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3.5" RE lift is going on - my installer has a couple questions

B

BigOrangeXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Norwich, CT
I am finally getting lifted. RE 3.5" superflex will be here within 5 days. My friend's uncle is a good mechanic and is going to install the lift for me. I was wondering if anyone can tell me how long this should take to install with the proper tools. Does it come with instructions. Also what tools (or abnormal tools) will be required? Also, I should be fine w/ out trimming for now, so long as I don't wheel it until I trim right (32's). Thanks, can't wait
 
I would say you'll have room for 32's with a new full pack, maybe just small stuff to be careful but it should be ok.
as for things to do pre-lift. start blasting all nuts n bolts that will be removed with PB blaster or liquid wrench type penetrating fluid right now, so when you goto take them off its that much easier.
shouldn't take to much time if he's a capable mechanic, and be sure to get involved in the process so you learn something aswell.
enjoy the new lift.
 
hand tools and the better part of a day. It should come with instructions, RE's are usually pretty good. Your up north so use a ton of pb blaster starting now to avoid broken bolts.
 
Make sure to throw some pic's up once the lift is done. I am thinking about gettting the same one and love seeing pictures of them.

PBen
 
I highly recomend at least watching the lift process!! That way if you some how manage to brake something on the trail you are know how to repair it.

I had the same lift on mine but the super ride and it took me about a day. Front was a little more tricky and the rear is easy!! Make sure to use a lot of PB blaster ont the hardware so it make the process easyer!

Also dont know if you noitcied but that lift does not include shocks. And the stock ones are to small!!
-Matt-
 
Took my mechanic about 2 hours to install the lift (he had it on a vehicle lift). Two reasons i let a mechanic do it 1. the front bolts to the leaf spring packs are a major pain, especially if you break them, and 2. its easier to align everything when its up on a lift. With that said, i put my last 3" lift on in my garage and it took about 4 hours tops! They sent the wrong rear shocks and my factory shocks were not long enough at all it felt like i was driving a tank. RE also sent me the wrong sway bar links. Before installing make sure everything is the right parts so you can enjoy it after you install it! Good luck, and here is a pic for ya
DSC00305.jpg
 
StylerG said:
Took my mechanic about 2 hours to install the lift (he had it on a vehicle lift). Two reasons i let a mechanic do it 1. the front bolts to the leaf spring packs are a major pain, especially if you break them, and 2. its easier to align everything when its up on a lift. With that said, i put my last 3" lift on in my garage and it took about 4 hours tops! They sent the wrong rear shocks and my factory shocks were not long enough at all it felt like i was driving a tank. RE also sent me the wrong sway bar links. Before installing make sure everything is the right parts so you can enjoy it after you install it! Good luck, and here is a pic for ya
Click to expand...

SPOBI:passgas:
 
i used both, 4 degree shims (do a search and you can get Napa part numbers) and a 1" tcase drop i made myself. Works great
(i dont know what the letter thing means....but i get the idea of blowing smoke out the butt.....join naxja first bud)
 
StylerG said:
i used both, 4 degree shims (do a search and you can get Napa part numbers) and a 1" tcase drop i made myself. Works great
(i dont know what the letter thing means....but i get the idea of blowing smoke out the butt.....join naxja first bud)
Click to expand...

Being a paying member of NAXJA has no bearing. Having your name in red doesn't mean you know what you're talking about, as is evident by your "2 hours" and "4 hours" claim for lift kit installation times.SPOBI! There is far more work that goes into installing a lift kit for a customer (and having everything done, ready, drive away) than throwing some springs in and calling it good.

8 hours is a fair and reasonable labor time for a lift kit like this (front and rear springs, shocks, brake hoses, adjustable track bar, LCA's, t-case lowering kit, sway bar discos or drop/extensions), and is probably a bit low (shop will probably have a bit more time than that into it) but a fair market value. This means you drop the rig off at stock height and nothing done to it, and pick it up lifted, all adjustments made, all issued dealt with, and ready to safely drive away on the street.
 
Maybe it will clear up some confusion. This was not the first lift installed on the vehicle, so no rusty bolts, it was simply a unscrew old bolts, put new ones on. How hard is it for a professional mechanic to replace leaf packs? And how hard is it to drop the sway bar links, take out the lower control arms...replace and put new springs in when you put it back together! Track bar was already installed and adjusted, as well as brake lines. The t-case drop was done seperately.
Being a paying member does not mean i know everything, but refrain from telling me an experience i had is wrong. Anyone with a bit of useful knowledge should be able to do this lift themselves with the right tools in half a day easily. My professional mechanic did it in two....sorry you didnt have the same experience (if you even have a lifted jeep) or your competence level requires you to budget more time.
http://www.naxja.org/forum/payments.php
id love to continue this debate with you
 
BigOrangeXJ said:
I would ideally like to become part of the install just to get to know my jeep a little better too.
Click to expand...

If you plan on actually wheeling the thing, you really need to help out as much as possible. Even simple tasks take 3 times longer the first time you do it (at least for me :D ), get familiar with the underside now while it is on a lift instead of on the trail.
 
with my RE 4.5 kit and 32's I had to trim a tiny bit of plastic around the front and back of the flares I'm talking about maybe 3/4". I backed out of my driveway and my mudders were grabbin my bumper endcaps pretty good. After some minor trimming I scared the hell out of some people turning into a parking lot because they thought I was sideswiping a car pulling into the spot
 
StylerG said:
Maybe it will clear up some confusion. This was not the first lift installed on the vehicle, so no rusty bolts, it was simply a unscrew old bolts, put new ones on. How hard is it for a professional mechanic to replace leaf packs? And how hard is it to drop the sway bar links, take out the lower control arms...replace and put new springs in when you put it back together! Track bar was already installed and adjusted, as well as brake lines. The t-case drop was done seperately.
Being a paying member does not mean i know everything, but refrain from telling me an experience i had is wrong. Anyone with a bit of useful knowledge should be able to do this lift themselves with the right tools in half a day easily. My professional mechanic did it in two....sorry you didnt have the same experience (if you even have a lifted jeep) or your competence level requires you to budget more time.
http://www.naxja.org/forum/payments.php
id love to continue this debate with you
Click to expand...

You obviously know everything and should go into business yourself...you can do this stuff so cheaply you'll put the rest of us out of business in a flash.

Are you really saying that if I don't own a lifted XJ right now, I don't know what I'm talking about?????? Dude, you know NOTHING about me. Period.

Newsflash...this is a free forum. I don't need to pay to say SPOBI:passgas:
 
Thanks i will reiterate...being a paying member does not mean i know everything, still not claiming that. Second, you still cant nullify my experience with my lift kit on my jeep. No response needed on this.
 
StylerG said:
Thanks i will reiterate...being a paying member does not mean i know everything, still not claiming that. Second, you still cant nullify my experience with my lift kit on my jeep. No response needed on this.
Click to expand...

Your "experience" involved swapping out springs on a rig which already had the springs out of. You said yourself it involved NOTHING ELSE (there is MUCH MORE involved than just some springs). But now there are people who don't really know any better thinking a full 3.5" kit should only take 2-4 hours because you said so. Now, when they come to me to get a quote, and I tell them how long it's really going to take (based on actually installing stuff like this on a very regular basis, and knowing first hand what's involved, as well as being unwilling to deliver an unfinished product), they think I'm just trying to rape them. Thanks.

SPOBI!!!!!!!!!
 
I paid close to $400 dollars for that two hours because i took it to an installer that charged a flat fee. Maybe you could consider something like that in your business. He is the one that should really get some credit for installing a FULL RE 3.5" kit in such a short time....
I am all for paying the price to install a lift kit! Its worth it for the professional tools installers have to deal with problems that can arise in the proper way! Take it to a shop, pay them whatever they want for it!
 
HEY STYLER, I'm a paying member, and I say SPOBI (Stop putting out Bullsh!t Info).

You overpaid for two hours at $400 or near it. You don't know what you're talking about. I've installed more than one lift from more than one brand, and they don't go in in 2 or 4 hours, EVEN if you PB Blast the hell out of them.

A half of a day, is that a work day or a full day which half of it would be 12 hours.

The guy you're bad mouthing, well, he's respected on more than one BB, maybe you should think about it before you spout off. You never know who you're talking to.

Styler, I want to talk to your mechanic, the wonder mechanic, and ask him how many hours it took to do the full lift. Two hours is SPOBI, it wasn't the full lift, unless your mechanic had 4-8 people working on it.

BigOrange, like Bob said, if you figure 8 hours at a normal rate of around $75/hr, you are looking at $600 for the installation. If your friends uncle has a shop, I wouldn't expect it same day, unless he has no other business that day!

As for trimming, it's dependant upon many things. What backspacing are you using? Are they 32x11.5 tires or a 32x9.5? Are you going to use extended flares?

Erik
 
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