Old Dude
New member
I had a couple of BDS 2” front spring spacers http://bds-suspension.com/ that I got from one of our members ($30.00) laying around and decided it was time to get them installed. I made a trip to my local 4WD store and asked about installation, I laughed all the way back to my Jeep! So what was I to do? The Only one answer was, to do it myself. Now let’s consider this, I’m a 64 year old man that has had two heart attacks, bad knees, and sits on his butt all day at work in front of a computer.
I had read the instructions, downloaded the pdf files, and watched all the videos. I must have installed the spacers at least a hundred times in my head. Thinking the whole time, “what’s the worst that could happen?”
So, with the attitude of, “I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once, as I ever was” I jumped in! I have a $20.00 floor jack and a couple of jack stands. I had only a few metric wrenches, no sockets, and no help.
Sound like a train wreck? I know, but, it couldn’t have gone better. This was one of the easiest things I have ever done. Everything just seemed to go my way. I actually found myself saying “slow down”. Not going to tell you I didn’t break a sweat. Not going to tell you I didn’t bark a finger. But it went WAY better than I had anticipated.
My tool list:
Floor jack (cheap, on hand)
Jack stands (cheaper, on hand)
18mm Combination end wrench (on hand)
10mm Combination end wrench (on hand)
10” Crescent wrench (on hand)
Big screwdriver (on hand)
3 - 1”X6”X24” pine boards (cheap jacks don’t lift very high)
2 – Bud lights (on hand as a reward for getting it done)
That is it, total!
It took me about four hours start to finish. So if you’ve been thinking about a spacer lift, go for it! If I can get it done in this time frame I’m sure most could get the job done with ease. You don’t need a lot of tools. I must admit that sockets and an air drive ratchet would have been faster and nicer. But, this was my time with the JK, I wasn’t in a hurry, and we had a good time! My JK looks better and I saved a bunch of money. In fact I saved enough money to buy a nice tool set! Go ahead, jump in!
I had read the instructions, downloaded the pdf files, and watched all the videos. I must have installed the spacers at least a hundred times in my head. Thinking the whole time, “what’s the worst that could happen?”
So, with the attitude of, “I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once, as I ever was” I jumped in! I have a $20.00 floor jack and a couple of jack stands. I had only a few metric wrenches, no sockets, and no help.
Sound like a train wreck? I know, but, it couldn’t have gone better. This was one of the easiest things I have ever done. Everything just seemed to go my way. I actually found myself saying “slow down”. Not going to tell you I didn’t break a sweat. Not going to tell you I didn’t bark a finger. But it went WAY better than I had anticipated.
My tool list:
Floor jack (cheap, on hand)
Jack stands (cheaper, on hand)
18mm Combination end wrench (on hand)
10mm Combination end wrench (on hand)
10” Crescent wrench (on hand)
Big screwdriver (on hand)
3 - 1”X6”X24” pine boards (cheap jacks don’t lift very high)
2 – Bud lights (on hand as a reward for getting it done)
That is it, total!
It took me about four hours start to finish. So if you’ve been thinking about a spacer lift, go for it! If I can get it done in this time frame I’m sure most could get the job done with ease. You don’t need a lot of tools. I must admit that sockets and an air drive ratchet would have been faster and nicer. But, this was my time with the JK, I wasn’t in a hurry, and we had a good time! My JK looks better and I saved a bunch of money. In fact I saved enough money to buy a nice tool set! Go ahead, jump in!
