Intro
Wranglers (TJ models) can be heavily modified to do just about any kind of off-roading. They sell just about anything for them and this allows for an owner to set up their Jeep any way they want. This means that there are people out there with 6in lifts on wranglers and not only does that cost a lot of money, it makes their Jeep much less road worthy. Personally I like the stock ride of my Jeep and I like the stock look of my Jeep. But after many trail runs, I was starting to want a little more articulation and clearance.

That said, I have driven a newer TJ with a 2in spacer lift and I have to say that it was very much like stock. The only real differance was having to step up higher to get in. So I did some looking around for cheap but quality 2in lifts and I found a place called Rocky Road Outfitters. They sell what they call their budget 2in lift for about $130 shipped. It comes with (4) 2in spacers and (4) extended BPEs (Bar Pin Eliminators). It does not come with new shocks and because of this, you save about $100. The other lift I was looking at was the Skyjacker 2in spacer lift with shocks for $250 + shipping. I am sure that is a nice lift but it was a little more than I wanted to spend right now.

First Impressions
It took about a week for the package to arrive and when it did I was supprised by how small it was. I immediately opened it and found that there was indeed (4) coil spring spacers and (4) BPEs inside. The spacers are black and are said to be made from high density polyurethane, I would believe that. The BPEs are made from 3 pieces of steal welded together and then powder coated, with a hefty bolt (w/nylon locking nut) running trough the middle. There was also a simple set of text only instuctions.

Installation: Intro
I am not going to go through the whole thing because it was a lengthy and difficult job. I will point out some of the problems I had and how I solved them, along with a few other observations.

Tools I used

• 2.5 ton floor jack
• (2) 2 ton jack stands
• Sockets: 3/4", 13mm, 15mm, 18mm (in 1/2in and 3/8in)
• Several different ratchets, extensions and swivels
• Wrenches in the same sizes as the sockets
• Cresent wrench
• Strut spring compressor (borrowed from Autozone)
• (2) Irwin Quick Clamps (reversable ones)
• Small flat-head screwdriver
• Hammer
• Pliers
• Various other tools
• Spray oil and dish soap

Installation: Rear
The installation of the rear spacers and BPEs took about four hours. I ran into three time consuming problems.

1) The BPEs install requires the removal of the bar pin from the stock shock upper bushing. The first one took me about 45 minutes and was not what I would call fun. The problem is that they have been in contact with the bushing for 6 years and have become totally welded to it. The only way I could separate it was to jam a small screwdriver (1/8in blade) between the bar pin and the bushing and then spray a little oil down there. I had to work all the way around the bushing on both sides before it would come loose. And when it did come loose, it brought out a little of the bushing with it. On a newer Jeep I do not think this would be as difficult. Because I knew what I was up against, the second one only took me about 15 minutes. Buying a lift with new shocks was starting to look better and better.

2) The other problem I encountered was that the spacers are smaller than the spring mount they are slid over. The instructions say "A hammer may be required to install the spacers". I would say that a hammer will do no good at all. They require some method of being pressed on. I tried lubing them up and sliding them on, I tried beating them on and finally I used the Jeep as the press. Here is how I managed ... I placed a scrap piece of 2x6 on the lower spring mount, placed spacer on that and then jacked up the rear end to press the spacer in place. It worked well on the passengers side but the drivers side was a different story. I got it all set up and the spacer would not budge. So I jacked the Jeep up off the jack stands and then jumped on the rear bumper to add weight (and I am not a light guy) and it would still not go on. What finally did it was just good old persistence.

Note: Once I got to installing the lift on the front of the Jeep, I found something that would have made my life much easier. The center of the shock mount comes off on the front. I thought I had checked for a bolt on the back but I guess I did not check well enough. With the center part removed, the spacer would have just slipped on. Ah well, two different ways to get to the same place.

3) The spring compressor I borrowed did not work well on the rear springs. The upper and lower spring mounts are wide enough to not allow the bolt on the spring compressor to pass cleanly. They did work but I believe that if they were designed just a little differently, it would have made a huge difference.

Except for those three patience trying items, the rest of the rear install went well.

Installation: Front
Compared to the rear install, the front was easy. The biggest difference was that everything was much more accessable, the springs were longer and that allowed the spring compressors to work better, the shock mounts are in easy view and a pair of front sway bar discos are installed. Although it was easier, I did learn a few things

1) Placement of the spring compressors is critical. They are not required to be on exact opposite sides of the spring but the further apart, the better. Otherwise the spring will flex away from the spring compressors as they are screwed down and this makes things more difficult.

2) While having one corner of the Jeep supported on jack stands and allowing that corner to fulling drop, it leans over the tire on the other side and this consiquently pushes the Jeep to the side. This causes the jack stand to lean with the Jeep and makes for a few tense moments. I see no way to completely stop this from happening but it becomes more obious that aditional jack stands would help. I just took my other jack stand and placed it under the rear of the control arm. This way, if the Jeep kept coming toward me, it would eventually rest on the second jack stand.

General Note
When jacking up a vehichle, always use a pair of jack stands for safety. When I was all done installing the lift and I was jacking on the axle tube to install the tire/wheel, the jack pulled out from under the axle tube and my Jeep fell back down on the jack stands I had there. The scary part is that I was going to pull them out before replacing the tire/wheel because I was down there and they were easy to reach. If I had, that corner of my Jeep would have fallen another 6-8 inches and only stopped when it landed on the brake rotor, possible crushing part of me in the process. Lets just say that I learned my lesson the easy way.

After Thoughts
So far I really like my Jeep lifted 2in. It did change how it drives but only slightly. And I have found no ill effects to having the modest lift. I took it out with a few guys the weekend after and did Waterfall (a local trail), and I did all the obstacles for the first time. Having the sway bar discos and now the addition of the 2in lift, my Jeep is quickly becoming very trail capable. Now I just need my last upgrade, a set of 31x10.50 Goodyear Wrangler MT/R tires and it will be unstopable.

A few pictures
Note: I was going to take pictures of the entire install but during the rear install it started raining and my camera got totally socked. It did not seen to hurt it but I had to wait all day for it to dry before I could use it again. Then during the front install, I just forgot. I will try to put up a few pictures of the finished install.

This is 1/2 of the lift kit.

Here is the only picture I took before my camera got rained on.

The rear lifted while the front is still stock.