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3" lift installation instructions

Cherokeekid88

NAXJA Forum User
Location
North Carolina
was wondering if anyone knew a website, that had a really good, detailed instructions on installing a 3" lift. Rustys more than likely is what im getting, and i have some friends that are gonna help me whenever i get it, but need to know what tools i need and all that good stuff, and how much time im looking at on installation. thanks
 
A 3" lift is very straight easy and simple to do with basic hand tools. the suspension is mostly metric. Working with competent friends at a leasurly pace you can still do it in a weekend. Usually

But here's the catch im guessing you have an 88, and IIRC N. Carolina has a bit of a rust issue. This is where it gets fun. first off go buy a can or 2 of BP Blaster, it's kinda like WD40 but works alot better. Spray all 4 shock mounts top and bottom, spray both ends of the lower control arms, spray both ends of the trackbar and both ends of both swaybar end links. Depending on if your doing a full leaf pack in the back or just an AAL spray the leaf springs and shackles. If you are replacing the leaf springs have access to a hole saw or torch of some sort, be it either gas or plasma. the reason for having this is in case you need to gain acces to the nut that welded on the INSIDE of the frame that the front spring bolts go into. these are notorious for breaking of the frame. then you have to cut a hole from the inside of the frame to get a socket on the nut, or cut a hole down, under the seat, and get a wrench on it. if the rear shackle bolt nut breask loose you can get to it by removing the rear bumper.

If you have no problems with rust then think about removing all but the upper control arm in the front, this makes it alot easier to swap coils.

Also think about brake lines, if you don;t want to mess with them get a set of stock Wrangler YJ brake lines (2 front 1 rear) and have them installed before you do the lift. You will need to get the rear anyway.

Have fun and good luck.

Dingo
 
Dingo509 said:
buy a can or 2 of PB Blaster
Fixed it for ya; it's great stuff though. The rest of the advice looks pretty good, make sure you have a 3/8" flare wrench for the brakes though as a normal 3/8" is a great way to round off the fittings.
 
Thanks, i hate when one finger is faster than the other!

Dingo
 
I just didn't want the kid going into the parts store and insisting that they were trying to sell him the wrong stuff. :D

(assumptions made about age and gender...)
 
thanks alot guys, alot of times ill ask question and ill have some jerk say something stupid. i appreciate your input. well me and 2 of my buddies are getting lifts for christmas( right now my whole check goes towards gas) :( and and we are gonna go over to his house and put them on over christmas break, i little ways to go yes, but i wanna be prepared and know what i need.
 
I just did the rustys 3 inch a month ago. Did most of it myself in a saturday with MANY breaks and helping my freind on his xj. The only thing I dont agree with is undoing the break line. If you get the rustys kit I can show you an easy way around it with out unattaching the line. Easy, takes like five minutes. If anyones interested I will snap some pics and do a write up.
 
I did the Rusty's 4.5 kit very good instructions. and X2 on the PB blaster... since you're getting the lift for Christmas thats plenty of time to soak everything really good with it...
 
Rubicon Express has pretty decent instructions for their lifts. the components that you get with Rustys will be similar (in type at least) to RE so you can probably use their instructions
(http://www.rubiconexpress.com/instructions/instructions.asp). There are also a lot of threads on here about problems with every step in the process so when/if you get stuck you should be able to find some help. Examples: the upper rear shock mounting bolts often break when trying to remove them, if you are doing a t-case drop kit you will likely have issues removing the studs (you will see what I mean when you get there), adjusting/replacing the track bar can be tricky, several have had difficulty getting their axles to center or line up again during different stages of the lift (once you take off the LCAs you may need to have someone lift/pull on the axle with a rope to get the axle to line up again with the new LCA and getting the new or relocated track bar to properly center your front axle may require some trouble shooting). These are just a few examples of what has been cover here and this forum should be a good resource for you.

clay
 
i put on an RE 3.5" superflex today on my 99. We only got the rear done. Few major hangups. First, we broke 3 of the 4 upper shock mount bolts. Those damn things are a bitch, and mines 11 years newer, so expect to break one off. Start spraying right now with PB, i only sprayed twice in 10 days because my jeep was in the shop. Second, def invest in a flare wrench. I didnt know about it, and niether did my buddy. My kit came with an extended rear brake line, which went together fine, but where the hardlines connect back up, it leaks badly when i apply the brakes. We cant figure it out, but after searching on here and usjeeps.com, i think it may be that we used a regular hex wrench instead of a flare wrench. Might need new hardlines now. Make sure you get the springs facing the right direction, the big one goes in the front. We didnt mess that up, but i could see how someone could on there first lift. (this was my first). Also make sure you get the center pin in the leaf springs lined up on the axle, we started to tighten down ubolts before we realized it was getting pinched. Also, if you have a trailer hitch (mines aftermarket) and your shackle bolts are facing outward, you wont be able to get them off. We had to take the whole shackle off to get the lower bolt out, but make sure you loosen it first so that you arent trying to after its off. Lastly, get some deep sockets or a set of those ratcheting hex wrenches. after using htem today, they are my favorite tool, $50 for a complete set of standard or metric. seriously lastly, spray the hell out of it with pb blaster. where in NC are you?
 
Pogiboy said:
I just did the rustys 3 inch a month ago. Did most of it myself in a saturday with MANY breaks and helping my freind on his xj. The only thing I dont agree with is undoing the break line. If you get the rustys kit I can show you an easy way around it with out unattaching the line. Easy, takes like five minutes. If anyones interested I will snap some pics and do a write up.

I'd like to see that write up.
 
My rear leaf bolts were badly stuck when i did my re sf, so i cut them off. If you decide to cut anything make sure you know where to find grade 8 bolts that size first (anything less could lead to malfunction or at least loss of peace of mind), i searched for an hour till i found this hole-in-the-wall hardware store that had them.

While looking i had to drive my gf's new beetle with crystals and stuff haanging from the rear view
 
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