king springs

[bazzybtec]

Hi All

now i seem to be over the annoying electrical issues (at this point) and am happy with the performance of my grand cherokee. one of my friends have said i should put a set of king springs in to give it about 40mm lift,

It looks like there is little to do to the car to fit these (the shocks i have in there now are compatible with a 2" lift.

from what i have seen i will need to adjust the connection to the power steering to make it longer and also need to change the length of the panard rod.

these look adjustable.

Is there anything else that needs to be done to make perform this lift?

Also does anyone know if it is possible to do the job without spring compressors? as i have heard they are extremely dangerous. can the axle drop down far enough when the stabaliser bar and the shock is disconnected to allow for the spring to just come out and just put the new one in?

Regards

Barry

PS reason i want to do this is i intend to take this car on a road trip and do some 4x4 driving mid year and i have been told jeeps are not really that good offroad as they do not have the necessary clearance.

[ZG Doug]

Hey Barry, mate a 2" spruce up is a pretty easy kit to throw into the car like you said without many mods and like you said you already have the shocks covered. Yes you will need to adjust the steering draglink once lifted which can be done by yourself for a pretty close alignment or otherwise just roll it past a tyre shop for them to carry out a complete alignment as they may also adjust pinion angle of the front diff a little also.
Is your front panhard rod adjustable?? Only because the factory ones weren't and lucky for you it may of been replaced/ upgraded. Just check at the end of the rod that connects to the drivers side of front chassis and see if there looks like an adjustable tie rod end there but at 2" they seem to sit ok factory length same with the rear panhard rod.

Lastly yes the spring compressors are safe to use if you are not reckless with them and use them correctly. Been using them for 15years and have never had a drama. Unfortunately you can't remove/ install the springs without the help of them as the top bumpstop mounts prevent the springs been removed from the front. Rears are OK to get out but with the new raised set, you will need to compress a little bud to get them back in.
They are a pretty bulletproof 4wd when they are running good mate. I have done a lot of mods to make mine how I want it and I only use it for driving on the beach and sand dunes over here in w.a and I love it, the 2" is a good starting point to helping you out whilst your touring and playing around and shouldn't cause you any hassles mate.
Cheers Doug

[ruffy01]

I haven't owned a ZJ but XJ and WG/J front springs can be done without a spring compressor.
Disconnecting upper control arms is usually all that needs to be done to lower the diff enough. If that's not enough then disconnect the trackbar (panhard) too.
I fitted 4.5" springs to my XJ with no compressor and the XJ has the bumpstops to contend with also. The WJ bumpstops are inboard on the 'chassis' rail which makes it a bit easier.

Are ZJ lower arms shimmed like the XJ for adjustment of pinion angle/castor?
The WJ isn't, unfortunately needs adjustable arms.

Cheers,
Ruffy.

[bazzybtec]

It appears my panhard rod was replaced on the car before i purchased it, it is still fairly new, there is an adjustable tie rod on the end of it,

[ZG Doug]

Hey Barry, that's a win with the front panhard rod, once you lift the car just check how much the front diff has slid to one side and if it has you just simple adjust the front panhard rod to (re-centre) the diff back to the middle of the car.
As Ruffy as said there are other ways to do the springs without the use of compressors but just means some things will have to be removed and reconnected.
P.s the front pinion is adjustable with lower control arm bolt which have an eccentric cam that will give you about 45degree to play with factory and there are marking lines on the diff so you can set both arms equally. No shims needed

[drover]

I think all I had to do with mine was pop one end of the panhard rod and the springs just pushed in with the axle dropped down on that side........had the ZG up on hoist to make it easier, pull down on axle and reef the damn things out.......

[bleetnblurt]

Originally Posted by bazzybtec

Hi All

now i seem to be over the annoying electrical issues (at this point) and am happy with the performance of my grand cherokee. one of my friends have said i should put a set of king springs in to give it about 40mm lift,

It looks like there is little to do to the car to fit these (the shocks i have in there now are compatible with a 2" lift.

from what i have seen i will need to adjust the connection to the power steering to make it longer and also need to change the length of the panard rod.

these look adjustable.

Is there anything else that needs to be done to make perform this lift?

Also does anyone know if it is possible to do the job without spring compressors? as i have heard they are extremely dangerous. can the axle drop down far enough when the stabaliser bar and the shock is disconnected to allow for the spring to just come out and just put the new one in?

Regards

Barry

PS reason i want to do this is i intend to take this car on a road trip and do some 4x4 driving mid year and i have been told jeeps are not really that good offroad as they do not have the necessary clearance.

the king springs I had didn't need all of that BUT what it does do is give the whole car a stiffer ride I have a complete set of kings , with rear air bags in the back springs (poly air bags) you will need to lift the jeep (by chassis) real high , and take the wheel off and drop the diff by trolly jack , the shockie gets undone and the sway bar link .
if you would like the springs I got with the air bags PM me , as I do not need them for the car is going to be sold .