long arm question

Ok, so im trying to lift the xj to 6.5" and make it a long arm set up. My question is this. I already have the rustys 4.5" lift and i was planing on moving up to 6.5" on a budget. What else needs to be done?

This is what i was looking to get:
long arm kit
sye
ds
2" rear shackles
6.5" coils
new shocks

am i missing anything or is it "technically" that easy...haha

tia for the dumb noobie question

if you dont already have them, i would get a heavy duty trackbar and bracket.

you may also need to look at a steering upgrade

what size tires are you going to be running? what rear axle do you have and what axle gear ratio do you have?

may need longer shocks, brake lines, and sway bar disconnects

Track bar
Steering

Those 2 items will make you hate the upgrade unless you are prepared to tackle them.

the track bar & bracket will definitly be looked into before / during install of new lift. Im not sure if i have one that will work already or not.

1 ton steering is also in the works, just need a litttlleeee more money for that one

planing on going with 35's. Front HP30 w/ 4.56, aussie, alloys ... 8.25 w/ 4.56, no-slip and alloys.

was also thinking about trussin the front later too.

I have the rusty's bracket and adjustable track bar I'm trying to sell.

You can get cheap steering from a ZJ for now and it will have the length you need and some better strength than the stock XJ steering.

You can either go shackles or blocks...Though many hate the block idea, it does work and has built in pinion angle correction.

Front can go pucks, 6.5 springs, acos your choice.

Arms for front...drop brackets for better angle short arm, do adjustable short arms...or go long arm $$$

Drive shaft....You can get a YJ slip yoke for more length and still run the stock shaft. Most will say SYE or you will have vibs...I ran 7" lift in rear with no vibes at all using YJ slip. But maybe I was lucky.

Otherwise you have the basic info. Options above all work when used properly.

Bouncy said:

I have the rusty's bracket and adjustable track bar I'm trying to sell.

You can get cheap steering from a ZJ for now and it will have the length you need and some better strength than the stock XJ steering.

You can either go shackles or blocks...Though many hate the block idea, it does work and has built in pinion angle correction.

Drive shaft....You can get a YJ slip yoke for more length and still run the stock shaft. Most will say SYE or you will have vibs...I ran 7" lift in rear with no vibes at all using YJ slip. But maybe I was lucky.

Click to expand...

I'd avoid the Rusty's trackbar components...especially used ones.

The issue isnt strength, its the angles at that height and the crappy Y steering design.

Please dont put 2" blocks in the rear, when a shackle is a better option.

I bet you still chewed up u-joints. Do it right, go SYE. You wont regret it. Your jeep will thank you!

I am getting a sye, that i know is a must. Coils are going in the front, no spacers. The rear already has 1.5" blocks with leafs, im just adding the 2" shackles for now until i can get a full set of 4.5" leafs and then i will get rid of the blocks, but so far i have had no trouble with the blocks in there.

i think i will try to do the zj tie rods, but just need to find one first.

My main concern is... is there anything else needed to do the lift besides what i posted in the 1st post? Because if there isnt, i will be placing the order today

so things to check....
1. track bar... may need to swap to a HD one
2. Steering ... going with ZJ or 1 ton

anything else??

JNickel101 said:

I'd avoid the Rusty's trackbar components...especially used ones.

The issue isnt strength, its the angles at that height and the crappy Y steering design.

Please dont put 2" blocks in the rear, when a shackle is a better option.

I bet you still chewed up u-joints. Do it right, go SYE. You wont regret it. Your jeep will thank you!

Click to expand...

Track bar wasn't an issue nor the drop bracket. The issues I had were with the rusty's upper control arms knocking like crazy and they were new.

My "used" track bar is still in good shape as it was used for 4 wheeling trips and then replaced with a long arm kit.

Block...Like I mentioned many hate them. But they are a cheap method of lift. And yes shackles are a better option.

Chewed up u-joints. Not a single one. SYE is better yes but for $250-500 for SYE unless going hack-n-tap for $80...A $20 YJ slip yoke was a simple solution without any problems or vibes.

I think most people tend to throw parts on and not take time to actually measure all angles before driving it. The immediate response from everyone is OMG you did over 3 inches..GET SYE ASAP and as much as an SYE is a good idea and good product, you CAN run 6-7 inches of lift without it.

Not everyone has $500 laying around for a new shaft and SYE kit. Nor do they want to tear into a t-case to replace the output shaft and housing.

I managed 7" lift for under 1k, did 4 trips with it and had a blast. Found the clayton long arm kit for 1k used, got a deal on stroker motor parts and called in a favor for machine time. 2k upgrade and I am now a 4.7 stroker, sye, 8" long arm. Its all about mega cheap wheeling and making thing WORK rather than dumping 20k on a jeep to wheel 3-4 times a year.