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Long Arm 'Upgrade'

With Rocky Road telling me their drop brackets are meant for stock/OEM length control arms I emailed JKS since that's the adj. CA I have.
Reply: "With the JKS arms as short as you can make them, they will be at stock length".

So of course, I'm contacting RR again to see what they say.

$100 more for RR over RE it appears but the RR include the rear 'brace'. Still looking for others if you care to recommend.

Mixed signals from RR. On the phone was told the above.

Latest email:

"Actually, our CAD kits can work with stock or aftermarket control arms.
Most control arms are designed for a fixed length for 3-4" of lift, if the Jeep has more lift, then even with fixed control arms, our CAD kits work excellent.

That said, adjustable control arms are ideal since you can fine-tune the length of the control arm to compensate for their drop. So it is no problem at all to use our CAD kit with adjustable control arms.

This will work for your setup!"

Their brackets are $240
 
rockyroads web page reads, and looks, like a spam email selling enlargement pills.

Sensationalist claims, bad mouthing other options, and random opinions shown as facts that are there to make you say "yeah, I need that!"

I would never give them a dime. I'd much sooner give it to rough country for drop brackets. I had Rubicon Express's a long time ago... they were great.
 
rockyroads web page reads, and looks, like a spam email selling enlargement pills.

Sensationalist claims, bad mouthing other options, and random opinions shown as facts that are there to make you say "yeah, I need that!"

I would never give them a dime. I'd much sooner give it to rough country for drop brackets. I had Rubicon Express's a long time ago... they were great.

That's the Rocky Road I've always known, started with a bad deal 15yrs ago!
 
rockyroads web page reads, and looks, like a spam email selling enlargement pills.

Sensationalist claims, bad mouthing other options, and random opinions shown as facts that are there to make you say "yeah, I need that!"

I would never give them a dime. I'd much sooner give it to rough country for drop brackets. I had Rubicon Express's a long time ago... they were great.

Agreed. I'm looking at other brands and trying to find some with support bracket included or at least available option.
 
Rubicon express and rough country both make them. Much better choice than rr....

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
Looks like Rough Country does have the rear support.

All say 4.5" minimum lift. Looks like new springs might be in order also since my OME is 3.5"

Thanks.
 
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Let's say 3.5" myswell be 4" and damn near 4.5.

Bolt them on whatever lift height your at. The lower the better 3" is perfect get some good flatter arms and much nicer ride then drop brackets on 4-6 lifts.
 
The RE brackets drop about 3”, so at a 3” lift they’ll get you about stock angles. The braces are not included, but are available.
 
The RE brackets drop about 3”, so at a 3” lift they’ll get you about stock angles. The braces are not included, but are available.

Available from where? Looked for 2 days.

Ordered from Rough Country instead.
 
4wheelparts, Amazon, Summit Racing?

Doesn’t bother me, sounds like you made a good choice. :cheers:

Phil,

Sorry if I came off snappy. I honestly thought you were RE replying to my inquiry(read it on my phone) . They eventually did but did not answer the question of whether I could get the support brace.
:dunno:

Thanks. I'll be just fine with the RC.
 
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The RE brackets drop about 3”, so at a 3” lift they’ll get you about stock angles. The braces are not included, but are available.

Using this methodology to measure lift (top of axle tube to "frame" bottom):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_6NpuCc_wI&ab_channel=NickInTimeFilms

I come up with 3.75" rear and 4.0" front. This is with tire carrier rear bumper, 33 x 10.50 KM2, high lift and RotoPax + gas tank skid and nearly full tank, along with all my recovery gear, fluids, etc. in the back (as it would be on the trail). AJ's winch bumper w/9000# Warn winch on the front.

Also FWIW, using a level with the rig on the floor it looks like the rear mount of the lower control arm is 4" above level with the front mount (center-center bolts) and an angle of 16* on the LCA.

If the RC CA brackets are 3" like the RE it sounds like it might work fine. Not doubting you guys, just checking things out (RC brackets are on their way).

With drop shackles already on the rear I'm thinking the addition of some lift with SRB, to improve shackle angle, might give it the stance and ride I'm after.

Also noticed one of my front bump stops laying in the bottom of the spring perch. Brittle/broken.

Appreciate all the feedback.
 
Long arms. It’s easier to upgrade axles moving forward if you already have long arms to locate the axles. With short arms the first thing you’ll do when you want to replace axles is go long arm which just makes it more expensive.

When stuff starts breaking is when you’ll want to upgrade axles because they’re stronger than upgrading the ones you have. Same concept with long arms.
 
Why would long arms make swapping axles easier.

My axle will work with short or long arms. Actually ran short arms raised on the axle end for awhile.
Even ran it 3link with johny joint in the factory driver side upper. However that was short lived because i pretzled the upper link.

If I ever go super duty axles ill build brackets to match my arms wich also match factory angles there just raised for nearly flat arms.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
Long arms. It’s easier to upgrade axles moving forward if you already have long arms to locate the axles. With short arms the first thing you’ll do when you want to replace axles is go long arm which just makes it more expensive.

When stuff starts breaking is when you’ll want to upgrade axles because they’re stronger than upgrading the ones you have. Same concept with long arms.

I'm way too old to be thinking about many more upgrades, and not axles for sure. FYI the diffs I have are from Eric Zappe's old XJ (Sierra Chapter EricsXJ) and pictured on the cover of his first XJ book, so they are built about as well as possible with Yukon axles, 4-wheel discs, ARB lockers, skids on everything, catcher's mask diff covers, Warn hubs..

https://smile.amazon.com/High-Perfo...=1605416368&sprefix=eric+zappe,aps,223&sr=8-3

456 with 33s and I don't see going to 35s anytime, at least until I wear out the like new KM2s. Fenders are trimmed + Rusty's steel fenders so clearance has not been an issue even with only 4" of lift. And it's a trail/hunting rig (with plenty of Nevada pin-striping) and as much as I think I'd like to run the Rubicon or Moab, the odds are slim.. rock crawling doesn't stoke my fire, and there are thousands of miles of BLM/USFS trails in the Western states I frequent. Hopefully with the way I drive it I won't be breaking stuff. Maybe if/when I chain it up on all 4 in the snow I'll have to be extra cautious.

If I was starting from scratch on a stock XJ I'd probably go with tons or such, at least D44 and 9in (of which I had both at one time, before the XJ that were to go in a '50 Willys pickup I HAD .. oops).

Thanks for the input tho', I'm just trying to optimize the setup I have.
 
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Why would long arms make swapping axles easier.

My axle will work with short or long arms. Actually ran short arms raised on the axle end for awhile.
Even ran it 3link with johny joint in the factory driver side upper. However that was short lived because i pretzled the upper link.

If I ever go super duty axles ill build brackets to match my arms wich also match factory angles there just raised for nearly flat arms.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


You can reuse your long arms for super duty axles. You can’t with short arms unless you bend them.

You do you.
 
Maybe . I can't say as I've done the swap yet. Have you?

If supper duty link width can't get close to stock xj then my brackets at the frame will need to be adjusted to mach. Width is likely wider on dana60. However if not to drastic heims on axle and frame could make up for some miss alignment.

Maybe someday I'll have advice to give on the subject instead of jibberish off topic stuff like most mis informing replies are

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
Maybe . I can't say as I've done the swap yet. Have you?

If supper duty link width can't get close to stock xj then my brackets at the frame will need to be adjusted to mach. Width is likely wider on dana60. However if not to drastic heims on axle and frame could make up for some miss alignment.

Maybe someday I'll have advice to give on the subject instead of jibberish off topic stuff like most mis informing replies are

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


The super duty links aren’t close to XJ width. You’ll have to change the axle end of you links to a more flexible joint. This guy did the Artec truss with that axle and built his own because you have to bend them more for a short arm kit. I look forward to you’re link design since you’ll have real world experience.

How would you adjust the control arm brackets at the fea to go wider? Cut them off and weld them outside the ‘frame’ of the XJ? Seems more complicated than doing a long arm kit with intentions of upgrading later.


https://irate4x4.com/jeep/16027-dana-60-14-bolt-2-door-build/page2
 
This is a thread about bolt on long arms and drop brackets. I guarantee that is a different target market than one ton custom axles. Also, people’s skills, interests, and tools change over time. Also, not everyone is going to put one ton axles under a mild trail XJ.

I guarantee I am never going to take my little Wagoneer bigger than a D30/D44 combo and I am fine with that.
 
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