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What have I gotten myself into?

xCWolf

xCWolf

Bring the Boom
NAXJA Member
Location
Boston
So I'm starting to assemble parts for the front half of my 3" lift.

I'm going with rusty's 3" springs, rancho rs7000 front shocks, RE adjustable track bar, and unsure of control arms. I need upper AND lower adjustables it looks like? And sway bar disconnects haven't really decided on the brand.

I feel like I'm forgetting parts.

I'm going to drop the tcase until I can afford an SYE and driveshaft.

Do I NEEEEED adjustable control arms if I'm sticking with this lift?
Can I go with the solid ones if they're made for a 3" lift?
If I go solid the only difference is I can't adjust caster angle?

Also, doing the rear is FARRR easier than figuring out all these parts for the front. Kinda wish the front was leaf sprung lol.

Oh well thanks for reading my ramblings!
 
If you can swing adjustable upper and lower I would recommend it for the simple reason of being able to accommodate any future changes down the road. Bare minimum I would go with adjustable uppers.
 
at 3 inches... it really depends on your use.

i prefer fixed lowers, no jam nut to beat on rocks and loosen up. you still have adjustment in the stock adjuster. depending on your use you may be just fine with stock uppers. but it is a good idea to replace them if you can. they are known to bend. i dont personally see the need for adjustable uppers with short arms, but its your money. my only argument against doing adjustable uppers and lowers is that it isnt cheap, your not far from long arm money at that point.

be sure to put extended brake lines on your list.
 
Ok cool so I think that was part of my concern. A long arm setup is totally different from your standard adjustable control arms which I didn't realize. My use is daily driving and minor offroading no serious rock crawling. If I wanted to rock crawl I'd build a buggy or something off a yj/tj frame.

So at what point should I be considering long arms?

Oh and brake lines! thanks for that I knew I was forgetting something on my list!
 
At 3 inches of lift, fixed lowers and stock uppers are just fine for light to moderate 4 wheeling. If you go much higher, you would probably want to look at control arm drop brackets and having one set of adjustable control arms. If you go with bigger tires and not much lift, you would probably want both sets of arms to be adjustable.

Long arms are nice, but certainly not required, especially for light to moderate 4 wheeling. My 2000 is at 5.5 inches of lift a using fixed lowers, adjustable uppers, and control arm drop brackets.
 
Doing a bit more research it looks like I'd have to weld in longarms. As much as I'd love to do that I don't think a welder is in my budget plus I don't have 220 in my house. Looks like fixed upper and lower is what I'm going to do. I can always get long arms later if necessary.
 
xCWolf said:
Doing a bit more research it looks like I'd have to weld in longarms. As much as I'd love to do that I don't think a welder is in my budget plus I don't have 220 in my house. Looks like fixed upper and lower is what I'm going to do. I can always get long arms later if necessary.
Click to expand...

Most of the long arm kits are bolt-in...
 
xCWolf said:
Interesting I must have found the exception to the rule than
Click to expand...

Theeeeeeen of course is the whole Radius Arm vs. the Three Link vs. the Four Link discussion.

:lecture:

LOL.

:wave:

See you in a couple weeks!

:D
 
I'm at 3.5" with stock uppers/lowers with energy bushings. Rides stiff but drives fine, even at 90. Been that way for over 100k miles with no weird tire wear or handling concerns. Wind sucks but it's a Jeep and nothing does well in the Columbia gorge winds. Mostly a daily driver with some off-road. About 95% street.
 
As some others have said, at the least go with adjustable uppers, do not leave factory if you ever plan on wheeling. I have completely snapped 3 so far.
 
Oh yeah I have no intention of keeping factory. Driving around Boston everyday is pretty much the same as wheeling lol
 
I got the OME-XJ3 kit from jeepinoutfitters and checked every option box for the kit.

So OME springs and leafs, rubicon express sway bar discos, track bar, brake hose extensions and LCAs and trans case drop and 31s. 15k miles later I'm still very happy with the kit. I like the way it handles everything. It's good at everything. Around town here in pot hole land it's a dream. I don't cringe if I hit one accidentally. It's no caddy, but a caddy can't make it up some of my favorite roads.

To your post, I'd say as long as you get similar parts like in that kit you should be good with 3inches of lift.
 
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