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Thread: SOA..need opinions.

  1. #1
    Alley's official biooootch!
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    SOA..need opinions.

    I know most of this is going to be considered easy or noob material to some of you guys but I needed some opinions and advice anyways. Ive done a good deal of reading pertaining to spring over conversions and still just have a few questions of my own.

    The two weak links right from the start in this conversion are the balls lacking 4 banger and the D35 rear. I know people say not to cut any corners when doing a buildup of any kind and so far I dont plan on taking the cheap route out but I still need some advice. Im on a budget (college...booo) but still want to do this thing as right as possible which is why im asking a general opinion to begin with.

    My jeep is my sole vehicle and is used as my DD as well as some mild wheeling occasionally. I know people highly advise NOT to run anything more than 33" tires on a D35 which originally got me thinking about the ever popular 8.8 swap. Unfortunately, through alot of reading and question asking people also say the 2.5L just doesnt seem to produce enough power to turn anything bigger than 33" tires as well. I did some calculations and came to the conclusion I wouldnt have the funds for a motor swap following the spring over conversion, axle upgrade, etc. My time frame is to have this thing completed by the end of summer 07 before school starts up again.

    Bottom line, would it even be worth my time and money to do a spring over conversion using the stock dana 35 rear axle if I just plan on sticking with 33's. I know everyone is going to say if you want to do it right...do everything right from the beginning. Unfortunately the time frame and budget dont fit together and I THINK id be satisfied with a spring over on the tires I have now.

    Thanks for reading my random babbling guys, I really just wanted some opinions and advice from anyone who might have been in this position before. Im trying to have the best of both worlds while still building it to be safe and keeping it cost effective at the same time.
    Last edited by .J u s t i n; 12-07-2007 at 07:44 PM.

  2. #2
    Less posting, more wheeling!
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    http://www.pgh-offroad.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5092

    this changed my mind..i think you and I are in the same boat brother
    -Olive Drab '92 YJ 2.5L 4 cyl. 5" of Lift on 31s
    -Red 95' Ford Mustang 3.8L V6
    [URL]http://www.facebook.com/s.php?init=q&q=Josh%20Smith&ref=ts&sid=08224d5b5a2d538d53383c6dc50e92aa&n=-1&o=4&hash=386f3c35d984fbab966f16b2e50c02a4&sf=p&s=40#/profile.php?id=1715834776&ref=profile[/URL]

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  3. #3
    Alley's official biooootch!
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    I probably jumped the gun in posting this thread. I browsed over your thread the other day but didnt read it start to finish. Reading the whole thing this time around definitely put things into perspective so I think im going to revise my thinking for a bit.

    Mods...sorry for posting something unnecessary, feel free to delete this if possible.

  4. #4
    Less posting, more wheeling!
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    Quote Originally Posted by .J u s t i n View Post

    Mods...sorry for posting something unnecessary, feel free to delete this if possible.
    its not unneccessary.. i know all the guys on here will give you a ton of info to help you out.
    -Olive Drab '92 YJ 2.5L 4 cyl. 5" of Lift on 31s
    -Red 95' Ford Mustang 3.8L V6
    [URL]http://www.facebook.com/s.php?init=q&q=Josh%20Smith&ref=ts&sid=08224d5b5a2d538d53383c6dc50e92aa&n=-1&o=4&hash=386f3c35d984fbab966f16b2e50c02a4&sf=p&s=40#/profile.php?id=1715834776&ref=profile[/URL]

    PM from [B]Gibson[/B]:

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  5. #5
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    No its not worth doing if you are on budget.... In my opinion


    B\c if you buy a 2.5 inch lift you will prolly be able to clear 33s. Maybe some body trimming, or a body lift you would be fine. Also on a DD it not the best idea to experiment on too much, if you do do an SOA and it goes haywire your gonna be in a trouble. SOAs are NOT cheap. It would most likely be cheaper to just buy lift springs, and deff be a lot easier to just buy the lift.


    That being said, I did the SOA lift to my 73. Its deff the best mod i think i ever did to it. I would deff do it again.


    If you do decide to go this rout. PLEASE READ about SOAs, dont just rig it together. <---- Yea i know you said we would say it but that is speaking from experice with the CJ
    Last edited by Megamus; 12-07-2007 at 09:15 PM.

  6. #6
    Less posting, more wheeling!
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    i dont hink hes goin SOA now. He said RE 4.5 ED.
    -Olive Drab '92 YJ 2.5L 4 cyl. 5" of Lift on 31s
    -Red 95' Ford Mustang 3.8L V6
    [URL]http://www.facebook.com/s.php?init=q&q=Josh%20Smith&ref=ts&sid=08224d5b5a2d538d53383c6dc50e92aa&n=-1&o=4&hash=386f3c35d984fbab966f16b2e50c02a4&sf=p&s=40#/profile.php?id=1715834776&ref=profile[/URL]

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  7. #7
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    ahh.... didnt know that.. But its prolly a better road if he is on budget

  8. #8
    Less posting, more wheeling!
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    ehh yeah. lil costly but yeah. Little over kill. buts thats never a bad thing
    -Olive Drab '92 YJ 2.5L 4 cyl. 5" of Lift on 31s
    -Red 95' Ford Mustang 3.8L V6
    [URL]http://www.facebook.com/s.php?init=q&q=Josh%20Smith&ref=ts&sid=08224d5b5a2d538d53383c6dc50e92aa&n=-1&o=4&hash=386f3c35d984fbab966f16b2e50c02a4&sf=p&s=40#/profile.php?id=1715834776&ref=profile[/URL]

    PM from [B]Gibson[/B]:

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  9. #9
    Alley's official biooootch!
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    Like I said earlier I think I posted a new thread a bit too fast. I basically just wanted someone more knowledgeable to tell me what I was thinking of doing would be a bad idea. I wasnt going to go cheap on the actual lift but figured that since I didnt have the money to do a motor swap with the time frame I was allowing myself, then maybe I didnt even need to do an axle swap either and leaving the D35 in might suffice for a few years.

    After reading 92YJCBG's thread it very quickly put into perspective the fact that I dont need a massive lift just to get my jeep where I want it go. Ive basically fallen back on my original plan of a 4.5" RE XD or maybe 5" BDS lift with MORE 5/8" boomers and then go from there.

    I always have a difficult time making up my mind with anything major I want to do so I usually rely on someone else to make my mind up for me, hence the main point of this thread. Ive got a pretty solid idea which route I want to go now so thanks for the direction.

  10. #10
    "Has anyone ever mistaken the chicken outside for a crab?" JeepGeneral's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by .J u s t i n View Post
    After reading 92YJCBG's thread it very quickly put into perspective the fact that I dont need a massive lift just to get my jeep where I want it go. Ive basically fallen back on my original plan of a 4.5" RE XD or maybe 5" BDS lift with MORE 5/8" boomers and then go from there.
    You may want to go back and re-read the thread again. You do not need 4.5" or 5" of lift to run 33s. There are no advantages to adding a lift to your vehicle, all of the ground clearance comes from larger tires. The only reason to add lift is to make room for the tires.

    Get a 2.5" lift, add a 1" BL and 1" MM lift and throw some 33s on it. If you're going to do some "mild wheeling" that's the way to go.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by JeepGeneral View Post
    You may want to go back and re-read the thread again. You do not need 4.5" or 5" of lift to run 33s. There are no advantages to adding a lift to your vehicle, all of the ground clearance comes from larger tires. The only reason to add lift is to make room for the tires.

    Get a 2.5" lift, add a 1" BL and 1" MM lift and throw some 33s on it. If you're going to do some "mild wheeling" that's the way to go.
    I'm going to second these comments, staying SUA is a good choice for a budget wheeler, you could go SOA as long as you know what your getting into, but lets stay off that for now, if your staying SUA you want the least amount of lift to the springs possible to get the tire size you want. The higher lift SUA springs will be stiffer, and not only will it ride like a tank, but it will not flex as much as it would on shorter lift springs and you won't get any further down a trail, and you might even end up getting stuck quicker. Also the remember the taller your Jeep, the higher the center of gravity, and the more likely you are to flop.
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  12. #12
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    I already have 33's on the jeep right now. The original owner put a 2" BL and a 2" shackle lift on the jeep in order to clear them. The shackles are huge and im sure it would cause that "boat anchor"' syndrome if I tried to do any real wheeling with it. My reasoning behind the RE 4.5" is to eventually gain clearance for 35's in the future. Im either going to go with that and remove the BL or just stick with my current tire size and get the 3.5" BDS kit. I know not to go too high as it would raise the center of gravity and potentially cause a bad situation, im just trying to leave myself with room to grow if I ever wanted to go bigger.

  13. #13
    "Has anyone ever mistaken the chicken outside for a crab?" JeepGeneral's Avatar
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    Take off the shackles and body lift, get the 3.5" kit to run the 33s. Later on buy a 1" BL and maybe a 5/8" shackle if you need it. Big body lifts and long shackles are never a good thing.

    You will probably find that your plans will change after you wheel it with 33s. I ran 33s all over W. PA, there is not too much terrain around here that you can't handle on 33" MTs (besides the truly BIG stuff). Keep in mind bigger tires means bigger axles and drivetrain and lower gears. None of this comes cheap.

  14. #14
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    When I said I was on a budget I didnt mean I was going to throw as little money at it as possible. I know with the bigger tires comes the weak axle issues, drivetrain and all of that. My time frame is to have this completed by the end of summer 07 and between now and then I will be working a significant amount to make the money to do it right. Money was not an issue it was more of keeping it reasonable without doing unnecessary things such as my original idea for a spring over lift.

    Ive already found an 8.8 with the same gearing as what I currently have in the Jeep (4.10's) so that is a purchase I plan on making in the near future.

    I know the lift shackles I have on it now are a bad idea but that is the way that I bought it and that is the way its going to stay until I am able to do it the right way. Going down to smaller tires in the meantime is not an option either so im going to stick with what I have for the time being.

    My overall goal by the end of the summer, which I know I will be able to afford is probably the 3.5" BDS, M.O.R.E. boomerang shackles, as well as the previously mentioned 8.8 axle and a SYE and CV driveshaft of some brand which I have not decided yet. I just wanted someone to talk me out of the idea of a SOA lift using the D35 rear which was exactly what happened.

    If I ever do decide on a motor swap in the future then I will worry about regearing and getting bigger tires but for the time being im going to save and focus on what I previously mentioned.

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