Stock height belly up

[acorn]

I'm trying to think through doing a belly up with no suspension lift and 31's.  Am I correct in thinking that I could do this with a stock rear drive shaft?  
I'm basing this thought process off of using a 33 engineering flat skid with their new low profile transmission mount, a JKS 1.25" BL and JKS BMML.  It looks feasible.  Has anyone done this sort of thing?

Another question I'd like opinions on...for someone who intends to eventually run 32/33" max tire size on as little lift as possible (not afraid of customizing fenders for clearance) for low COG, would this be a smart move or should I concentrate on the suspension lift first?  My build target is 32/33" on OME HD lift (2-ish"), BL/MML, low profile tranfer case skid, SYE/CV shaft, tube fender front...yeah, it'll take a while and I may be just be dreaming little dreams.

[LibertyPatriot]

Jp Magazine put 35's on a stock TJ by putting on a Rockcrawler fiberglass hood and trimming the rear wheel wells.  Some other stuff too.  So with the extra clearance underneath, your plan looks good.

Keith

[acorn]

No SYE/CV needed for the bellyup until I add the suspension lift though, right?  I don't think I want to pay for that just yet.  I think if I could quit getting hung up on my belly skid I'll be alright for a while.

[YJ_Aaron]

I wouldn't think you'd need one... But most people that do that have already lifted theirs so i doubt you'll get much first had experience in your situation.

I'd say do your belly up, some tube fenders on front and then a small lift and you'd be sitting great.

[acorn]

That's the idea.  Thanks guys!

[Blueyellow]

I Had a three inch Body Lift with the stock Donuts on the Body and Ran 33's for a long time. and the belly up pan sounds like a great idea I don't know how many times I Killed my Cross Member on rocks and such. GOOD Idea
Al

[Big Pimpin]

I think you will have vibration problems with the stock shaft when you push the transfer case up high enough to clear the flat skid.  Give a try though and see what happens .  Flat belly was one of the best and most noticable mods I have done to my Jeep.  Go for it!

[acorn]

I found one guy on JF that's running his this way with no problems and another guy who's just bought the parts to do it.  I'm going to put this mod on the list for after the regear!

[Overland n' Rocks]

If the belly-up skid is anything close to flat you will need a CV shaft, West is correct about the Bad Vibes. There is practically no way to avoid that with a straight shaft. That would be like putting in a 3-4" lift to the drivetrain geometry.

[acorn]

OK, for anyone interested in this here's Offroad Toy Store's take on it (they make the 33 Engineering products)...my questions followed by their reply.  Sorry if it's a little long.

First, I've got to say that the transfer case skid you folks have is brilliant!  The two peice design pretty much ended my search for a belly up when I read about it.  I would like your thoughts on the installation I have in mind.  I have a stock height '01 TJ, 5 speed, D35.  Again, no suspension lift.
I'm thinking that if I install a JKS 1.25" body lift and a motor mount lift I can then install the 33 Engineering t-case skid and keep my stock, slip yoked rear drive shaft without incurring driveline vibrations and joint damage.  Am I nuts?  Can one install a belly-up on a stock TJ without an SYE and a double cardan rear shaft?  Would I need adjustable upper rear control arms?  I'm trying to avoid (for now) the exponential growth of the parts list and budget usually experienced when a belly-up is installed on a lifted Jeep.
Also, in my parts shopping I found your low clearance manual transmission mount.   This looks like it would be a nice thing to have for someone doing what I'm doing, but then I noticed it's for '03 and up.  Any plans for making one for the earlier years?  Would I even need this part to pull off what I'm wanting to do?

Thanks for the help figuring this out,

Courtney Goff

I?m sure you can get the setup you?re talking about to work just fine.  You probably won?t need the control arms.  The transmission mount we have will actually work for your 01.  They aren?t usually necessary for your year, but would help lower the t/case since you?re not using an SYE.  You might not even need it, but if do have any vibes, the high clearance mount will definitely get rid of those.  Let me know if there are any other questions I can answer.  I think you?re on the right track.  Here?s another neat piece of advise.  If you can use the skid plate w/o the h-c mount, then you would be able to put on a 2? lift in conjunction with the h-c mount.  It would be a nice inexepensive way to get the jeep off the ground a little, and be able to run 32? tires.

Thanks,
Mike Nevitt
OffroadToyStore