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[AlasdairDavis]

Hi guys,

I've been doing a lot of looking for lift kits for my Jeep (98 XJ 4.0 Litre) and it all seems like pretty expensive stuff! I was looking at body lifts but I was told you can't body lift a Cherokee like mine, is this the case?

So I've done some research and I'll be looking at nearly £1000 to buy in and have fitted by a professional a full shackle kit, that's only a 3 inch lift as well, I've seen these jacked up 5" and 7". God knows how much that'd cost?!

So basically I am looking for some lifted Cherokee owners to give me the lowdown if at all possible?

It'd be appreciated!

Cheers in advance!

[Bubba]

well we have seen folk pay as much as 1800 quid to have a lift fitted its true but 400 should see the job done asy on a 4 inch kit cant say as to how much for the lift llama is worth askin

[AlasdairDavis]

well we have seen folk pay as much as 1800 quid to have a lift fitted its true but 400 should see the job done asy on a 4 inch kit cant say as to how much for the lift llama is worth askin

I've seen a lot about Llama, I'm guessing they are good due to the raving from follow members. Is that £400 including fitting or is that a DIY job? I'm not a mechanic but I have mechanic friends who could help though.

Cheers for the reply!

[Nosebolt]

that would be DIY m8

[JamesH]

If you want a budget 3" lift then go for one with replacement leaf springs - Rough Country thorugh Llama 4x4 seem to get a good review and I'd guess aroung £500 should get you the kiy.

If you go upmarket it could set you back £1000 for a spangly lift with the extras like disconnects, extended brakes lines, spring shims, nice shocks etc...

I have a 6" long arm kit on my XJ and if you think £1000 is expensive for a lift with labour to fit then forget doing 6" properly.

I have no idea what you should expect to pay for fitting a lift but having done a few myself I'd guess most garages will quote a bit high because it can be a real arse if the bolts start snapping.

[Bubba]

a lot of garages over quote partly to put you off as most places dont fancy the job so they go over board so that if you still say yeas it covers the hastle value of the job
same here fitted a lot of kits over the years and onece you go over 3/4 inch gete dear for the lift and propper fittiing

[Dave69]

3.5" lift from rubicon express will set you back around the £800+ mark. i bought it from FTE as it was less hassle than paying over the odds for shipping from the US. I fitted this myself over a couple of weekends with no rear issues. driveline is std and the rear extended brake line comes with the kit. This kit is an add a leaf pack but this was fitted to a set of new springs of a diesel which give another 1" of lift than the petrol. I have now added 1" front  spacers and 2" rear shackles the jeep now sits at 5" of lift.

with this height of lift you will run into driveline issues as the rear prop is on the limit of it's spline so offroading might be a problem when it articulates but on the road it's "ok". what i have done is fitted the 8.25 axle from a petrol (different gearing to suit larger tyres) which has a longer nose to the rear diff which then pushes the prop back onto the splines. I dont have and driveline vibration issues but this isn't a guarantee for every single jeep.

with high lifts it is recomended (or a necessity) to swap the rear output of the transfer box to a double cardan joint fitment. This requires a bolt on adaptor plate and a new rear prop which can be costly.

as for costs this has probably cost me just over £1000 to do but that is not including any labour as i have done that myself. I still have to source some extended front brakelines which will then add to the cost.


As for a real cost it all depends on what you like and what you want from the jeep along with what tyres you want to have. You can do it cheap but dont make it look like a bodge as that can be costly when it fails or you can pay through the nose i.e 1000's for a pukka setup

Fitting of components is rather straight forward in theory. it's a matter of unbolt and take off then refit the new parts, but that's not taking into account of rusted bolts and what facilities you have. My swap was just done on the driveway of my house with no major issues.

[Orvis99]

I have just lifted my 1999 Orvis 4.0 by 3".  Overall I'm really pleased but it wasn't particularly cheap...

This is what I bought:

Rear 5 leaf springs (Mansfield 4x4 via ebay)   179
Front springs, 4 extended shocks and rear brake line (Rough Country via Llama 4x4)    312
4 BF Goodrich ATs 31"   390
Labour   (still waiting to hear as I haven't had the bill yet!)

I considered doing it myself but I couldn't afford to be without the car if something went wrong so I just got a trusted garage to do it, which they did in a day.  With three inches you apparently need an extended rear brake line and you will definately need new shocks which put the price up quite a bit too.  Talk to Llama 4x4 as they are really helpful and will go through all the options with you.

HTH

[JamesH]

I think that's a pretty good breakdown of normal prices and a 3" lift done right but not overly expensive.

[Dave69]

specialist leisure are known to be expensive on labour charges

[AlasdairDavis]

Thanks for all the responses, that's all really quality info. I don't mind spending £1K or whatever it takes really, my main thought is getting it done right. I've got a number of friends who work as mechanics for audi and they are always willing to help one another, even me! A non mechanic. I just have to pay them back by keeping their computers working!

[Dave69]

nothing wrong with a bit of bartering for work done, it keeps the cost down

[Bubba]

yup bartering is good i always do it got my house painted that way needs doing again now though

[Dave69]

so Ally did the painting then..... what did that cost you

[Bubba]

i did some work on a cj and the owner was skint but was happy to paint the outside of the house

i am always willin to trade fixin for stuff i dont got the cash for

[Dave69]

i just wish more people would realise labour bartering is more effective for most things than money

[battlestarone]

ask for a cash price from the garage,this will knock gordan browns cut off the total,garages like cash,its even better on a friday.

get a price,then ask about cash discount,if they say no,then pay them by cheque to piss them off.

[grayspeed]

My Rough Country 3" lift was £595 from Llama including extended rear brake hose, took about 2 1/2 weeks to be delivered and me and a mate fitted it on a 2 post ramp in about 3 hours. Only thing extra I've done is too extend the bumpstops, took less than an hour and a couple of bits of box.



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