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4.5 Rough Country Lift

X

xj88RoKK

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Western NY
I am in a situation where I can acquire a 4.5" rough country lift for relatively cheap. It is the kit with the add-a-leaf, not the loaded leaf pack. I was looking for some input before I drive 2 hours to pick it up. Any input good or bad is welcome. Thank You!

-Plans for the rig: DD/Crawler
 
I have that same kit and have had no problems so far. I've heard both good and bad things about it but i haven't experienced any bad things with it. If it's cheap i say get it. I have no complaints with mine.
 
Ok Thank You. I'm pretty set on getting it I was sort of just looking for a positive boost haha. Did you have to do any leveling or was it a pretty true lift?
 
jcschaney, do you have a reccomendation on where to look for the full leaf packs or should I use rough country for a matching set (Not that i think it matters, BUT could be wrong). Thanks for the input!
 
I didnt have to do any leveling but jcshaney is right i wish i would have gotten the full leave packs but money was tight. It does fine with the add a leafs but if you got some extra cash get full leaf packs.
 
I would def opt for the full leaf packs but this is a kit someone has ordered and never even opened. So i have no other options. But I am going to be getting the kit on Thursday and Hopefully have it installed by this coming monday. I'm going to start taking pictures and keeping records of my progress for this project.
 
xj88RoKK said:
I would def opt for the full leaf packs but this is a kit someone has ordered and never even opened. So i have no other options. But I am going to be getting the kit on Thursday and Hopefully have it installed by this coming monday. I'm going to start taking pictures and keeping records of my progress for this project.
Click to expand...

Haha well XJs tend to dash your hopes to tiny little pieces if you try to put them on a schedule. I'd say if you want it done in a timely manner to start soaking those bolts in PB or WD-40, buy a propane torch, and a cut off wheel. All of these I used extensively during my lift kit install and I just finished mine like 2 weeks ago. Oh, btw make sure you have brake line extensions for the lift kit, both front and back lines! Sweet find and GL with the install!! Feel free to PM me with any issues you might run into during the install!
 
coldoath said:
Haha well XJs tend to dash your hopes to tiny little pieces if you try to put them on a schedule. I'd say if you want it done in a timely manner to start soaking those bolts in PB or WD-40, buy a propane torch, and a cut off wheel. All of these I used extensively during my lift kit install and I just finished mine like 2 weeks ago. Oh, btw make sure you have brake line extensions for the lift kit, both front and back lines! Sweet find and GL with the install!! Feel free to PM me with any issues you might run into during the install!
Click to expand...
+1 Start soaking those bolts now!

I put on some RC shackles a few hours ago... what a pita the shackle to body bolt was... one side came out in less than 5 min. The other took an hour.
 
about to take this on next week. I heard the rear top shock bolts are a real pain in the arse. Need to buy many cans of pb. Any other specific tips?
 
Boveevil said:
+1 Start soaking those bolts now!

I put on some RC shackles a few hours ago... what a pita the shackle to body bolt was... one side came out in less than 5 min. The other took an hour.
Click to expand...

@#%! hate those bolts!! Shackle to body wasn't bad for me cause I guess previous owner had replaced the stock shackles with some pretty bad A shackles but I ended up just grinding the bolt off the shackle and the leaf spring. Grinder = your friend!
 
I have that kit with the replacement packs and 2.5" spacers up front and 2.5" lift shackles in the back. I would second the notion to spray every bolt you can find with PB rust busters every day for a week before you start. The kit is nice but you will need to eventually fix somethings, you will have a flat spot in the steering wheel until you install a drop pittman arm and I would also install an adjustable control arm with drop bracket. Adjustable upper and lower control arms are an eventual must. Once the kit is installed your front axle will be a little further back in the wheel well and not in the center because of the factory control arms are too short, this is why I feel the adjustable control arms are a must. For full flex I would also get some quick disconnects for your front sway bar. I have been running this kit for about 3 years if you have any other questions just ask
 
I have been soaking the bolts for a few days now, not quite a week however.

(truck7575) - how are the spacers and blocks? Rigid ride? I heard of some issues with the coil spring spacers at full articulation. Any issues for you?

This is my first real crawler build. I had a 95 XJ with the Rough Country 6.5 a while back but those parts are long gone. (wish I would've saved that truck:()
 
I dont mind the spacers, they come with retainer clips to hold them in so they dont fall out. I am very happy with the ride. I guess you could also stick some gorilla glue on them to hold them in place too.
 
Webbjeep- Thanks I will look into those

Truck7575- Thanks for the positive input. I was somewhat hesitant to use spacers but now my wallet is liking the idea.
 
any aftermarket leaf pack will be better than stockers with add-a-leafs.
I don't know witch ones are the best maybe alcan or denvers? My be some one else can chime in here :dunno:
 
The only issue I had with my kit was the front coils rubbed on the upper bumpstop mounts. The springs would just contact the front lip of the mount as the suspension cycled. The kit will draw your front axle rearward slightly and might cause this issue. Mine is an '88 XJ.

The kit works well and I like it. Mine has the full rear spring packs. One thing that made me like it even better was adding the RC drop mount brackets. These have restored the ride to almost stock and it makes it ride much smoother.

Something I did to complement the RC lift was to add a JKS trackbar and Currie steering. No trackbar is included and I wanted something much stouter than stock. The same can be said for the steering. I really like my setup now......I just need bigger tires.

Good luck!
 
I also installed the rough country control arm drop brackets along withe the xtra felxy adjustable upper and lower control arms from Rough Country. I am sure with this set up my ride is almost as good as most long arm kits.
 
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