rustys long arm or rubicon express ?

[scikoticxj232]

Hey there I am plannin to buy an xj for rock crawling and trail, but would also like to be able to swap gears for when I go and play out in the dunes the few times that I do ayear. I am planning on doing eighther a built 4.7 stroker or a 318 fuel injected swap into it.goal is to run eighther 35s or 37s. Other goals also include rubicon 44 up front and ford fab 9 in the rear. So now my question is should I buy a kit like rustys 8 inch to 8.5 inch kit or rubicon expresses kit, I priced both of them out today and rustys seems like a betterdeal. Or I could also fab up a three link front and four link rearsince I am a fabricator but I will be driving this rig around on the street a lot also. Thanks guys

 

[ktm racer 419]

sounds like ya got a lot of research ahead of you but ill help ya out a bit.

if you can fabricate, do it up. You can build your own system suited to your needs and come out with a better product than anything off the shelf. start looking into 3 links vs 4 links vs radius arm type suspensions.

swapping out gears? like ring and pinions? don't bother. a gearset that will work for crawling will also work well in the dunes. for 35's to 37's i reccomend somewhere in the 5.38 range (if you keep the 4.0 and stroke it). unless you plan on playing in the dunes at higher than 90 mph a lower gearset will get you to the fun speeds quicker.

and do some research on lift height. read around, then come to your own conclusions. you don't see 8+" lifts around as much as you used to. in my opinion there is no reason to go higher than 6" in any xj.

also, i have heard of people putting 318's in xj's and came to the conclusion they would have never done it again and just stroked the 4.0. It is a lot of work for the minimal gain they said.


and now for your axle choice. the only 9" i would run is a truehi9 (www.truehi9.com) the super low pinion on the 9" is a rock magnet. which rubicon 44? i would run a sleeved/trussed jk44. but the 44 offered in the tj's is much less desirable. i would look into a high pinion ford 44 (plenty of info in the axle swap sticky) and make that work.

 

[Begster]

Rustys is probably cheaper because isn't known for quality at all. RE is definitely a better choice than Rustys.

I agree with Sam, there really is no reason to lift your XJ to 8 inches espeically if you are going to be doing any dune driving.

 

[ocean_jet]

From my own personal experience, I would avoid ever using Rubicon Express leaf srpings.

I bought the 4.5" RE kit. I like everything except the leaf springs. They sagged very very quickly, Rubicon Express basically told me tough crap. (Specifically they told me that a leaf spring is considered a "wear item" and is not eligible for their "lifetime warranty").

There is a company who puts together hybrid kits that include parts from a variety of vendors... but I forget what company. You may want to check into that... and if I remember who, I will post it up.

 

[ocean_jet]

Oh, and as to the 8 inch lift... I agree. No need for such height.

I run 35's on the RE 4.5" kit with 3/4" coil spacers up front.

 

[ktm racer 419]

There is a company who puts together hybrid kits that include parts from a variety of vendors... but I forget what company. You may want to check into that... and if I remember who, I will post it up.

dpg offroad

 

[John D]

Rustys is probably cheaper because isn't known for quality at all. RE is definitely a better choice than Rustys.

Got almost 8 years on my Rusty's Long Arms and front springs, no problems with quality.

I've got nearly 8" on 35" tires and have never wanted to be lower (even on the dunes), but I can see the arguments for lower lift. For me, I am still un-cut in the rear with OEM flares, I prefer the way it looks.

If your going V8 definately go LS, you'll be VERY happy with the HP gains.

 

[scikoticxj232]

If a six inch kit would work than I would go that route, anyone have any links to some trucks I should look at for some ideas, I have ridden quads the majority of my life so dunes annd trail ridding is were my heart is but would love to get into rock climbing also, with the fab nine I was gonna build it myself to set up the rear end to clear the pinnion from rocks and so I can also back brace for strength. What would work best with thirty fives ? If the 4.0 can push me around than I would just stay with that. I joined this forum to get a better prospective on what I can do with this vehicle, also I know they are unibody so I was plannin on subframe connecters I could use to tie my roll cage into to stiffen the body up, I am mainly building this rig to showcase my fabrication skills and to. Stay different , I ain't seen no one back home runnin bigger than thirty threes but always bitchin they can't clear thirty fives. Thanks for the help guys any rigs you guys recomend me looking into that are done right and are affective ?

 

[ktm racer 419]

most of the build threads on naxja are a safe bet for ideas. lots of rigs i envy on here.

if you want it to handle the dunes nicely, check out the jeepspeed section and get some ideas from there. if you want to see what will handle the rocks there are some good builds in modified tech and advanced fab.

personally I built my jeep in the direction to be a reliable daily driver as well as take a beating on the rocks. lately I have been trying to get her to handle speed, but that is proving to be a slow process as it gets expensive to reliably go fast.

as she sits: dana44 front, 60 rear, locked at each end, 5.38 gears and pretty minimal armor (right now) just a belly skid, bumpers and sliders. but its enough to get me through what I want. custom mid-arm 3 link and about a 4" lift. here she is on 35's

here is the old shell in rockcrawling mode. nice and stable 2.5" and 37's

one thing to consider in your build, that I learned the hard way: try to use parts that are commonly available when possible. makes it quick and easy to locate parts and keep down time to a minimum. for example I use factory xj front driveshafts on both ends of my rig, monte carlo disc brakes in back and whatnot. i try to keep the custom stuff to a minimum.

 

[CumminsJeep]

out of the two? RE. hands down. I have had terrible luck with anything that has to do with rustys bushings and joints. and im not the only one.... Honestly, there are much better options out there than RE. It is a great kit, but I would def look at something like the T&T Customs kit. I also would not go anywhere over 6" of lift. I run roughly 5" of lift in the front and 4.5" in the rear on 35" tires and I like the way it sits. I feel like its a good median between good ground clearance and Lower COG. Anything over 6" is just not necessary IMO. If you can fab up your own 3 link or 4 link set up, go for it.

As for axle choice, obviously the 9 inch is a good option. however, like sam said, unless its a hi9, the third member becomes a rock magnet. But it will most likely be fine. D60 is another good option with a great aftermarket. I also wouldnt run a rubicon 44 unless you beef it up. It has all the guts of a D44 but still uses D30 axle tubes/knuckles/etc. I think one out of an older ford would be a better, and not to mention cheaper, option.

Lastly, I think a stroker would be a better option. A lot less work and similar gains in power from what i have seen

 

[redrider2911]

There is a company who puts together hybrid kits that include parts from a variety of vendors... but I forget what company. You may want to check into that... and if I remember who, I will post it up.

I've been putting some kits together piece by piece for specific customers and their needs. It usually revolves around cost but I think everyone is that way. lol Soon Im hoping to get more envolved with other vendors and company pricing so I can advertise a complete kit on my site. :cheers:

 

[hb davis]

:flame:I started my xj build one year ago. I went with RE because, I heard it was Quality stuff. I went long arm with dana 44s big dollars later. The jeeps only been in the dirt 4 times just slow trips testing the flex. Less then 2000 miles on the hwy to break things in.
The front long arm bushing made it to the first or 2nd trip out. RE replaced the bushing saying they had a problem with a supplier . The new bushing have failed already RE says they may have sent me bad bushing the 2nd time also.
Just removed my RE rear leaf springs tonight.( less then 2000 miles). The shackle bushings are gone. Re has sent me new shackle bushings ,the new bushings are much better looking. Now also the front of the leaf spring eye has moved over on the front bushing. Allowing the spring to hit the frame mount. RE has told me they will warranty the springs, but I will have to go through my supplier. My supplier has told me they cant get a response from RE. Good luck with you build!

 

[knucklehead 61]

i have t&t long arms on my green rig. much better design than RE arms plus has a built in belly armor.
my red rig has rustys long arms. they look beefy but hang down under the frame & attract rocks. also they have crappy end joints.
i think you should look into the t&t kit.

 

[doublestack]

Take a look at Clayton, they have the beefiest arm set up on the market. Performance is awesome!

 

[jeeperjohn]

Think about what your primary mode of off roading is going to be. Build your rig to accomplish that and get shocks that support the other mode. For example, if you will be primarily rock crawling, then set it up for that but get some shocks that can handle the desert and are adjustable, like Rancho 9000's or ProComp MX-6 adjustables. If your primary thing is the desert, then basically build a jeepspeed type of rig with some armor for the rocks.

 

[dick.breakey]

rusty? is that you again?

Got almost 8 years on my Rusty's Long Arms and front springs, no problems with quality.

I've got nearly 8" on 35" tires and have never wanted to be lower (even on the dunes), but I can see the arguments for lower lift. For me, I am still un-cut in the rear with OEM flares, I prefer the way it looks.

If your going V8 definately go LS, you'll be VERY happy with the HP gains.

 

[redrider2911]

lol I run rustys front coils and rear add a leaf. Originally was 8 inches overall but has now sagged to about 6.5 or 7. Also running their steel braided brake lines and shocks. I have not had any problems with the springs and brake lines but I've heard that rustys dont actually make their own springs though. I will say I wont buy their cheap 33 dollar shocks again.

 

[edgreeson65]

I've had a rusty's 8" long arm kit for 5 years w/ no problems, love the ride on road and off. I think some people need to hate something so they bag on rusty's. That said, if I were to do it all over again I might look in to the TNT kit because of the belly pan that is included & not having to hear peoples sh## when I tell them I run a rustys kit.:sure:

 

[fuzzydog]

I bought a Rusty's 6.5" long arm front suspension (used) 3or 4 yrs ago and it has served me very well - no issues at all. I have BDS 5" springs in the back and a 1.5" shackle (or something like that, that adds up to 6.5 - it was a long time ago).
Went on a wheeling trip this weekend with a lifted and rear-locked YJ and a 4runner and I could go places they could not, simply because my suspension kept the tires on the ground. I also have sway bar discos
I even have Rusty's infamous track bar and it has held up just fine

 

[stoneydude]

For a good 6" kit look at BDS. Springs made in the USA with quality steel unlike some other companies that have out sourced to china.