Looking for some direction.

[jumpoffjoe]

Lets not even talk about defenders or the toyota land cruiser GXL Troop, its almost depressing. It is an 07 with the 5.7. I'm assuming it has the Quadra DriveII. I was under the impression that if it had the HEMI it has the Quadra Drive standard similar to the WK outfitted with the diesel? I run duratracs on my YJ and I love them, awesome in that south dakota slush in the spring and fall. So the spacer in the front, and load levelers in the rear. No spacer in the rear? I want some wheel information if any one has any ideas. Psyco, we met on that other forum and you were the only guy that talked with me over there. I appreciate it man.

[Matt]

Hey joe, im typing on my phone right now so this is going to be shorter than id want....

For the lift you're on a good track. You can get the additional strut spacer from JBA.
Front = OME HD springs, OME struts + JBA spacer

For the rear id recommend getting the JBA 4" coil springs. No reason to get the OME springs and try to stack away. I'll be honest im not 100% sure how much lift you'll get from them, but id still get the monroe load leveling shocks, pn 58643, and go from there.

Whats your budget for wheels and what style are you interested in? We'll help you pick out a nice set.

For bumpers, thesteelarmadillo.com is where you want to be. Jon is building my rear bumper now (I hope lol)

I have links on here that shows how to do the pinch weld mod, installing the monroe shocks, etc. Id post them but im on my phone. The first post in my garage thread has all of the links though.

Welcome aboard man. Looking forward to helping you build an awesome Commander!!

[06JeepXKHEMI]

Welcome to TUJ! As Matt said you are headed to the right direction and Id also suggest going with the JBA rear springs 4" to avoid spacer stacking, Ill eventually be going this route.. You may also want to add an adjustable rear track bar, when lifting the axle will be roughly .5" off to drivers side, track bar is cheap $135? As far as wheels, let Matt and Adam help you with this I get confused to and it can be frustrating, but they seem to have a great grasp on this! Im running 265/70 Goodyear MTRs on stock chrome clads but running 1.5" spidertraxx spacers with pinch weld mod done, very easy to do, and Im very pleased with these tires. For MTs their road manners are great and off road, well they are beasts! What type of skid plates did your rig come with, if any? May want to consider those as well to protect the undercarrage..

[jumpoffjoe]

Thanks fellas!

So Matt, the 4" Jeep'n By Al spring and the F150 monroe struts will make this beast level? I only ask because I don't have any clue of the dimensions of the OME HD Spring or the correlating strut.

I have about $7,000 allocated for this project. I figure (roughly) $1,000 for the lift, $3,000 (2) for the bumpers, $2,000 for tires and wheels (5 tires, 5 wheels), $1,000 for the rack and ladder. Then I'm broke.

[Matt]

Depending on how much lift the JBA 4" springs actually provide you may end up with the rear higher than the front. The good news about the monroes is they're less than $100 for a pair. Another shock you might want to consider is the Rancho 9000XL. They're gentle on the budget and you can adjust their damping to stiffen up the ride while towing. If you find that you need a bit more lift in the rear I can make you a set of 1/2" spacers to get a little extra height.

Here's what im thinking your shopping list is like:
Front OME HD springs
Front OME struts
Front strut spacer from JBA
Front control arms from JBA
Rear 4" springs from JBA
Rear shocks- Rancho 9000XL
Rear track bar (if needed... my rear is only 1/4" off)

That entire lift setup, including track bar is about $1500. You can get it down to $1000 by not doing the control arms right away ($450), but id highly recommend putting those new arms on while everything's apart.

[lekmedm]

Depending on how much lift the JBA 4" springs actually provide you may end up with the rear higher than the front. The good news about the monroes is they're less than $100 for a pair. Another shock you might want to consider is the Rancho 9000XL. They're gentle on the budget and you can adjust their damping to stiffen up the ride while towing. If you find that you need a bit more lift in the rear I can make you a set of 1/2" spacers to get a little extra height.

Here's what im thinking your shopping list is like:
Front OME HD springs
Front OME struts
Front strut spacer from JBA
Front control arms from JBA
Rear 4" springs from JBA
Rear shocks- Rancho 9000XL
Rear track bar (if needed... my rear is only 1/4" off)

That entire lift setup, including track bar is about $1500. You can get it down to $1000 by not doing the control arms right away ($450), but id highly recommend putting those new arms on while everything's apart.

So I'm curious... For the price, what's the advantage of the set you put together over the SuperLift that's $1550 on the Steel Armadillo site?

[Matt]

So I'm curious... For the price, what's the advantage of the set you put together over the SuperLift that's $1550 on the Steel Armadillo site?

Technically, not much.... except some things that add to the price of the superlift that aren't included:
1) Installation. Not many guys can install the superlift in their garage with basic tools.
2) Superlift utilizes stock front springs/struts. Add $260 to the price of the superlift for at least an equivalent strut upgrade.
3) Depending on use, I'd also upgrade the standard rear superlift shocks... another $200 addition
4) The JBA UCA's were a significant part of that $1500... Id still like upgraded UCA's with the superlift.
5) Add in the EGR to the superlift to keep the traction control system happy adds another $300?

So basically, its complicated. After what most would pay for installation fee's and to get decent shocks/struts in the process, the superlift is closer to $2500.

I'd still prefer the superlift. But when someones budget is $1000 and only looking for a 32" tire size.... stretching that to $1500 for a few nice upgrades seems a bit more feasible lol.

[jumpoffjoe]

I'll have access to a shop, hoist, my mechanic buddy, and his tools! However, this rig will be the long vacation vehicle. I need it lifted with tires for the ranch roads and bad weather out here. I also don't want to worry about the less traveled FS roads when I head out fishing. This thing doesn't need to be dry hoping on rocks. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure I'll find myself in places that will test it and my capabilities, it just won't be a monthly practice. As Matt stated, money is an issue if I do chase the bumpers. Really, I need the front bumper for the deer, the back bumper will allow me to put the ladder to the rack. In my experience, if you can't stand on the rack you can't really use it.

Am I wrong in thinking that steel armadillo doesn't offer a rear bumper? The front offers a a better approach angle but I gotta say it shows all the guts from the side view and I like the look of the full wrap around. The more obtuse and old school the better for me, thats why I like the commander in the first place. Matt, I like the list! Now on to wheels! Thanks for help guys!

Joe

[Matt]

Jon can clarify the current bumper situation.... but basically he switched welders recently so he needs to work out the bumper design/manufacturing with the new guy. Im probably going to be his guinea pig.

He's also revamping the front bumper so you may want to hold off to see how that comes out.

For wheels, what styles do you like? Black, chrome, polished?

[jumpoffjoe]

Matt, I'm going to order the lift components tomorrow. I know we discussed the Rancho struts for the rear. I noticed that you questioned if I would need additional lift in the rear. I'm curious if you think the monroe load leveler struts would give the extra boost over the Rancho struts? And are the JBA front strut spacers the 1/4 " ones?