2003 Liberty Lift Help - Any Advice?

[JeepinMike]

Okay guys, I'm stumped on this one. Maybe someone can guide me in the right direction. I recently lifted my 03 KJ, and the front fender is 3" higher than the rear (37"/34" see pics). The rear has the daystar 2.5" lift rubber blocks under the coils, and I replaced the struts with Monroe OESpectrum 37203's. In the front I replaced the front spring/strut assembly with Monroe Quick-Struts 171577R/L, however when I took them apart to put the daystar blocks under the coils they were simply not working, and after a long battle I decided I didn't like the design, reducing the travel on the springs, so I ditched um and instead bought and installed some 2.5" spacers that bolt on top of the entire assembly. I also put in some JBA Upper A-arms to correct for the lift, and moog lower ball joints. So here we are. Things are WAY off. My assumption is that even though the Monroe front strut assemblies claim OE spec, I am getting additional lift out of them that is throwing everything off, which would also explain why I was struggling to get the daystar kit to work with them. My tires are majorly towed in (no alignment yet), and the angles on everything seem harsh, maybe not even correctable with alignment. I did purchase a set of rear coil isolators that go above the rear coils to try and bring up the rear, but I don't think thats going to cut it alone. I could also step down to a 2" spacer in the front instead of the 2.5", and maybe those two things will bring me closer to level. What to do? Any advice on the next step or better solutions?

*My first time posting here, I added photos to the media gallery hope they show up*

 

[MarksmanAkula]

Okay guys, I'm stumped on this one. Maybe someone can guide me in the right direction. I recently lifted my 03 KJ, and the front fender is 3" higher than the rear (37"/34" see pics). The rear has the daystar 2.5" lift rubber blocks under the coils, and I replaced the struts with Monroe OESpectrum 37203's. In the front I replaced the front spring/strut assembly with Monroe Quick-Struts 171577R/L, however when I took them apart to put the daystar blocks under the coils they were simply not working, and after a long battle I decided I didn't like the design, reducing the travel on the springs, so I ditched um and instead bought and installed some 2.5" spacers that bolt on top of the entire assembly. I also put in some JBA Upper A-arms to correct for the lift, and moog lower ball joints. So here we are. Things are WAY off. My assumption is that even though the Monroe front strut assemblies claim OE spec, I am getting additional lift out of them that is throwing everything off, which would also explain why I was struggling to get the daystar kit to work with them. My tires are majorly towed in (no alignment yet), and the angles on everything seem harsh, maybe not even correctable with alignment. I did purchase a set of rear coil isolators that go above the rear coils to try and bring up the rear, but I don't think thats going to cut it alone. I could also step down to a 2" spacer in the front instead of the 2.5", and maybe those two things will bring me closer to level. What to do? Any advice on the next step or better solutions?

*My first time posting here, I added photos to the media gallery hope they show up*

Honestly your first mistake was using spacers at all. They are a terrible way to lift this vehicle.

As for what's messing you up, I'm not 100% sure.

When I lifted my liberty I used an OME lift, got me around 2.5" of comfortable stable lift.

 

[JeepinMike]

Honestly your first mistake was using spacers at all. They are a terrible way to lift this vehicle.

As for what's messing you up, I'm not 100% sure.

When I lifted my liberty I used an OME lift, got me around 2.5" of comfortable stable lift.

Thanks for the reply I really appreciate it. I don't mind ditching the spacers if that's the way to go, but I would like to avoid going back to square one. I will give another go on trying to make the daystar work in the front if someone seconds that, but it was hellish dealing with that disassembly and trying to force the spacer in with a fully compressed coil, so any alternative solutions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[MarksmanAkula]

Thanks for the reply I really appreciate it. I don't mind ditching the spacers if that's the way to go, but I would like to avoid going back to square one. I will give another go on trying to make the daystar work in the front if someone seconds that, but it was hellish dealing with that disassembly and trying to force the spacer in with a fully compressed coil, so any alternative solutions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Its been reported on here many of times that daystar will not work/work correctly. The OME lift will need assembled professionally, but will be 10X better than any spacer lift.

 

[JeepinMike]

Yea in retrospect I should have went with OME. But hindsight is always 100%. I am too invested to turn back now I feel, and I do like the Monroe shocks they seem pretty decent, if there are any solutions to just get things more level without starting over, I'd like to give that a shot first. Thanks.

 

[Doing10to20]

Yea in retrospect I should have went with OME. But hindsight is always 100%. I am too invested to turn back now I feel, and I do like the Monroe shocks they seem pretty decent, if there are any solutions to just get things more level without starting over, I'd like to give that a shot first. Thanks.

Spacers not the best way to go honestly..but once you get them on there and get it aligned you'll be ok, I ran the daystar for a few years before i upgraded to a full suspension and it worked for what it was..you might find that the monroes bounce around alot. Like I said once you get it figured out ,the spacers arent that bad

 

[JeepinMike]

Yea starting to seem like that's the consensus lol, but hey I'll work with what I got and if it aint the best ride for now so be it. Would you think dropping down to 2" spaces in the front instead of the 2.5", and adding the suspension coil isolators on top in the back (52088707AA) would balance the current 3" difference front to back? Really appreciate the help. Thanks.

 

[Doing10to20]

Yea starting to seem like that's the consensus lol, but hey I'll work with what I got and if it aint the best ride for now so be it. Would you think dropping down to 2" spaces in the front instead of the 2.5", and adding the suspension coil isolators on top in the back (52088707AA) would balance the current 3" difference front to back? Really appreciate the help. Thanks.

Did you replace the springs and shocks all that's new? If you did that's where the added height could be coming from and it will need to settle a bit...if you just went stock replacement they should settle quickly as you'll read the stock stuff is soft and drops height quick..the 2 top isolators in the back will help level it,but you could end up with a racked look after the front settles. The ride on spacers wont be horrible but it will add stress on other parts that may fail, like I said I drove on spacers and offroad the hell out the jeep and never had issues..so on that end you'll be fine,but getting everything to jive can sometimes be an issue when first installing all new suspension parts with the spacers

 

[JeepinMike]

Yes all that is new. All Monroe

 

[JeepinMike]

Thanks, I didn't catch the second part of what you wrote on my mobile. Good to know it will settle more, I'll throw in the rear top isolators and give it some time. If it still doesn't come down enough I'll drop to the 2" spacers up front which might be better anyways since it's a bit extreme at the moment, and I can't imagine settling alone will bring it down to where I'd like it. Really appreciate your help, easier to learn from others experience than my own mistakes. Cheers.

 

[tommudd]

Align it before doing anything else that will bring it down
hopefully you have not tightened the bolts on the UCAs yet, need full weight on them before you do
And as everyone else has stated spacers are the worst, have removed many sets to do a real lift ( OME springs etc )
stock springs were bad from the factory , only rated at 310 lb where they should of been at least 340-350 lb
against my better judgement and warning the customer I installed a full Monroe setup
after a week, removed it and installed a full OME lift since the customer was not happy with the ride or handling at all
( of course I warned him, plus he had rode in one that I lifted for another person before with OME )

 

[mercdudecbr600]

I think, if I’m not mistaken, the spacers at the top actually double the height you achieve. So 2.5 spacer = 5” lift. That might be your issue. I know there’s a thread on here that talks about installing a small 1/2” spacer up front and how that will give you about 1”. Which is what I did on my kJ and that’s about what I gained. I don’t understand the geometry but that’s my vote.

 

[tommudd]

I think, if I’m not mistaken, the spacers at the top actually double the height you achieve. So 2.5 spacer = 5” lift. That might be your issue. I know there’s a thread on here that talks about installing a small 1/2” spacer up front and how that will give you about 1”. Which is what I did on my kJ and that’s about what I gained. I don’t understand the geometry but that’s my vote.

wrong, you are confusing folks now
Boughten spacer kits do not double the amount of lift, if they state 2.5 inches of lift, that is what you get
if you install a 1/4 inch clevis lift for example you get 1/2 inch though

 

[mercdudecbr600]

Ok gotcha, that’s what it was. Thanks for clarifying

 

[JeepinMike]

Thanks for your input guys, huge help. @tommudd do you guys give idiot trophies on here? I'm going for high score. I did not drop the jeep before tightening the UCA's. Just did that and gained an inch. Now I'm at roughly 36 1/4" up front to the fender and 34" 1/4" in the rear. So a 2" difference vs. 3" and things are looking much better. After taking into consideration the multiple recommendations on the OME kits, and letting that sick feeling in my stomach that I messed up big subside, I decided since everything is already installed now I will ride around on it for a while and see how bad it is. Quite possibly will end up just biting the bullet and doing it the right way with the OME, but might as well give what I have going now a shot since it can't be returned. I am going to go get my tires (Cooper Discoverer A/T 245/75R16), taking it to the shop for alignment, then seeing where I'm at. If the front isn't brought down much I will throw the rear upper isolators in to raise the rear and get it level. From there...well...I'll keep you guys updated. thanks again for the input.

 

[tommudd]

Thanks for your input guys, huge help. @tommudd do you guys give idiot trophies on here? I'm going for high score. I did not drop the jeep before tightening the UCA's. Just did that and gained an inch. Now I'm at roughly 36 1/4" up front to the fender and 34" 1/4" in the rear. So a 2" difference vs. 3" and things are looking much better. After taking into consideration the multiple recommendations on the OME kits, and letting that sick feeling in my stomach that I messed up big subside, I decided since everything is already installed now I will ride around on it for a while and see how bad it is. Quite possibly will end up just biting the bullet and doing it the right way with the OME, but might as well give what I have going now a shot since it can't be returned. I am going to go get my tires (Cooper Discoverer A/T 245/75R16), taking it to the shop for alignment, then seeing where I'm at. If the front isn't brought down much I will throw the rear upper isolators in to raise the rear and get it level. From there...well...I'll keep you guys updated. thanks again for the input.

You are measuring wrong, the measurements you give us mean nothing at all
Measure middle of the wheel ( hub ) to bottom of the flare on level ground, left front
that will give you a true reading of the height taking , tire size , etc out of the measurements
After April 12, 2002 that measurement new factory was 19 inches
As far as other things go, its all a process that we all learned along the way
alignment will bring it down another 1/2-3/4 inch, then after a 100 miles or so , getting everything settled in and another alignment that should bring it down to level
with 245-75-16s you will lose a few miles per gallon and some power if you do not regear but a lot do it anyways

and your trophy/award is on the way LOL

 

[mercdudecbr600]

wrong, you are confusing folks now
Boughten spacer kits do not double the amount of lift, if they state 2.5 inches of lift, that is what you get
if you install a 1/4 inch clevis lift for example you get 1/2 inch though

So what I was thinking was clevis lift and top plate lift. Which has been said on this forum multiple times that it doubles the lift of the spacer. But honestly I don’t understand how a top plate spacer lift is any different than what the op is doing considering the spacer sits on top of the spring.

Tom can you educate me?

 

[JeepinMike]

Thanks @tommudd. Correct measurements are 23" in the front and 21" in the back, which makes sense, still 2" difference front-to-back. Which I guess would mean I currently stand at 4" of lift in the front (above factory 19") making sense of why everything looked so maxed out before loosening the UCA's when it was up even higher. Yea I figured I would lose some mileage/power with the bigger tires as I'm not planning on regearing at the moment. Can't be any worse than the 33's I put on my '91 YJ without regearing which was interesting. I never learn my lesson, hence the idiot awards. Thanks for your patience and insight. Will update once I get the tires/ alignment and drive around for a while.

 

[Jack Bryant]

Im

Align it before doing anything else that will bring it down
hopefully you have not tightened the bolts on the UCAs yet, need full weight on them before you do
And as everyone else has stated spacers are the worst, have removed many sets to do a real lift ( OME springs etc )
stock springs were bad from the factory , only rated at 310 lb where they should of been at least 340-350 lb
against my better judgement and warning the customer I installed a full Monroe setup
after a week, removed it and installed a full OME lift since the customer was not happy with the ride or handling at all
( of course I warned him, plus he had rode in one that I lifted for another person before with OME )

Wondering how long it took to get Luca from JBA I'm on my 18th day and still waiting.

 

[JeepinMike]

I got my UCA's really quickly from them. Ordered on a Thursday night, got them on Tuesday. Not sure what the holdup would be, contact them they reply quickly. Mine were packed better than any other parts I've ordered from many companies over the years, and built solid with nice features like the additional grease points. I wam very happy with my purchase from them, and even if I ditch everything else in my lift kit install, those are staying. They seem to really care about the quality of their products and customer support, a rarity these days to say the least.