Spring Under Axle 4" lift. Need experts.

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Dudewith4x4

New member
Hello all! I am 18 and looking to buy my first Scout. Its a 1974 Scout 2 with a 345. I plan on buying it at the end of this week if I end up selling some other things. My plan is to buy a 4" spring under lift with my tax returns. I eventually would like to do a spring over on it and a 2" body lift but I can't until the summer. My question is what all do I need to do the 4" lift? Do I need extended brake lines? Extended drive shafts? Modified steering? I would like to do it all at once instead of get half way in and find out I need a few other things. Thanks for the help in advance!
 
4 inch lift springs and a 1 inch over stock shackle will allow 33s without much issue. Extended brake lines, yes. I'd also put 4-6 deg of angle shims in to correct caster in the front. Check your spring bushings in the frame. If original, they're shot, and taller springs will amplify the squirrely handling otherwise.
Drivelines will stretch out enough without mods, but if you have iffy u-joints, they'll start to die earlier now due to increased running angles. Plan on new ones.
All of this has been done to my '74 over the years with good success. I would personally avoid the body lift. A lot of hassle for a mini-truck look.
 
Hey thanks for the reply! Thank you for all the info it is much appreciated! After talking to my cousin at length today he told me that spring over axle is a easy conversion and he has done it to a few scouts and he will do it for free. So are all the things you listed as a issue apply to a spring over axle with maybe some add a leafs and some longer shackles. Thanks for the help thus far.
 
That all sounds great. But do yourself a favor and read up on SOA, caster, and cut and turn in this forum and any other forums you can think of. Knowledge is your friend, and there's no such thing as too much of it. A spring over job is not a slam-a-rooney for the back yard amateur. If your cousin has done it, great. But to do it right, there is some serious fab involved, and the final product can kill you or unsuspecting fellow motorists if done wrong. Just sayin'.
Good luck, and post up the build.
 
Thanks man. I want to do it right cause I already love this Scout and I don't even own it yet! Lol I will be posting a build of it when I get some updates. I've been researching soas and bookmarking threads for awhile now so I hope to get it right! Thanks for the advice.
 
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