Offroading and Alignment

CJM

New Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2021
Messages
1
Location
Boston, MA
Hey, new to the forum, but had a question that may require people with extensive YJ knowledge...

I have a chance to get a 1993 YJ with very little rust (a rarity because I live in New England). The car has 117,000 miles and brand new tires. (Also an automatic so my wife can drive it.)

It seems like a solid deal but...

At one point it was setup as an offroading rig with aftermarket leafs, a mild lift in the form of larger spring perches, and panhard bars/track bars, and offroad shocks.

When you drive it you notice a bit of drift (possibly because it is sitting on new off-road tires), but liveable as a daily driver on side streets (my normal commute).

I guess I am looking for people's advice on buying former off-roaders...do they tend to have nasty wear and tear? Do the front ends ever realign?

I would never expect anyone to give any specific feedback on this car because every car, and its history, are unique. Still, if you were me would you pull the trigger?
 
Larger spring perches, You sure? if for some reason they used a wider spring you'd have to accommodate elsewhere, which dosent sound like a worthwhile venture. You basic YJ lift = new slightly longer shackles that have a welded support ,shocks,springs,poly bushings. Custom Track bars on a YJ? I dont think Ive even seen a adjustable rear. The front, probably but plenty of us remove them and they go bye,bye for good, A TJ is a different story of course. Same with the sway bar probably. Basic slap on parts dont mean its been wheeled or abused. Look for gouging of the skid plate or diff bottoms, frame cracks or repairs, Lots of undercoating to hide fixes and of course the dreaded frame rust INSIDE and outside.
 
Show us some pictures...."larger spring perches" is not a way to lift a YJ...they probably meant longer shackles if they told you that. Longer shackles will create a wandering and loose steering feeling. Some pictures of the suspension, steering, and overall pics of the Jeep and frame will help us help you evaluate what you're looking at.

The only thing they could have done with spring perches to lift the rig would be to move them from under the axle to on top of the axle, called "spring over axle". SOA needs traction bars but not track/panhard bars. YJs came from the factory with fixed length track/panhard bars, though aftermarket adjustable options exist to replace the front. The rear is pretty much removed with any suspension lift and thrown in the trash. The rear is 100% not needed, front is not necessarily needed but can be beneficial.

Hopefully you can upload some pics or at least send the for sale ad. It's really hard to have an idea of what's going on with that Jeep without seeing it. Just too many variables.