SOLVED! What do I need for Mark's lift and Mike's bumper?

[xxchadallacxx]

Hey guys, I hope this is in the right section. I mistakenly signed up for trailvoy last month and havent been getting much help, come to find out, everyone moved here in 2011. I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. I am interested in a steel bumper for the added protection and off roading capabilities. I also want more ground clearance. From what I've read, MDB bumpers and Mark's liftmeister lifts are the way to go. So I have 2 questions:
1.What secondary parts would I need to support these 2 upgrades?
2. Will my 245/65/17 nitto terra grappler g2 ATs look too small with this build? I just got these tires, less than 10k on them.
Thank you guys so much for your time and knowledge!!

 

[djthumper]

We need a bit more information to better help you. What springs do you currently have? The bumper will definitely dip your springs if they are too light. How many miles do you have on your current front shocks? You will likely want to replace those. Your tires will look small but it will mostly depend on what lift you go with.

 

[xxchadallacxx]

We need a bit more information to better help you. What springs do you currently have? The bumper will definitely dip your springs if they are too light. How many miles do you have on your current front shocks? You will likely want to replace those. Your tires will look small but it will mostly depend on what lift you go with.

I'm all stock suspension-wise, as far as I know. I picked up the tb this last March with 105k on the odometer. It now has 115k. I've been really good about oil changes and maintenance. The suv seems to be in very good shape, and carfax says it was a government vehicle until 2016, when the guy I bought it from must have picked it up at auction to flip it. Only problem ive ever had is an ongoing squeak/chirp noise from the front drivers side, which I plan on fixing before the mods. Other members have told me to check the sway bar links and ball joint. I've been researching lifts and bumpers for months now. I was thinking bilstein HDs up front, and z71 springs in the rear, along with one of marks lifts. But i dont know what springs to get for the front, and what shocks for the rear. I also dont know if I even need these, or if people just get them as a precaution so they don't have to replace them later on. I guess I just want to make sure if I get the additional parts, that they're the right ones and it's the best route. I've heard some people say they love z71/bilstein combo, and some say they hate it. I need suggestions on parts if I do in fact need them for the MDB bumper and liftmeister lift. Sorry in advance if there is spelling errors, I'm typing on my phone after a very long work day

 

[Matt]

You can run the standard springs in the rear but upgrade the shocks to Bilstein 5125's for the longer travel. I have the HD's in the rear and they top out too much. If you're going to get Mike's bumper kit you might want to upgrade the front springs to the heavier duty Moogs. The HD's in the front will be fine.

 

[xxchadallacxx]

You can run the standard springs in the rear but upgrade the shocks to Bilstein 5125's for the longer travel. I have the HD's in the rear and they top out too much. If you're going to get Mike's bumper kit you might want to upgrade the front springs to the heavier duty Moogs. The HD's in the front will be fine.

Thanks Matt! So how does this sound?
Front:
Moog 14 springs
bilstein HD shocks
Mark's 3 inch lift spacer
Rear:
Bilstein 5125 shocks
Stock springs
Mark's 3 inch lift spacer

Will I need to delete any sway bars? What does it mean to flip the control arms? And what is a panhard? I see people talking about these things on here but never saw it on the trailvoy.com forums

 

[djthumper]

http://forums.offroadtb.com/ is dedicated to this platform for off road. You can find all of what you are asking there. We cannot tell you if the build you want will do what you want but all of your questions have already been answered here and there. You should find more explanation of what you are looking at. All of this use to be on trailvoy and likely disappeared. Most of us that wrote what you see here had been members there and carried over our stuff.

 

[gpking]

Only problem ive ever had is an ongoing squeak/chirp noise from the front drivers side, which I plan on fixing before the mods. Other members have told me to check the sway bar links and ball joint.

If those aren't it, soaking the front strut mounts in lubricant might do the trick.
That was the source of my high-pitched squeak-over-bumps sound that drove me insane for MONTHS.

 

[xxchadallacxx]

If those aren't it, soaking the front strut mounts in lubricant might do the trick.
That was the source of my high-pitched squeak-over-bumps sound that drove me insane for MONTHS.

Yeah I've just been turning my music up so I don't hear it I need to fix it soon

http://forums.offroadtb.com/ is dedicated to this platform for off road. You can find all of what you are asking there. We cannot tell you if the build you want will do what you want but all of your questions have already been answered here and there. You should find more explanation of what you are looking at. All of this use to be on trailvoy and likely disappeared. Most of us that wrote what you see here had been members there and carried over our stuff.

Okay I'll do more research. I've just been looking at builds for months and don't know which route to go

 

[Matt]

Thanks Matt! So how does this sound?
Front:
Moog 14 springs
bilstein HD shocks
Mark's 3 inch lift spacer
Rear:
Bilstein 5125 shocks
Stock springs
Mark's 3 inch lift spacer

Will I need to delete any sway bars? What does it mean to flip the control arms? And what is a panhard? I see people talking about these things on here but never saw it on the trailvoy.com forums

No worries. Sounds good. As the guys mentioned, get over to ORTB and have a look around. You don't need to delete sway bars but I've removed my rear one mine, as have others, because it doesn't really do too much. The front one you can fab a quick disconnect for the end links if you're doing to seriously off road.

Flipping the upper control arms is exactly that, take them off, put the drivers on the passengers side upside down and vice versa.

All this and more is on the other site.

 

[xxchadallacxx]

Update: bumper is on and looking good. Next comes a little exhaust work, then on to the suspension!

 

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

Did you go with the build you listed above? I'm ordering my MDB Fab bumper soon as I get my tax refund. I'm getting the winch mount bumper. I'm getting it unpainted, I want to hit it with some Raptor bed liner. Yours looks great though, good for you man.

 

[djthumper]

You do realize it is just a kit? You have to weld it together and finish it.

 

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

what? I thought it was going to be complete bumper. Hell no.

 

[xxchadallacxx]

what? I thought it was going to be complete bumper. Hell no.

You have to weld it together, or have a shop do it. Then sand it/grind it, and paint it. It's basically a "here's all the bent metal" kit.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

what? I thought it was going to be complete bumper. Hell no.

You wont find one that is complete unless you adapt a JK one or similar. The kit is simple and the best available by far.

 

[Sparky]

Trying to ship a fully built steel bumper is really expensive also.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Plus the fact that insurance wont let him finish bumpers to sell.

 

[Sparky]

That's right, forgot about that.