i heard vo-tec does free work..

[92YJCBG]

i heard that vo-tec does free work to cars...i was thinkin about taking it there to do my lift. the only thing is im not sure if i trust kids workin on my jeep that dont know any thing about cars but just go to vo-tec to get out of school. Id do it my self but i have no air tools or welder. I want to go SOA with 3 1/2 leafs with no sway/track bars. You buy the stuff the put it on sorta thing. I know you guys will probley say ..id never take it to vo-tec..but can you? I figured after they do the work cheak over the whole thing with a fine tooth comb. And i heard is the mess up there not lible for anything. thanks guys for hte feed back

[JeepGeneral]

That would be cool if they did but I wouldn't trust them with welding. I would suggest a certified professional, PM Ralphdogg his work is affordable and he may be up to the task, or check out his link in my sig.

[92YJCBG]

ok ill look now..thanks i dont wan tto drop alot of money into it cuz im poor. maybe i could have him weld the perches and heave they lower the t.c.

[92YJCBG]

his site wont load for me ill try again later tonight...

[JeepGeneral]

TC drop is simple, some PB Blaster and 10 bolts. Throw a floor jack under the transmission, remove the bolts, put in spacers and new bolts, then tighten.

I would suggest not going SOA w/ 3.5" leafs, especially if you don't have the money to pay for the Jeep when it rolls over.

[Xplodedin]

spring over works and is reasonable. It wont lift it too high you will be fine. I jus did one and it sits nice. 30 bucks for the perches and about 100 for the drop down. You gotta lengthen your rear drive shaft (front will be fine) you should do a crossmember drop too, to keep the angles down.

[92YJCBG]

ok ...im thinkin 3 1/2 is over kill...i want to clear 33's and have a ton of flex but not go too crazy because its my daily driver to work and collage...cross member that runs acrooss the frame??

[Dr.LowLock]

his site wont load for me ill try again later tonight...

his site is in flash, so if you dont have Adobe Flash Player 9 it wont work.

his # is 724-443-8105 he is in greensburg

[Dr.LowLock]

vo-tech's will do work, like alternators, starters and brakes, but i dont think they will touch anything custom.

[92YJCBG]

does he have a shop?..whats his prises like? i know its sounds nuts but i want to do SOA in a weekend fri to sun to get it back on the road for work

[Xplodedin]

If you are jus goin wit 33's you def dont need the 3 1/2 leafs. a spring over will give about 5'' of lift and you could get 35's wit a little rub if ya wanted

[stillersfan]

actually i went to votech and i would say that having the teacher right there with the kids is the way we had to do things. some of the easier work we were able to do by ourslelves but the harder stuff was over seen. i think that some votech will be willing to do it for the reason that more and more kids are looking to get into custom shops, therefore giving them great experience on something such as a lift is a plus! if you look around (forbes votech) or valley might be willing to take it on. oh and you usually have to donate a small amount or food for the class is a plus.

[limegreentj]

actually i went to votech and i would say that having the teacher right there with the kids is the way we had to do things. some of the easier work we were able to do by ourslelves but the harder stuff was over seen. i think that some votech will be willing to do it for the reason that more and more kids are looking to get into custom shops, therefore giving them great experience on something such as a lift is a plus! if you look around (forbes votech) or valley might be willing to take it on. oh and you usually have to donate a small amount or food for the class is a plus.

no wonder letting vo-tech kids touch your shit is a bad idea....lol...im just kidding pat:p

[Krod]

ok ill look now..thanks i dont wan tto drop alot of money into it cuz im poor. maybe i could have him weld the perches and heave they lower the t.c.

You have some reading to do about SOA if you think you're going to get away with 3.5" springs SOA and just a dropped transfer case.


Just the short list for a "proper" SOA

1. stock height springs (unless you're going for the monster jam parking lot crusher look)
2. rear, possibly front traction bar (depending on the engine and how heavy your right foot is! )
3. Slip Yoke Eliminator kit + high quality CV driveshaft
4. Steering...lots of options, none of the good ones are cheap unfortunately...
5. Proper length shocks, brake lines and breather tubes for the diffs

You might also want to consider axle swaps, and you should be considering gearing if your going SOA, even on stock springs you will clear 34-35" tires, and the 2.5 is NOT going to turn those, even around town...If you go with bigger tires (37" +) you're going to need stronger axles...unless, again, you're going for the monster jam parking-lot-crusher look (insert SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!! Joke here)


Please don't have a vo-tech school do your welding...at least take it to someone competent that has done that sort of modification before.

[DMG]

i heard that vo-tec does free work to cars...i was thinkin about taking it there to do my lift. the only thing is im not sure if i trust kids workin on my jeep that dont know any thing about cars but just go to vo-tec to get out of school. Id do it my self but i have no air tools or welder. I want to go SOA with 3 1/2 leafs with no sway/track bars. You buy the stuff the put it on sorta thing. I know you guys will probley say ..id never take it to vo-tec..but can you? I figured after they do the work cheak over the whole thing with a fine tooth comb. And i heard is the mess up there not lible for anything. thanks guys for hte feed back

It will not be safe on the street with no sway bars and that much lift

[limegreentj]

It will not be safe on the street with no sway bars and that much lift

x10 even with swaybars and that much lift it wont be safe...or without swaybars and no lift....you will not be happy driving on the road a lot without swaybars....forget highway driving

[92YJCBG]

ive done a ton of reading about SOA and its the way i want to go..granted 3 1/2 is alittle extream. I taked to a guy about my age a few weeks ago with a yj with that set up. i didnt get his number or anything but i like to get a chance to see whats his set up is. I think he works a goodyear in waterdam. I dont know what path im going to do right now is. he said it rides horrible but i dont care about that. all i know is i want a trail ready rig that doesnt get hung up every 2 seconds. basicaly form and funtion . looks good and works good

[92YJCBG]

im always getting mixed reviews from everyone like on jeepforum

sway bars off is great some say no
SOA is great some say no

All i want is a soild jeep thats all..

[XJchris98]

So let me get this straight....your talking about taking your jeep to a vo-tech school to get your work done because it'll be cheap?? But you'll have the 1200.00$ (easy) to drop just on tires alone to fill out that much lift. hahaha good luck.

Im not trying to be a prick or stray you away from lifting your jeep...but honestly, 3.5" lift springs on a SOA setup is just plain stupid for the type of terrain we have around here. If your looking for something that has good form of rolling over and has great function for being a police magnet on the highway then go with that big of a sprung over setup. Just make sure you know what your getting into before you start swiping your credit card for something that might end up disappointing you in the end.

If you want a truely 'solid' jeep, be open to the advice that people who we're once in your shoes are trying to give you now. Most everyone on here with built YJ's, or any 4x4 rig for that matter, have wheeled in western PA and have seen what works and what doesnt. IMO you cant beat firsthand advice.

[92YJCBG]

i agree completly , thats why im here.

im open to creative critsim. what ever works.Maybe vo-tec insnt the way to go.

[JeepGeneral]

I would suggest a 3.5" spring under lift. Throw some 32s on it and wheel it. It's cheap and easy to do, no welding, and 32s can roll over 80% of the stuff you'll find in W. PA.

Don't believe anything you read on the net. When you go bigger you must go stronger....and it's not "cheap" or "easy".

[Dr.LowLock]

i agree completly , thats why im here.

im open to creative critsim. what ever works.Maybe vo-tec insnt the way to go.

if i were you i would consider things.
money. you think you are poor now? wait till you put 2500-4000+++ into your jeep, for lift, tires, locker, gears, wheels, drop TC, yoke eliminater, driveshafts, shocks.... the list never ends.

do you have the cash? NO, credit card then....... OK you put all this crap on a credit card just to make sure you are poor forever. take a piece of advise from someone who knows. using a credit card for crap you dont NEED will keep you in th poorhouse for eternity.

still want that lift? go mild, you dont need all that lift anyway.

honestly, if i were you, I would get me some 30" mudders and maybee a body lift and save my money for when i can AFFORD a DD and a lifted Jeep.

[Xplodedin]

When you go bigger you must go stronger....and it's not "cheap" or "easy".

Theres some advice for ya

[Krod]

Lots of good advice.

Mine clears 33's, with room for more with just a 3.5" Spring under lift and some boomerang shackles in the rear. A 1" body would let me run 35's without tearing into the body much more. A locker in the rear would get me through everything I cant make now around here. The extra clearance argument is total BS. I rarely hit either of my skids wheeling in PA, and when I do...its dirt or logs...they move

If you're expecting a flexy YJ that doesn't break things when its twisted up, then be prepared to be disappointed. The ones that flex have $$$ leaves, $$$$ coil-overs, or are setup really well otherwise (good axles, right springs for their weight, traction bars, and extended shock towers.

If you want to do rocks (like rausch creek etc...), then you're going to NEED bigger axles than the stocker D30 & D35 if you're on bigger tires. You'll also want LOW gears (take it from someone who DD's a 4-banger YJ....I've been there).

[jeepxj3]

if you dont care about the quality of the worksmanship, then go for it. It really depends on the vo-tech, certain places the teachers are real hard on grading the kids, and basically any project they take on is a grade. So if they do a shitty job they get a shitty grade. Battie Tech SP? the teachers there are pretty rough on grading and wont let somthing bad go out the door, they basically keep doing it over and over again until they get it right.