Pay for a shop to install 3" RC lift, or DIY-able?

Hey all, so I finally decided that I need to lift the XJ, well, I dont need to lift it, but since all the shocks and the leafs need replaced anyways, might as well, right? I decided on the 3" RC series II System with the full leaf packs and LCA's. Now, i've done a few lifts myself, but nothing on a SFA vehicle, just IFS systems. My last one was on my 05 f150, and i swore i would never lift another vehicle myself again, however, my buddy is telling me this will be a cake walk, two days TOPS with lots of beer and the three of us.

So, what say the pro's? Weekend doable or just pay the shop $60/hour to do it?

Lots of PB Blaster or equivalent the week prior.

do it yourself, its easy...

awesome, thanks guys! Any advice on if i might need anything else or will this kit set me up pretty good?! I wont be doing any hardcore wheeling for a while, mostly this winter once the snow hits.

Also, think those springs can handle the weight of a winch bumper?

Not sure if they salt the piss out of the roads in Iowa. So be prepared and just buy new leaf spring bolts a head of time.

Its easy. Did my 4.5'' in 12 hours combined with one buddy. As stated above, PB blast the heck out of it a week before.

For the bumper, I have a winch bumper and winch attached and it dropped maybe 1/8". Hardly even noticeable

Good luck!

Super simple driveway install. I've done enough of them now that I did my father-in-laws 3" kit by myself in 6 hrs, but we are in ca, so we don't run into the rust issues much.

I wound up needing to get a new adjustable track bar and new stabilizer. It took me a while to do this exact install. I was by myself and had a lot of problems with the rear leaf spring bolts. Once I bought new ones and a grinder it went pretty well. I'm having some pretty good vibrations I'm wondering about the shims that came attached to the leaf packs and if I really needed them or not. I think they might have my rear pinion pointing down and out of spec. I'm wondering if I should remove them? I don't have an SYE or a transfer case drop.

I'd say solid axle vehicles are simpler than independent setups...

But rust will make any job a PITA. On the front, things aren't so bad. On the rear, the front leaf spring bolt can be anywhere from a minor annoyance to a huge f****** problem.

On the upside, someone has already run into any issue you may run into and there are multiple solutions, but you will probably have an issue of some sort that has to be dealt with.

So, what made you swear off lifts in the past, and what is your time worth to you? As lift installations go, you won't find much else that is simpler as far as the basic process. But if you have to deal with rusted/siezed/broken bolts, things escalate quickly.

USAF007 said:

Hey all, so I finally decided that I need to lift the XJ, well, I dont need to lift it, but since all the shocks and the leafs need replaced anyways, might as well, right? I decided on the 3" RC series II System with the full leaf packs and LCA's. Now, i've done a few lifts myself, but nothing on a SFA vehicle, just IFS systems. My last one was on my 05 f150, and i swore i would never lift another vehicle myself again, however, my buddy is telling me this will be a cake walk, two days TOPS with lots of beer and the three of us.

So, what say the pro's? Weekend doable or just pay the shop $60/hour to do it?

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LOL, I found myself in the same postion. Leaf springs flat, all the shocks were dead and the Jeep rode like total shit. Might as well lift it right?

Took my father and me a day to do it. Do research on the best methods for certian hang-ups like rear upper shock bolts, leaf spring bolts, bushings ect. Also buy new bolts if you live in the salt belt.

I had to tear down and rebuild/upgrade my RC long arm kit and theres no way I would pay a shop to do it. As long as you can get your old bolts out the kit should go in pretty easy. Not sure if you're changing out your track bar or not but the axle end bolt was by far the hardest thing to replace for me since the nut didn't have a tab on it.

Another suggestion would be to replace the smaller cheap metric bolts that come with the kit with good quality grade 8 bolts. The 7/16 bolts I bought to replace the 10mm fit much more snugly in the sleeves that came with my poly bushings and Currie joints.

I just lifted my '92 this weekend. RE 4.5" Superflex lift and new spring pack. Don't have a shop do it. Grab a buddy and a case of beer. Leaf bolts are a b****!!!! Make sure to use jack stands to keep the body up while you have a jack free for the axles. Might want to look into a shim set for the rear. My u joint at the TC was a little close. I used 6 degree from RE but on a 3" lift you may only need a smaller degree. My buddy installed a 4.5" RC lift and the problem he had was the stock rim hitting the steering. Said he had to get wheels with 3.75"backspacing. Hope this help and enjoy doing it yourself.

It's easy enough to do, just buy a lot of extra beer in preparation for rust kicking your ass !

JGR1517 said:

As stated above, PB blast the heck out of it a week before.

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As someone who has helped out people who "PB blasted the hell out of it" ahead of time, please remember that PB blaster only works on the bolts, so just hit the heads, nuts, and gaps where the PB blaster can penetrate to the bolt itself. Coating the entire square foot of area where the bolt sits only makes a drippy mess to work on and will probably cost you more beer.

The wd40 rust remover is 1000 x better than Pb Imo.

thanks guys! All the info is greatly appreciated. Have decided to do it myself, unless i can find one of the local guys to do it for less than $250, which I seriously doubt will happen. Hopefully the 3" lift will be a noticeable difference with the brand new 235's, I would hate to do this and not really notice it haha. i know most people say do 31's with the 3" lift, but I JUST bought the 235's so unless I could find someone to buy the 235's off of me i doubt ill be upgrading anytime soon.

As for the question abotu what made me swear off lifts.

I've owned 3 other 4x4 vehicles before the XJ, including a 98 TJ. The TJ was lifted when I bought it, but the other two(a 00 Ranger, and 05 f150) I lifted myself. The Ranger had a 4" suspension and 3" body lift on it sitting on 35's. And the f150 just had a 6" skyjacker on 35's. The f150 was the biggest PITA out of all the projects i've taken on with my vehicles, and I did some serious modding to the ranger. I suppose it was mostly due to me doing it myself, and with hand tools instead of a lift/air tools like i had with the ranger.

I will have air ratchets and impact wrenches for the XJ, but no lift, so jack stands and a jack will have to do. the plan is to start on a Friday and finish up sunday so i can get the alignment done monday.

Buy a torch and dont waste time with PB. Find a place that sells BG products, and get their penetrant, I think its call BG inforce, its in a green can. Its pricey, but its also the last penetrant you'll ever need.

Good Luck and enjoy the DIY. :cheers:

thanks guys!!