JBA LIFTS

[tommudd]

JeepinByAl will be phasing out the KJ adjustable coilover lifts it seems due to their spring manufacturer not being able to find good quality wire to produce the springs.
Still will making the UCAs etc , no worries there , but also Jeep is discontinuing a lot of KJ parts for the suspension as well
So keep that in mind

Seems to me in a few short years it will be time to leave Jeep after over 40 years of owning them and going elsewhere!

 

[JasonJ]

Hmm.. might be time to start transitioning over to being a Toyota offroad vehicle owner... I do like the Tacoma, 4Runner and Highlander...

 

[first&lastKJ]

Keeping our two as long as I can keep them running and driving.

 

[jeeper03]

To bad as I currently have three of my KJs set up with his adjustable coilovers. Does this mean replacement parts will be impossible to get in the near future?

 

[first&lastKJ]

JBA website shows out of stock on the coilovers as well as all the lift kit packages that use them.

 

[randymorris]

Sad day indeed. I was looking at those for a couple years down the road when I wanted to go up to a 4 inch lift.

 

[tommudd]

Sad day indeed. I was looking at those for a couple years down the road when I wanted to go up to a 4 inch lift.

No more 4 inch lifts, since you can't go that high with OME etc

 

[randymorris]

No more 4 inch lifts, since you can't go that high with OME etc

So I’ll revise my down the road plan to 3.5” lift in a few years. Have some goals to hit before I do more work on the truck outside of wheels, and regearing, lift, and bumper are all down the road upgrades.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

*****. But won't stop me from keeping the KJ or abandoning Jeep. Got something else in the works so the Liberty will have another buddy some time!

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Which parts is Jeep discontinuing?

 

[tommudd]

Which parts is Jeep discontinuing?

Coilover lifts for one, all of them, having a hard time finding the coil for springs I guess
and then Jeep is discontinuing many products for the KJ so it will all have to be aftermarket from now on

 

[Sometimes_I_Jeep]

Well, there goes my plan for lifting. Contacted Marlin and he gave me the bad news also. Crap!
Alright, Tom. What would you suggest we do then? Who makes a lift kit for KJ that compares to JBA.
I had my eyes set on the JBA tommudd eco kit, it was exactly what I was looking for.

Super bummed...

 

[tommudd]

Well, there goes my plan for lifting. Contacted Marlin and he gave me the bad news also. Crap!
Alright, Tom. What would you suggest we do then? Who makes a lift kit for KJ that compares to JBA.
I had my eyes set on the JBA tommudd eco kit, it was exactly what I was looking for.

Super bummed...

Just adjustable coilover and his springs
Just do like we used to all do, OME springs and shocks, ( 927 front/948 rear )
Add top plate in front and one extra upper iso each side in the rear for 3 inches , if you want to push it add two isos in rear and another 1/4 inch clevis for 3.5 inches as long as you go with the JBA arms

 

[first&lastKJ]

CB Engineering makes some that look very close to the JBA's Adjust-A-Strut Coilover.

 

[tommudd]

sort of

 

[Apex]

Talk about a punch in the happy place, huh? I’m glad I wasn’t halfway through buying parts for my next build, but it still ***** that I’ve already invested a good bit in gift cards at JBA (my way of saving).

The spring steel was the issue though? The email over the weekend talks about how far behind they are on UCA production. They’ve abandoned the flagship vehicle on which the company was built to produce what the majority want, which makes perfect business sense. Way more people have other IFS vehicles that are non-KJ than those that do. Way more.

I never understood the pricing on some of those lift kits though, they definitely didn’t add up. A la carte pricing painted a much different, way cheaper picture. I’ve already said my peace on those JBA front struts too, same issue. I’m pretty bummed overall just like everyone else, I was planning to give Marlin a lot of money. Well before this though, I should have known it was coming. I asked multiple times for quotes and they were either too busy for custom orders, too behind on GD UCAs, or he’d just stop responding lol.

The only options for going above OME+spacers are SFA swap or JBA style long arm custom work. Can’t get over that magic 4” IFS barrier without doing a cradle drop. Another funny thing is that, if I remember correctly, that KK long arm build cost that Texas dude 10-12k USD right? Why did Marlin want 100 grand to do one on a KJ per the blog on their site? Maybe that 10-12k on the KK build was just for parts, but that’s not the way I remember it.

Has anyone figured out those ORIs on the KJ yet? I haven’t researched the lengths needed yet. More UCA clearance. Gotta build a strut fork and top bracket. The back is a different story, going to have to do something along the lines of what Troy did on his with the custom mounts, and might as well ditch the 8.25 for a steel case D60 To make welding a lot easier. It’s a shame too because the 8.25 is a good axle, XJ owners run ‘em hard with big tires to boot.

I’m about done with the IFS after this though, hard to get the wind back in your sails after such a bad hit. Time to join the SFA 1% I think.

 

[Sometimes_I_Jeep]

Just adjustable coilover and his springs
Just do like we used to all do, OME springs and shocks, ( 927 front/948 rear )
Add top plate in front and one extra upper iso each side in the rear for 3 inches , if you want to push it add two isos in rear and another 1/4 inch clevis for 3.5 inches as long as you go with the JBA arms

Tom, thanks for making this clear. After several hours of research and reading up on components and how these items all come together on the vehicle for both front and back, I feel like I have a better understanding on them so I've put together a list w/hyperlinks of what I believe is Tom's Econo 3.5" with a few add'l items, but al a carte. I hope this useful to others that are just lost, like I was/am, about where to begin with lifting a KJ THE RIGHT WAY!

Tom please feel free to chime in with your sword of corrections.


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JBA Upper Control Arms (UCAs) (Sold as Pair)

OME 90009 Strut (Front)

OME 2927 Springs (Front) (Sold as Pair)

OME 2948 Springs (Rear) (Sold as Pair)

OME Long Travel Shocks (Rear)

JBA Rear Upper Isolator (Rear)

JBA Rear Lower Isolator (Rear)

JBA Clevis Spacers (Front) (Sold as Pair)

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Tom is correct. Read up on parts and what others are saying on here or elsewhere. Talk with your fellow KJ owners and get a solid idea of what you want to do, but more importantly, what is the ideal and suggested method.

Oh and don't forget to ADDRESS THAT DAMN PINCH WELD!

 

[tommudd]

LOL , yes you are close to what the original version was like, then things got switched around, 4 inch JBA springs were used making for a nose down attitude, Others things were changed from the original but Oh well, you are pretty much right on
I would also add Teraflex front bumpstops to the list, plus 2 per side hockey pucks bolted down th the lower spring perch.
Then since you are adding a spacer in front, would also need an extra isolater per side in the rear ( upper , making two uppers per side)

 

[wheeee32]

Are the adjustable coilovers for the front and adjustable rears going to be back in stock for a little bit or are they gone for good now? I'd grab a full set if he has any left.

 

[tommudd]

Are the adjustable coilovers for the front and adjustable rears going to be back in stock for a little bit or are they gone for good now? I'd grab a full set if he has any left.

gone