Completing Lift - 2.5" - Sway-Away + Fox + OME

I'm finishing up gathering the parts for my lift. So far I've got:

Camburg/ Sway-Away 2.5 Coilovers
LR UCAs
OME Dakar Pack

I'm trying to figure out what to use for my rear shocks. I'd like to use a set of Fox 2.0's with the Dakar pack but the Foxes only claim 1.5" of lift. I'm shooting for 2.5". Could I use the Fox set with the Dakar set and a set of lift shackles to give me a level truck?

Other parts to buy include:

Extended brake line
Axle Shims
Diff Drop (Rather have it and not need it)
Trim Packer
U-Bolt Flip Kit

 

Wow a chimera kit! Why all the mixing and matching?

 

For lack of a better term, ballin' on a budget. Most of the parts I've acquired were used and then I rebuilt/refinished them myself.

I think that a lot of these components will work well together. The Camburg coil overs are often paired with either Bilstiens or Fox rears (at least in most kits I see put together). The Dakar pack seems to be a very commonly used pack in a lot of builds as well. LR control arms, while not uniballs, will keep me in alignment and since I'm in the North East the sealed design is better because of the road salt.

 

My friend and I use that term constantly

Love my Dakars. Also, that is the reason I went with LR UCAs..Midwest here. Too much salt everywhere..

 

Before you decide on a shock, put on the dakars, see if it gives you the lift you desire. If not you could add the shackle for desired height. During this time dont wheel or flex the shocks out as you could destroy your current shocks. Once you have desired height, take off the shocks and flex the rear axle and measure your compressed and extended lengths. Keep in mind you dont want your leaf to go past flat ( no negative arch). You will then look for a shock that will be just outside those parameters. Example if measurements are 16 compressed and 25 extended you would need a shock that is 15 compressed and 26 extended. You could use a shock that is close and either limit the compression with a bump or the extension with a limit strap. Depending on the travel lenghts you may have to relocate the shock mounts in order to find a shock that wont be the limiting factor. I hope all that makes sense, and please anyone chime in if any of that isn't quite right. That is how I have understood it, and am in the process myself of getting my numbers right .

 

Nothin wrong with saving money! It leaves you more money to spend on your truck!

 

Oh yeah, don't use the front diff drop.

 

Blue, that is solid advice and does make sense. However I'm trying to disassemble everything at one time and put the upgraded parts in. From there I'd like to just troubleshoot and make shim adjustments since time is usually pretty tight for me. If I can't calculate this on paper, I'll likely just have to go that route and measure.

Research shows that the Dakars provide between 2.25" and 2.75" inches of lift.

If I'm understanding this correctly, the shock lift needs to match the leaf pack lift so that they work in harmony. If that's right, then it sounds like I need a 1-3" lift shock like the Icon's or Billys.

Thoughts?

 

Yeah, well you would think it would be that easy. However as I researched rear shocks I found this,

Fox 2.0 performance series: ext-26.85 col-16.75 travel-10.1
OME: ext-23.93 col-13.85 travel-10.08
Icon: ext-24.3 col-14.2 travel-10.1
Icon ext travel: ext-26.8 col-15.9 travel-10.9
RCD Bilstein: ext-27.28 col-16.34 travel-10.94
5160 Bilstein: ext-24.7 col-14.5 travel-10.2

Keep in mind I have a second gen, I believe you are a first gen? Regardless you can see all are 10" of travel, yet the extended and colapsed lengths are very different. Again, from what I understand the only way to do it correctly is measure, and you won't have the measurement until you put your dakars on and measure one side full stuff and the other at full droop with nothing limiting them to get your lengths. I believe also folks measurements can be different from truck to truck even with the trucks being the same gen.

 

Those measurements get me thinking though; if all of these additional measurements need to be taken, what does that mean for people who go out and buy an OME kit and get Dakars and Nitrochargers?

Don't they just bolt the Nitrochargers right up? Could any calculations be based off of that fact?

I'm having a tough time wrapping my head around this. Probably over complicating it a bit too.

 

go with the fox, the ome are too short. ome lift kits are meant to give sweet ride and not compromise the rest of your stock setup, they are great, i loved mine but ran a longer skyjacker rear shock. just be aware that you may need to extend your bumpstop with the longer compressed length rear shock so you don't crush it on full compression. i also ran fox stuff up front on another truck. and just ordered fox all around for my jk, sweet shocks!

 

Were you running basic 2.0 shocks in your rear or extended?

 

Great questions. If you find the answer, let me know! I ask myself the same questions, and it's a little bit frustrating for me. I'd love to have a shop where I could slap on some Dakars and flex / compress, measure, take time to place an order for shocks, etc. But I don't have the time for the truck to be down, or space to have a non-op vehicle.

I've read in bjmoose's most excellent OME suspension thread, that he believes that the OME shocks are the limiting factor for flexing out the Dakars.

Here is a quote from his thread:

 

IDK why everyone talks shit on the DIFF DROP, i love mine just don't wheel like a retard and you will be fine!

looks like a sweet set up man ! I wish i had coilovers but for now OME it rests. Dakars are on point though.

 

Interesting. This is useful information to have and explains why the Dakar pack is used a lot beyond the OME kit. At this point I'm ready to find a used pair of 5100s just to use in the interim so it's drivable while I make measurements and prep for custom length shocks.

It seems strange that each situation requires custom shocks even when using the same parts.

 

I have Dakars with Fox 2.0 with 0"-3" lift Downsouth motorsport can hook you up

 

I talked to Downsouth. Good group of guys. I'd like to go through them for the Fox shocks but I need to measure travel, shock length, etc.

 

The Dakars are probably going to get you to your desired lift height even with OME nitrocharger shocks.

Source: I got 2" of lift out of mine w/ OME shocks and trail armor.

If you don't run armor then you're very likely going to get the desired amount of lift due to the dakars and all but the softest shocks.

 

DSM should know exactly what you need for rear shocks to match Dakars. I'm sure they will do you right.

 

shocks have impact on lift height, soft hard whatever, doesn't matter, height determine by the springs.