some QUICK CONTROL ARM QUESTIONs

[Silverstreak01]

were the heck are the control arm experts?

[Jeepin Jason]

which SJ arms do you have? They've got like 3 versions... ;) You should be fine either way though, for everything you've got planned.

You'll need to readjust your trackbar though, and might need new brakelines and possibly shocks too, depending on what all your running now.

For 33's, there's not really any reason to go all the way to 6" of lift, unless you just want that much lift. You'll have to trim the same amount whether you stay with 4.5" or go up to 6".

[ren]

Probably at "work"?, anyway, I am not for sure about the bigger lift, same arm thing, but I do not recall seeing any information about changing to a longer arm just because of a 1.5" lift, so you should be okay with it, just get it re-aligned. On the drop bracket thing, that I know you can use stock length arms on for about a six inch lift because my 85 is set-up like that right now.

[Silverstreak01]

nice. that helps out alot. i want to do the 4.5 and spacers to sit around 5.5 front and be around 6.5 in the back. am I better off getting the HD trackbar and bracket from rustys right away? so will the "standard" 3inch skyjacker lower control arms be ok with up to 5.5 lift?

thanks again..

[ren]

No they will be too short with-out the brackets, and will try to pull the axle backwards into the chasis. the best thing for this, is either brackets, or an adjustable arm kit ( all you really need are the lowers, but I would suggest, at the least, that you go ahead and box the upper arms, if you don't replace them with some heavier ones to keep them from flexing/bending under load, and trust me at that hieght, they will.

[Jeepin Jason]

If you're going to drop the coin for a new HD trackbar, go with RE's. It's more $$$ than Rusty's, but also (IMHO) a better design and construction.

Also, depending on how "heavily" (literally) modded your rig is, you may well end up with more than 4.5" out of the RE coils.leafs. The ACOS add a minimum 1.25" of lift, and I really don't see the use in dropping $200 when a set of $34 poly spacers would do what you want. Don't get me wrong, I think ACOS are great, just not needed in all cases. If you're just looking for ~5.5" of lift, get the 5.5" coils (really they're 4.5" ZJ coils). I'm running those coils with no spacers to clear 35's.

By "standard" arms I'm ass-u-me'ing you mean the non-adjustable ones with poly on both ends? They should be fine length-wise with up to 5-6" of lift, assuming that at that height you're also running the drop brackets.

[Silverstreak01]

thanks again: so at 4.5 il be ok . but if i do acos or 2inch spacers. i will need to do drop brackets. but can i use my lowers I have now with the brackets?

[ren]

Yes you can use the lowers you have now.

[Silverstreak01]

what about a drop pitman arm? at what height do i have to worry about that...

[ren]

At about 4.5" lift you need to change the pitman arm. Try a stock TJ arm.

[Jeepin Jason]

uh, stock TJ arm is 1" shorter than a stock XJ arm. ;)

Unless you change the trackbar too, there's no reason to do a DPA.

[ren]

O.K., maybe I got my arms confused? sorry about that.

[Yucca-Man]

At about 4.5" lift you need to change the pitman arm. Try a stock TJ arm.http://www.yuccaman.com/stuff/yoda_spobi.jpg
Really? I'm at 4.5" and didn't have to change my pitman. I know plenty of folks who are at 4.5" or even higher who didn't have to change their pitman. As a matter of fact, if you drop the pitman without similar changes to the trackbar, that's a prime recipe for handling problems especially including bumpsteer

[XJ_ranger]

http://www.yuccaman.com/stuff/yoda_spobi.jpg
Really? I'm at 4.5" and didn't have to change my pitman. I know plenty of folks who are at 4.5" or even higher who didn't have to change their pitman. As a matter of fact, if you drop the pitman without similar changes to the trackbar, that's a prime recipe for handling problems especially including bumpsteer

5.5" measures yesterday - stock pitman arm...

as for control arm lengths - i really didnt want to read through all that crap to see if your question wasn answered - but let me tell you that when i fist lifted my XJ i had fixed LCA's for a 3.5" lift (Rough Country CA's) and installed them with a 5.5" front end lift. 3,000 miles later = dead front DriveShaft...

read more here:
http://www.opiebennett.com/upperdrrveshaft.htm

Sumary:
Bite the Bullet, do it right, get Adjustable UCA's and LCA's - and if you cant afford both, get the UCA's (assuming you have aftermarket LCA's)

[Silverstreak01]

what the heck. im getting conflicting reports now.. i just orderd 4.5 re coils.. but i might be selling my control arms with my old lift. So i think i should just get the 4.5 ones that come in the RE 4.5 kit? and then do claytons LA conversion or drop brackets when i take it to 6..? but if i get adjustables can i run short arms at 6inches of lift? ahh i was getting this

[XJ_ranger]

what the heck. im getting conflicting reports now.. i just orderd 4.5 re coils.. but i might be selling my control arms with my old lift. So i think i should just get the 4.5 ones that come in the RE 4.5 kit? and then do claytons LA conversion or drop brackets when i take it to 6..? but if i get adjustables can i run short arms at 6inches of lift? ahh i was getting this

yes 6" with short arms is "possible"
DONT GET FIXED LENGETH CONTROL ARMS if you can help it...

fixed length leads to frusteration...

sohrt arms with 6" of lift generaly is time for Drop Brackets, but as you can see here:
http://www.opiebennett.com/images/Jeep/Prairie%20City%201-04-05/thumbs/tIMG_2571.jpg (http://http://www.opiebennett.com/images/Jeep/Prairie%20City%201-04-05/IMG_2571.jpg)
(click for full size pic)
short arms with NO DB's work for me... thats what i am running and plan on running till i have a reason to swap them out... I like ground clearance...

run what you want - remember that all your getting from here is people on the internet with different expierences and different rigs built to do what each user wants....