the work that is required. I want to run 30" or even 31" tires, so I will have to go to it with the box tubing if I want to do that. A simple coil spring spacer of 2" isn't going to be enough I've been told... But there are much more experienced people about these kind of things! Hope what I've had to say has been informative!

steveo

I run 30s with only the coil spacers.  I think I could squeeze 31s under it also.  Will find out when I need new tires.
J

With 2" spacers and fender cutting, you could probably run 31's without a problem.

you want to get the frame off the ground,  not just the body....





(im putting a 4in suspension lift on my gf's 96 ranger in a week)

you want to get the frame off the ground,  not just the body....





(im putting a 4in suspension lift on my gf's 96 ranger in a week)

TTB scares me from what (little) I've read of it

the only real prob i have seen is the driveshaft brakeage after they have been lifted.  i have heard the a bushing in the front end can melt front exhaust heat. :-/

stu

I've been hearing things about how badly they handle after being lifted, and that after a lift, they are damned near impossible to get alligned right... :-/

But I could be misinformed (lurking around Pirate and FullSizeBronco.com ).

how much are the jeep spacers? i saw a pic of 2 in spacers but they are black, is this the correct one?it was 39.99

oh yea and is this a stock part? and can you find it used?

Rocky Road has some, just scroll down the page:
http://www.rocky-road.com/kicksus.html

Sky has some as well, click the sidekick link, then scroll down
http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/

With the Jeep TJ spacers you have to bore them to 2.5" holes in the center, to fit the kick... Just go down to your local wrecker and ask around or ask them to keep an eye out for you...

steveo