mack said:
are all the new kits adjustable?
Here's some answers to questions I've not yet answered. Thought it would be better to do them publicly in case others had the same questions.
On our kit the caster can be adjusted by increasing the length of the upper control arms. I think we measured at one point in time...you can go +/- .020" with half of a turn.
We now ship all kits with adjustable lower control arms. Since they are designed for 4.5" and up, they are set to be bottomed out for the 4.5" guys and will require un-threading a little for the taller guys. You get about 3.75" of thread on the NeX Joints (our threaded RE Flex Joint assembly) and we strongly recommend keeping 1" positive engagement bare minimum - so you can get 2.75" of lengthening out of them to get your diff where it needs to be. Already the arms are adjusted to center the wheel in the wheel well so, in essense, they're already pretty close as shipped for the 6" guys.
Install Tips/Tricks:
Since I just installed a Y-link on our latest shop rig (dont have a slick name for it yet), all of my thoughts are fresh - so here you go.
Protect Yourself
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You're gonna spend a little time under the rig. Get a pair of safety glasses and some good long cuffed gloves. You're gonna do some grinding and drilling and all of it will come from above. It isn't bad if you protect your arms.
Mounting the Belly Pan
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To mount your belly pan you're going to drill 6 holes through the unibody. The purpose is to insert sleeve tubing through the unibody so the braces can be anchored without crushing it. Here's the process and it was a snap for me doing it this way:
TOOLS
a) Get a 3/4" hole saw with drill guide. It will cost you about $7.50 at a Lowes/Home Depot type hardware store.
b) Determine what size the drill guide is for the holesaw. Get standard and a long drill big that's just a hair smaller than the drill guide. The long drill bit will need to be long enough to go through the uni-body rail +1" or so.
c) Get a 9/16" drill bit. A standard length should make it through the rails. The one I purchased did with no issues.
d) Get a center punch of some type. It helps for starting the holes where you want them.
e) You're gonna need a drill. Here's a little info about drilling metal - a small drill bit (say 1/4") needs to spin, without looking it up, about 1000 rpm. A 5/8" drill bit needs to spin 175 rpm. If you have a drill that is dual or tripple range, that's the drill you want to use. Word to the wise, don't try to spin a 5/8" drill bit at 1000 rpm. You'll smoke the bit and likely break your arm if it catches unexpectedly. Be patient and run the drill slow. If you do, you'll see the chips eject steadily.
HOW-TO
1) First mark your unibody rails following the instructions.
2) Then once you've marked where the holes go, use your punch to make a starting spot for your drill bit.
3) Use your short small drill bit and drill through the outer shell of the unibody. It's basically two pieces of sheet metal so you should pop through it rather quickly. The straigtness of this hole isn't critical but you should practice drilling perpendicular to the unibody and parallel to the floor.
4) Switch to your long drill bit (the same size as the last one you just used). Push the bit through the new hole and, while perpendicular to the unibody and parallel to the floor, drill through the other side. This is a blind drill but totally doable. Again concentrate on the perpendicular/parallel thing.
5) Switch to your 3/4" hole saw. Since the guide bit is a bit larger than the hole that's already there, it will do an excellent job centering itself the way it needs to. Drill it in and let the hole saw do the work. Remember, a hole saw is the same as a large drill bit so you don't need max RPM to get through quickly. Keet it slow and steady and it will last you quite some time (well beyond the 6 holes you'll do)
6) Switch to the 9/16" drill bit. Insert it into your newly cut 3/4" hole and use the small hole on the other side (which was made by the long bit in step #4). The small hole will now be used as a guide for the 9/16" bit...drill away. Again, remember the perpendicular/parallel thing.
IMPORTANT: Only drill the 3/4" hole on the outside of the unibody. The inside will be resized to 9/16". The reason you do the outside hole only is that the inside (when kept at 9/16" will retain the sleeve for you and only the bolt needs to go through.
Tapping the Uni-body
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Our pan uses 6 mounting holes in the unibody. 4 of them are already tapped but two are not. You will need to purchase a 10 x 1.5 metric tap to do this. The holes are already the correct ID so buy the tap and you're good to go. Again the secret is to go slow and keep the tap square to the hole. You can use Tap Magic (cutting oil) or you can do it dry. Doesn't matter which, either way works.
Painting the Kit
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Most everyone I've talked to gets the kit and before doing anything else, preps and paints it. Seems logical to do that then install it...wrong. Doing it in this order will net you a scratched and finger print covered pan. Do your install first and then pull it to paint it. By the time you're ready for paint, you'll be a pro and know exactly how everythign works.
Upper Control Arm Install
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You're going to put in the lower control arms then the uppers. Our arms are a bit different (because of the bend) so they don't appear as they'll fit in the bracket on first attempt. They actually fit exactly how they're supposed to but if you look at the arc you'll see that it's just a little more work to get them where they need to go. This is normal and with a little muscle, they'll pop right into place.
Control Arms...Which is which?
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We've been asked which arm belongs on which side. The answer is (as you're unpacking them), the lower arm will have the adjustment on the belly pan side. The arm will then go down and out which will cause the upper control arm mount to point up and in.
Cutting off the control arm brackets
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The LCA Brackets suck to remove. They're held to the unibody by about 15 spot welds (I think the guy at the factory enjoys his job). There are many ways to do this and likely the way you'll pick will depend on which tools you have. My favorite way is to follow the trim it 'till it don't exist approach. No matter how you do this, it's the crap work. Buy some beer and get your friends to come over and help...that's the best way.
Shocks/Brake Lines/Bump Stops
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I know it seems like it makes sense to order them and have them on hand so you can install them when you're ready but our experience has shown us that it's best practice to put the kit on and take it some where to flex. Figure out what you're total wheel travel is (max and min length) and use that to select your shocks, bump stops and brake lines. The application books will give you the correct parts for normal kits...as you've noticed, ours is not normal.
Other Comments
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The following is actually good advice for any installation of any upgrade to your XJ. Before you tear it a part, take a moment and write down how your rig is setup. Note the wheel base (this will help you set it back to where it was), the pinion angle (gives you a starting place for caster), and anything else you can think might help you later. You can buy a $10 angle finder at Lowes/Home Depot and a tape measure just about anywhere.
Painting - not many of us are pros with the paint gun. The best way to end up with a paint job you can live with is to first clean the pieces with some mineral spirits or other. Once they're clean and dry, shoot them with an etching primer. This primer actually reacts with the metal so it forms a really nice bond and gives the paint something to stick to (I'm sure most of you have already figured out that paint doesn't like to stick to bare metal for the long haul). Once the primer is dry, give it a couple of layers of paint. It's okay to put it on light until you're comfortable. Many light coats will turn out much better than few heavy coats. Heavy coats may result in runs and a crappy finish.
MORE THAN ANYTHING...be paitent. The install is not what I would consider a difficult one. The skill level required is about a 2 - 3 on a 10 scale (10 being the most difficult). Some of the steps are tedious and because of this, it's easy to get frustrated. But, if you push through you'll find that the time spent under the vehicle will greatly improve the time you spend in the vehicle after that. I have seen people smiling from ear to ear...
That's enough for now. Post up questions or comments if you have any experience with the install you'd like to share.
