so here's what i've got in mind...
 

at the beginning of last summer, i bought a 99 WJ fully loaded for $2000 cert/e-tested. it has the 4.0L inline 6 out of an '03 that only had 50,000km on it.

all i have done so far is let it breathe a little easier with a K&N filter and a Poweraid TBS.

after doing some research over the last few months, i think i have come to a few decisions regarding this vehicle...

the plan is...
HID lights in factory fog light housings (got 'em for free, lol)

3.5" complete lift kit from rocky road outfitters using OME components
(Jeep WJ Grand Cherokee lift kit - best ride quality on the market)

a set of bridgestone dueler RVT P265/75 R-16's

https://www.jeepscanada.com/attachme...ine=1365293542

ARB bull bumper with winch (view at rocky road link above)
front and rear airlockers from ARB
some superslider rock rails (might make my own, i'm pretty handy with a welder)
custom cargo basket for the roof (again, i'll likely make my own)

and since i usually have the wife and the dog along, i'll likely get one of those tents that attach to the WJ's lift gate.

does anyone have any input regarding these products?

so far it looks like the lift will be about $1000 by the time i get it here, the tires are like $170 each, the bumper/winch combo will be about $1200 and the tent is about $400. i haven't priced the rest of the parts yet.

while nothing is ever cast in stone, this is what i am hoping to accomplish this year. i may have to make some sacrifices to keep things within my budget, but i think if i make the things i can, i should be alright.

i would love to hear any personal experiences or opinions regarding any of these parts...

hey, i'm here to learn! ;D

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

If you're competent with a welder you can save yourself a fortune on parts, and you can make them to exactly fit your requirements. Look around on sites like this one in the for sale section, you can sometimes find exactly what you're looking for at a great saving, buyer beware though. If you start a build thread with pictures it helps with accumulating knowledge and will sometimes help you in finding parts. Whenever you are pricing what a certain mod will cost, don't forget the small stuff, it adds up.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

good advice, oldfart...

Thanks!

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

I would look into Rocky Road's reputation. Search jeep forums and you will find some horror stories, mostly about items taking months to ship out and no customer service. But also that the kits are incomplete. Although I have a rcx 4" kit which was also incomplete for the same price (no adjustable upper arms , needed a jks trackbar and jks discos because the ones that came with it are garbage.

My main beef is how there website talks up their products like they are something special or different while slamming the competition. OME stuff can be bought elsewhere. A lot of people on Jeepforum.com go through kolak@aol.com to get ome lifts.

Regardless of what kit u choose, look into the need for a t case drop. All the kits have em but lotsa people find they don't need it. My jeep came with one and im planning to remove it. Actually tilts the driveline back resulting in better angles in the rear and worse up front. I will be installing adjustable rear lowers and front uppers and see if i can ditch the ugly t case drop which is stealing an inch of my ground clearance.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

go with IRO iron rock offroad nothing but good things i here from and wont brake the bank

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

yeah i have looked into IRO and they do look pretty good, but i changed my mind and will be ordering the Rough Country 4" lift kit. the only difference between the RC 4" lift and the RC 4" X-series lift is an adjustable front track bar and fully rebuildable front lower control arms. the price difference is about $200 which will allow me to buy a set of 5 tires instead of 4

i have also decided to change my tire selection as well...i will be getting goodyear territory 265/75/16's. good looking tire and fairly affordable.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

update- well, i have now been waiting 5 weeks and counting to receive my lift kit. the latest excuse i have heard is that RC is waiting on a shipment of bushings before they can fill my order.

this seems like a helluva long wait, has anyone else had similar problems when ordering lifts, etc?

ps- after further comparison i have also reconsidered my tire selection as well... i will still be getting goodyear wranglers, but instead of getting the territory model for approx. $280 @ canadian tire, i think the authority model is the better deal... they are available from walmart for approx $235/ea for 265/75/R16's including installation.
balancing and gov't BS extra.
a set of 4 w/inst., balancing, and gov't theft (tax) comes to just over $1100. doesn't seem like a bad deal to me. any thoughts?

...i know, i know... i seem to be having trouble selecting tires, lol... there are just WAY too many options, makes it hard to choose...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

See if you can pawn that junk throttle body spacer off on someone, take the money and spend it on something useful like a cat-back exhaust or header. TBSes have been busted time and time again as being a shiny waste of cash.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

i kept a very close eye on my fuel consumption, range, etc. prior to and after installing the tbs. what it boils down to is approx 400km to a tank of fuel, mixed city/hwy prior to installation, and 450 - 500km to the tank afterwards and that includes pulling a 12' enclosed trailer a few days a week. the savings may be small, but add up over time. i put the tbs on at the beginning of the year, and it's paid for itself already. and thats just running regular gas... just last week i filled up with hi test, i've driven almost 350km so far, and i still have just over 3/8's showing on the gauge. milage improves greatly on the highway, cruising at approx 100kmh i get 7.5L/100km which is only .5L worse than what they got brand new, 13 years ago.

i think i'll hang on to that throttle body spacer, thanks.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

still waiting for my lift...it'll be 6 weeks on monday...

finally got overdrive automotive to email me the tracking number, and it turns out to be a tracking number for a package shipped in august of last year.

i am officially NOT A HAPPY CUSTOMER.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

Not knowing where/who you ordered this lift kit from but I am sure locally or even it it had to come from a Prov .of Que local 4by4 store it would have been at ur door long before this.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

i ordered my lift from overdrive automotive in peterborough ontario.
the store is literally 6 blocks from my house...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

update--

contacted overdrive today to see how things were progressing and apparently my lift kit is at the border today, and should arrive sometime tomorrow.

that makes it........7 and a half weeks! according to the manager of overdrive, if it wasn't for the price point on rough country lifts he would never order anything again from them. he is waiting on them to ship 2 other lifts besides mine.

if i had known there was going to be this kind of delay from rough country i would have ordered a lift from another manufacturer...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

update--

apparently UPS tried to deliver the lift to overdrive friday after 5 and didn't leave a tag or anything for them so the manager of overdrive had to get them to track it down to whatever depot it was at. it is now more than 2 months and i am still waiting. this has been the biggest nightmare ordering this lift. while i understand that overdrive has no control over delivery times, etc., the level of customer service i have received from them has been almost nonexistant. if it weren't for me calling every other day i would not have any clue as to what was happening with my order, despite the manager promising again and again that he would get back to me with updates regarding my lift.

i have learned two very important lessons so far... first, i'll never buy another rough country lift again because they have proven themselves to be so inept they could probably screw up the lord's prayer, and secondly once my lift is in my hands, overdrive automotive will never see another dime of my money. i only pray this is not par for the course when trying to order parts from other stores...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

update-- another day, another phone call, another excuse...

i'm having trouble deciding who takes the prize for the biggest screw-up in this fiasco but apparently UPS sent my lift to their depot in mississauga when they couldn't deliver it last friday. this seems pretty stupid to me since there is a UPS depot right here in peterborough, but what do i know...

latest word is that the lift is scheduled for delivery tomorrow (thurs) between 8 & 5pm.

i told the manager of overdrive that i will be in his store at 4:45pm tomorrow and he needs to have either my lift or my money ready to go when i get there. this experience has soured me so much i am ready to say f*ck it and forget the whole thing...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

...ok...

delivery thursday didn't happen, i went in to talk to the manager and he said it was due by 5pm that day (thurs), and that he was willing at this point to order me a different lift and tell rough country to piss off forever. i told him that iron rock offroad has a 4" kit but it was more expensive ($650 as opposed to $599 for the RC lift). he said at this point he didn't care, he was willing to give it to me for the $599 price just to make me happy. i said give UPS till the end of the day and if it doesn't show, order the IRO 4" kit. Below are the links for both kits if anyone wants to compare them...

rough country 4" lift for '99 WJ --

Jeep WJ Suspension Lift

https://www.jeepscanada.com/attachme...ine=1376156892

**please note their website states they ship the same day. don't believe it, mine took them roughly 7 weeks to ship, then they screwed up the tracking number. (see earlier update above)

Iron Rock Offroad 4" lift for '99 WJ --

IRON ROCK OFF ROAD: WJ 4" Lift Kit

https://www.jeepscanada.com/attachme...ine=1376156892

looks like the biggest difference is the heavy duty adjustable front track bar. it's made from cold rolled 1.25" steel with fine thread adjustments. also note that it lacks the relocation brackets for the rear shocks that come with the RC one. seems to me like IRO may be the better kit. hopefully this one doesn't take 9 weeks to get here...

also, it is important to note that the IRO site states that this kit allows for 265/75/16's but they recommend upgrading shocks to avoid trimming. yet the installation instruction don't mention it.RC doesn't mention having to trim anything... anyone shed some light on this?
...stay tuned... lol

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

since i've been waiting for my lift, i've had more time to look for tires. i stopped at a local tire shop and found these...

https://www.jeepscanada.com/attachme...ine=1376191404

265/75/16's trail guide AP's by vanderbilt tire, 10 ply all terrains.

local tire guy has city contract and puts these on all the city work trucks, as well as all the OPP trucks in our local detachment. i can get a set of 4 installed with taxes for $735.36 and he can have them in shop the next day.

seems like a pretty good deal, for that price it's worth taking a chance on. i can't go with a full-on, off road tire because its my DD and i don't want too much road noise. these may be a good affordable compromise... i'll post a review of them after a couple of fishing trips this fall...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

--update--

well, still waiting...
over the last few days a couple of things have happened. UPS apparently handles the shipping in the US, then passes it off to DHL for delivery once it clears the border. my lift has been sitting in Toronto for several days due to a hold that UPS had placed on it pending payment of a $21 they claim my parts guy has owed them for 90 days. the punchline is that my guy has no account with UPS and pays with CC every time they deliver, therefor it's not possible for him to accrue an outstanding balance.

it took him about 2 hours yesterday to find out what the problem was and get the whole thing straightened out. UPS removed the hold and cleared my lift for delivery just before 4 pm thursday. unfortunately it didn't make it here today, but should at least be on a damn truck by now... we'll have to see what monday brings.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

it's been awhile since i updated this thread, so here goes...

I AM STILL WAITING FOR MY F**KING LIFT!!

this whole ordeal is now bordering on the insane! i simply can't believe that it has taken this long to ship a frikkin lift kit!! according to my guy this afternoon, it has taken "a few days" for the hold to be cleared, and the lift has been put on a truck today. he received an email with a tracking number this afternoon confirming this. he was supposed to forward that tracking number to me, and has yet to do so. by the time he gets around to it, the damn thing will be here already!

it has now taken just under 15 WEEKS and i am the very definition of frustrated. i am trying to maintain my composure and keep calm, but i am very, very near my limit. i hope that my lift arrives before i reach that point and all hell breaks loose...

...stay tuned...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

...well, the saga continues...

the IRO lift was supposed to be on a truck three different times since my last update. DHL promised it would be delivered over a week ago, it never made it. after numerous phone calls to their office, and being handed more excuses, we found out yesterday that it had sat in their warehouse too long and was sent back to it's place of origin.

so my parts guy gets on the phone with the GM of rough country and explained everything that has happened since i first placed my order (which seems like forever ago) and the GM said he would personally make sure i got my lift.

today i got an email with a copy of the invoice, including tracking numbers that show the lift has indeed been shipped, is "on time" and scheduled to be delivered by end of day monday, the 21st.

so to summarize, i am now getting the RC 4" lift that i originally wanted, and for all the trouble, i have nothing further to pay. i put $400 on it in the beginning, and my parts guy said he will eat the difference. so i save $277.00

i am looking forward to finally getting this resolved. at this point, i would be happy with ANY lift. this nightmare has caused me a ton of stress and i will be one very happy camper when it gets installed.

...you know, i bet a day at the shooting range would make me feel a whole lot better...
:thumbsup:

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

I hope it finally does arrive, this is totally rediculous. Hope it doesn't get stuck at the border.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

it's in buffalo right now, has been cleared by customs, and is still on time.

monday seems like a very long way away right now, lol...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

IT'S A FRIGGIN' MIRACLE!!!

I FINALLY GOT MY LIFT!!! I'M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW I COULD JUST ABOUT ---- MYSELF!!

now i need to get it in to the shop and have everything installed, will post pics asap...

stay tuned!:smokin::biggrin::beerchug:

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

Woo Hoo, unbelievable, don't forget to spray all the relevent nuts and bolts before you take it in. You will save them time which will save you money.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

thanks again for the tip, oldfart! will do!

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

took the lift over to my mechanic's today, looked everything over and have booked Nov. 1st for the install. if all the planets are aligned and God willing, it will go right from there to the tire shop.

worst case scenario i have to wait till the following payday to get tires installed, but since i currently have 245/75/16's there is really only about 1 1/2" difference in tire height. i can live with that for a week if need be...


...my mechanic's biggest concern is getting the bolt free of the track bar. i hope everything goes smoothly...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

OH HAPPY DAY!!!!!


my lift is now installed, took my mechanic 10 hrs to complete. wound up costing me a whopping $650. the biggest problem we encountered was the pitman arm. the factory one was seized and took over an hour to remove. he didn't want to heat it too much for fear of screwing up the rubber seal on the steering box. had a couple of other issues, but minor...

all in all, it looks great, rides better than it did before, and doesn't feel like a car anymore, lol!

will post pics asap.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

Glad to hear you finally got it installed. them pitman arms can be a real pig to remove. I broke a pitman arm puller on mr whites jeep when we installed his lift, eventually cut it off. If you don't post the pictures before chat night we'll bug you all night about it.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

damn it, ok...ok!

give me some time to get the "after" pics up... i have to recharge my camera battery.

i haven't bothered putting the rough country stickers on... might not even bother after all the BS i went thru getting it.

still have to get new tires, have to wait till next payday... another week. first things first, i need an alignment badly. steering wheel points to 11 o'clock when driving straight, and have some slight grinding noises...sounds like the driver's front wheel bearing to me... that's the one i haven't replaced yet... i hope this doesn't turn into another nightmare...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

ok...

1st pic - is my 99 WJ (same as my old avatar). bone stock.
2nd pic - measurement from ground to top of front fender opening.
3rd pic - measurement from ground to top of rear fender opening.

...i will also gain almost another inch once i get my new tires on...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

here's the after pics....

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

...and here's before and after taken from similar location/angle...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

Finally.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

forgot to post the new measurement pics...lol

now measures the same front and back... for some reason the upload of the rear fender pic keeps failing...

here's the front measurement pic anyways...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

...so i took trigger back in to my mechanic's today to see if he could figure out what all the noises are caused by and to double check everything on the lift install. according to him, everything was fine with the lift, wheel bearings are fine, upper control arm bushings are fine, driveshafts are fine...

the only real problem he found was that my motor mounts are pooched...driver's mount seems to be the worst of the two. we popped the hood, and i watched the motor while he started it up. there was noticeable shaking/rocking of the motor during start-up (and a bit of knocking).

he then put it in reverse while applying the brakes, gave it a little gas, and the driver's side of the motor rose about an inch. when he put it into drive while applying the brakes and gave it a little gas, the driver's side dipped back down and the passenger side rose, but not as much as the driver's side did.

this would certainly explain a lot of the noises i'm thinking... still needs an alignment though. i'm guessing that will help too.

can any of you guys offer some input on this for me?

also, does anyone know somewhere in ontario/quebec that carries motor mounts for a 99 wj? i need a pair for a decent price asap!

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

If the mounts are the same as the ones on the cherokee, they're not that expensive from the dealer. I've changed a few drivers side mounts on cherokees over the years.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

tech price from the dealer is over $125/each...

my guy @ overdrive automotive ordered me a pair today, total price w/tax is $187.

still looking at about $250 to have them installed... i wish i had a garage, i would try and do it myself...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

after giving it some thought, i have an idea how this problem arose...

i think that being the original mounts, they were already pretty worn being 14 years old, and while it was on the hoist with the front all disconnected, everything shifted to the passenger side, and when he went to connect it all again, he had to use a small snatch block with a chain wrapped around the driver's side motor mount to pull it back into position. i think this put enough extra strain on the mount to make it fail. unfortunately, i don't know if that would be enough to wreck it, and i'm not 100% sure that's where he had the chain, i wasn't underneath with him while he was doing the work... what a mess...

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

They must be different to the xj then, that's some serious coin. They're not difficult to change though on the xj's, I've not looked at the mounts on a wj though so I can't say. last wj I worked on was to drill out a broken spark plug.

Re: so here's what i've got in mind...
 

...ok... motor mounts arrived last friday, my mechanic can't install them 'till wednesday. my parts guy @ overdrive said they could do them for me on tuesday. said i'm looking about $130-$150 for the installation. my guy was thinking more like $200-$250.

so tuesday trigger gets dropped off at overdrive, then they will take it over to get an alignment done on wed. if everything is good, i'll be driving it wed after work.

say a little prayer, folks... this has been a shitty adventure so far, it will be nice to have it back and driveable... fingers crossed

...toes and eyes too, lol