Cav-Fab or BDS?

[JonnyCat63]

height is a bit arbitrary for the clayton 3 link. they recommend a healthy amount of lift because it helps to keep the upper control arm out of the floor board. without bump stopping, it will find the floor and, actually pretty cleanly, clearance itself. for most, enough bump stop to keep the upper off the floor is not desirable. regardless of lift height... bump stopped for a given tire is bump stopped... if I am bumped for a 35" tire, throwing in a 3" or 10" spring isn't going to change how far the tire stuffs, just how big the air gap before bump is.

the tnt kit is awesome and built well. a buddy has it and it works really well. I decided to build and design my own 3 link. it ended up looking basically like the clayton stuff, with some minor changes. I opted for beating the floor with a BFH before the control arm ever made contact.

I actually called Clayton's today and they basically said the same thing. It will clearance it self and unless I look underneath, he said I would never notice. With a winch bumper and winch, I've been running RE's 5.5" coil up front on my other XJ's, I'll do the same set up on the 99, so that will help along with proper bump-stops. As far as cost goes, the long arm upgrade is not that different in price among CavFab, BDS, and Clayton. An since I was thinking about trussing the front axle, Clayton's sells a truss that will work instead of the bridge. Looks like it is a win win.

Sooooooo, after talking with Clayton's, and the feedback here, I think I will go with their 3 link. I've always wanted to use Clayton's, but shied away because of the height and bridge. Thanks to the info given here, I learned something and can make a more informed decision. I'll post more about the build when I get started in a couple of weeks!

Thanks again.

 

[JonnyCat63]

Just throwing it out there but have you thought about the set-up from serious? In my trolling I know a lot of guys that run it and swear by it. BDS is nice but $$$$. Clayton also makes a solid set-up.

I have Frank's 1 ton UTK steering set up on my other XJ's and will use that same set up. I've bought some stuff from him in the past, but I'm looking for a 3 or 4 link set up. All things considered now, I think Claytons is my choice.

 

[smokeyyank]

I have Frank's 1 ton UTK steering set up on my other XJ's and will use that same set up. I've bought some stuff from him in the past, but I'm looking for a 3 or 4 link set up. All things considered now, I think Claytons is my choice.

I gotcha, different strokes for different folks. Clayton is a solid choice though, enjoy!