Rusty's 3" questions

-I kno its been asked a thousand times and there are people who swear by his parts and people who hate his pats but i need some honest answers...
-I just ordered a 3" kit from him with full leaf packs and the upgrade to 180lb spring rate....I also got an adjustable trac bar, exhaust system, and adjustable LCAs
-I also bought an OME steering stab, JKS quicker discos, skyjacker T-Case lowering kit.

A Few questions...
1. does anyone have this lift? tell me quality, flex ec..
2. any other parts i should look into buying
3. i'm running 31's... recommendation for tires? looking to go cheap like an Interco trxus mt but if they blow then i will drop the extra loot
4. I got a k%n intake system, hiflow cat, flowmaster, and the new tail pipe, also have a bored tb, a flex a lite fan and a tranny cooler... it grew some balls with all the stuff so kno need to regear right??

thanks a bunch to whoever posts

no need to regear with 31s. good kit, I've got the 180# springs and wish I had the full packs!! Love rusty's products, but hate their shipping!

You could go with larger tires, like 32 with a tiny bit of trimming. that's what I'm running right now with very minimal trimming, like just the very edges. I rub at full flex..but it's only plastic(mostly atleast).

THanks man good to hear that its a good kit..

Am i going to eat gas ridin' 31s with 3.55s or will it only effect slightly do you think?

o and can someone explain to me what the difference between LSD and powertrax No slip diff is?? and is it worth i to get?

good lift running rustys components in my brewed 5 inch lift. don't install the t-case drop until you figure out if you have vibes or not i don't have any at all and no tcase drop, FYI their trackbar sucks i have it and can't find a rod end to replace the TRE at the frameside, beside that it works well. no you wont eat gas with 31's i get 245 + to a tank with 33's and 3.55's any more questions?

if i give back the trac bar from rusty's what company should i go with...
and i i get their econo boost with the 1.75" greasable shakle and the 1.75" spacer can i combine the lift for an almost 5" that will ride good... i need this thing for a lot of high way driving but if that works i'm interested...

anybody runnin' trxus mts??

what the most worthwhile thing to get for $300 for the XJ now that i have my lift and stuff?

no slip diff worth it?

whats a good shock to replace the rustys ones with?.... OME?

LilRhodyXJ said:

if i give back the trac bar from rusty's what company should i go with...
and i i get their econo boost with the 1.75" greasable shakle and the 1.75" spacer can i combine the lift for an almost 5" that will ride good... i need this thing for a lot of high way driving but if that works i'm interested...

anybody runnin' trxus mts??

what the most worthwhile thing to get for $300 for the XJ now that i have my lift and stuff?

no slip diff worth it?

whats a good shock to replace the rustys ones with?.... OME?

Click to expand...

as far as the track bar goes, rubicon express makes a good adjustable, i've seen a few of them floating around the for sale forum used, another good one is the jks adjustable trackbar, its pricey but you get what you pay for. the rustys one is good they just use a hard to find thread on the end so if you want to switch to a heim or another style joint your kinda up the creek. i looked through the entire aurora catalog (custom racing rod ends and such) and still couldn't find one to fit. i have the same 3" plus BB setup and drive 70 to 100 miles daily and it rides like a dream, right now i'm running bilstein 5150's but i ran the rustys shocks for awhile and they ran fine, heads up though if you combe lift to 5 inches order the shocks that come with the 4.5 inch kit, if you use the three inchers youll rip out the bar pins every weekend, also you have to take into account extending ALL the brakelines, go to a scrap yard and nab a rear brakeline off a yj its long enough for 5 inches and you won't have to use that stupid brakeline extension bracket.

as far as the truxus mt's i've never run them but i haven't heard much good about how they wear on the road, ask around about maxxis bighorns i've heard a lot of good things and almost bought a set but then got a great deal on used claws

and no slip diff (i think you mean the powertrax locker) worth its weight in gold. now that you have a lift and tires i would definently invest in a locker either front or rear. my first locker was in the front only and you donb't know its there on the street but it made a world of difference on the trail, definently a good investment. now i'm locked in the front and spooled on the rear, and still daily drive it any more questions?

I am not running trxus MTs mainly because I found a deal on other tires that was too good to pass up on, but they will most likely be my next set of tires. I know people who run them and love them, both for street and off road.

thanks for all the help my last questions are

if i were to get what power trax calls a no slip non selectable locker for my 8.25 will i have to buy a a master rebuild kit its only got 88000 miles on it and Lock rite for my front dana 30 worth it? does it make a lot of noise?

shortxjdoug what locker do you have?

thanks again!

also i've tried to search for this and i haven't found exactly what i'm lookin for but does anyone have push button start my key is really hard to turn past a cc and on postions and sometimes takes a stompin of the brakes and violent shakin of my wheel to get it to start...when ur in a rush its really f**kin annoying... so if somebody can help please do because i read the articles about NSS and what not but i dont understand...

i just finished installing that lift. just make sure you have a ll the stupid small shit that he doesnt include in his lift. it will nickle and dime you..

and the lift will be enough for 31s i run that kit and i fit 34s under it.

what is the exact small stuff you need and how do u like ur kit?

i got steering stab, adjustable lower control arms, jks discos, and adjustable trac bar anything else

o i got a tcase drop to did u need it?

small stuff. misc nuts and bolts that they do not include. i bought new lower control arms, sye, trac bar, new u bolts, shim for axle..

i like the kit alot.

spray everything down with some pb blaster and give it a few good soaks. make sure you hit every bolt. you will know if you miss one. and be prepared to break all the upper rear shock bolts

sh** i'm almost out of money what nuts and bolts don't they include?






anybody for answering my older questions
-differences between lsd and no slip diff?
-push button start setup?

there are no bolts included so if you break one you will be making a parts run. i made alot of those.

make sure you have pb blaster handy during the install. and make sure you get longer brake lines and you will need brake fluid..

i moved my brake lines already for the install you cna use the holes hear the brake line braket to move it over and pull a little more line out and it works great friend did it on a 4.5" kit so i copied


thanks for all your help though

I am running Rusty's 3" lift with TrxUs MT's. I have 4.10 gears but could still feel a lot of power loss after the tires came on. (This might be caused by my very tired 2.5 l though :eeks1: )

LilRhodyXJ said:

thanks for all the help my last questions are

if i were to get what power trax calls a no slip non selectable locker for my 8.25 will i have to buy a a master rebuild kit its only got 88000 miles on it and Lock rite for my front dana 30 worth it? does it make a lot of noise?

shortxjdoug what locker do you have?

thanks again!

Click to expand...

the lock rite is a spider gear replacement it simply replaces the spider gears, no need to rebuild any of the axle components, skip the overhaul kits you will have to pull the ring gear to slide the locker in the carrier just make sure to put it back on with loc tite and 90 ft-lbs of torque. i have a detroit ez locker in the fron, basically the exact same thing as the lock rite, the only time it makes noise is at full lock during a u turn, never hear a chirp out of it and others who drive my xj don't notice that there is a locker in the front.

diff between lsd and no-slip, an lsd is basically an open diff with a little more "stick" to it. you will still spin one tire if if comes off the ground or loses traction, no-slip each side is locked together, if one loses traction it doesn't matter the other side will pulle just as hard, best setup to run with is the no slip, driven right and with care a locked axle is a lot easier on the rig.

and the key prob, Does your jeep have the gm column (round not square and plastic) non airbag column. i had the same problem in my 87 i replaced the key cylinder for under 20 dollars, the problem is that the key as well as the tumblers inside wear out, mine was the same way and then one day i got in it and i couldn't turn the key, its an easy intall you just need a steering wheel puller.
hope this helps

I am planning to purchase this kit very soon, and have been doing research to make sure all my ducks are in a row.

I have a '97 XJ and have heard/read various experiences with the lift. I've even read articles about the 4.5" lift not needing a SYE? Some say that a SYE is ABSOLUTELY necessary, while others claim that a TC drop kit will work just fine?

I guess I will find out the real answer after the install? I was also thinking about combining the 3" kit with the 1.75" rustys BB, but I don't want to push it and end up having all king of vibes/problems.

Can anyone with a '97+ XJ confirm any of these claims?

rescuejeeper said:

I am planning to purchase this kit very soon, and have been doing research to make sure all my ducks are in a row.

I have a '97 XJ and have heard/read various experiences with the lift. I've even read articles about the 4.5" lift not needing a SYE? Some say that a SYE is ABSOLUTELY necessary, while others claim that a TC drop kit will work just fine?

I guess I will find out the real answer after the install? I was also thinking about combining the 3" kit with the 1.75" rustys BB, but I don't want to push it and end up having all king of vibes/problems.

Can anyone with a '97+ XJ confirm any of these claims?

Click to expand...

Couple things:

The slip-yoke changeover was in 96, one year before the body change.

The need for SYE isn't based on the type or brand of lift, the mere fact that it's being lifted is what typically requires the change.

Is there a way to tell in advance whether you'll need an SYE? No. However, it's a solution to the vibes that inevitably pop up. Have you heard of people who are running 6" lift and a stock driveshaft? Yup - and I don't believe for a minute that they are making a good decision.