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Rubicon Express 4.5" Extreme Duty kit install

jpdeuce

Basic User
City
Houston
State
TX
Look what just showed up to my house!! :bacon: :

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Now I can fix the Frankenstein lift on mine (2.5" body, 2" shackle, X" springs).
 

jpdeuce

Basic User
City
Houston
State
TX
Not at home, just now got time to post the photo.

Keeping it in the box to make it easier to take to the shop, although not sure how I will lift it into the transport vehicle.
 

jpdeuce

Basic User
City
Houston
State
TX
So, I feel like I should take some pre and post measurements. Does that make sense, or a waste of time? If so, what measurements would be good? Bumper height? Some sort of wheel travel measurement? I have access to a car lift, so creatively i should be able to do interesting measurements.
 

certifiablejeep

Definitley Certifiable
Lifetime Member
City
Bedford
State
NH
So, I feel like I should take some pre and post measurements. Does that make sense, or a waste of time? If so, what measurements would be good? Bumper height? Some sort of wheel travel measurement? I have access to a car lift, so creatively i should be able to do interesting measurements.

I would think a forklift would be better, but I guess a car lift could work... just be careful, all too many videos out there of it lifted to high and flipping.

cb
 

jpdeuce

Basic User
City
Houston
State
TX
Look what I did today, with some help. I'm going to post some general pics first, cause I know that's all BigWalton cares about. Then I'll post separately with some commentary and some questions.

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jpdeuce

Basic User
City
Houston
State
TX
So, one issue I had was one of the bolt holes on the rear spring hanger, where the shock mount bolt was going to go, was boogered up with powder coat or something. The shock mount bolt would not thread properly, and it looked like either the threads on the bolt or the threads on the spring hanger were messed up. I didn't have a 5/8 tap and die, so I just ran the bolt in as it would go (likely cross-threaded) and put a spot of weld on either side of the bolt. I'm not sure why this isn't built into the spring hanger, instead of being a threaded bolt, but it's built into it now.

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jpdeuce

Basic User
City
Houston
State
TX
I don't want to necessarily get this off down a rabbit trail or argument, but first question is - shock boot up or down? I couldn't decide, although it looked like this looked better in the front, and the shock boot had holes on either side to drain out water I presume. Is it different for the front and rear? My work buddy thought maybe put the shock boot up to protect the rod a little more (getting it up out of the way). These are mono-tube shocks.

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jpdeuce

Basic User
City
Houston
State
TX
Second point of discussion is regarding the shackles. I actually thought these shackles were going to be shorter and closer to stock length. Turns out they aren't that much shorter than the beefy Currie ones I had on there to begin with. Either way, I had seen something about wanting to shoot for a 90 degree angle (shackle to spring) at rest. Can't say I got into the 1s and 0s of the discussion, but that's what stuck with me. So, here's a couple pics of the front and rear at full droop and at rest. Should I be concerned about anything?

After talking with JimChopShop, he had heard of somebody needing Rubicon Express to send them new rear springs possibly because of the issue. Any other RE 4.5" kit guys out there have any input?

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jpdeuce

Basic User
City
Houston
State
TX
Also, now with the NT axles, I'm rubbing on that clamp at the front of these springs at full turn. I guess I need to adjust my turning stops. Although, it does look like I could flip the bolt/nut around so that I'm not scraping the sharp threads and bottom of the bolt. Can that clamp be moved up and down the springs? If I could move it forward a little, I think I would clear the springs with the tire and not lose even more turning radius.

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jammer1

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
City
Maple Hts.
State
Oh
On both the shocks and springs (shackles) that has been discussed on here before (never ending question). On the springs here's the pics without any weight (engine, trans, etc.). People say they will settle in time with use (one guy put a 55 gal barrel in the bed to help put weight to make settle). Shocks can go either way. I did mine like yours because of the stickers already on the shock and the brake line doesn't rub the boot. I would adjust the turning radius. Being that tight to the bolt, I would want further away in case of flex.IMAG0857.jpgP1090685.jpg
 

Manhattan

Legacy Registered User
City
Atlanta
State
GA
I dug around a bit for some pics of my 8 when it was at its lightest - pre-engine, interior, etc. The shackles are at very different angles today. The M.O.R.E. shackles are "anti-kickback" or boomerang. But, if you visualize the eye-to-eye line. The shackles are supposed to be run with the > pointing inboard. I swapped the rear, but left the front - the idea being that they'd act more like a ramp and less like an anchor approaching ledges. As long as the kickback's not an issue, they perform identically in either orientation.



The front shackles are reversed (on purpose), but you can still tell the angle they're at - draw that eye-to-eye line.


Completed, a year and 1,000 miles later




 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
My RE shackles did the same thing at first. The springs settle, and with that settling the leaves effectively lengthen, and the shackles will sit correctly. Then, after you drive 25,000 miles on and off road, they settle a bunch, but they are still soft:thumbsup:

I fit 35's on mine with a 1" BL when it was new. Now, the only way 35's will fit is if I break out a sawzall:eek:
 
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