moparmatt Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 I know this topic has been talked of many times before. I did a bunch of research here and other forums before I would ask here. My plans were to run the Rusty's 4.5" SOA. Seems like a good deal to work around. (Upgrade the steering later when I get more $) I have heard Rustys leaves a bad taste in peoples mouths because there leaf springs sag fast, the track bars suck, and the customer service is bad. Lucky the 4.5" re-uses the stock springs. And the rest I am willing to take the risk. Two local guys in my Jeep club have had no problems with Rustys. Must be a location thing. :roll: But my concern is, from my research many yield ~5 to 6" from a SOA lift. The Rusty's SOA kit is 4.5" should I buy a 1 or 2" spacer for the front coil springs. Also will the shocks be long enough if I would have to go 1 or 2" higher in the front. TIA :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhorocks Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 don't do a add a leaf kit. spring over the rear and do a front lift kit only. then you only need shocks for the back and extended brake lines. And i had a rustys lift and liked it on my cherokee but for the little extra buy something higher quality. couple hundred more and you could do a long arm kit for the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkgibbs27 Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 of course there's a difference with the bolt on or the weld on. but would it really matter overall of which one you did? for a soa of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Weld-on is super easy. You just need a buddy or nearby shop with a good welder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moparmatt Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 don't do a add a leaf kit. spring over the rear and do a front lift kit only. I am going to do a SOA, I own a welder. then you only need shocks for the back and extended brake lines. And i had a rustys lift and liked it on my cherokee but for the little extra buy something higher quality. couple hundred more and you could do a long arm kit for the front. Which company sells a long kit for a few hundred more? That would be awesome. But really my question is "With the Rusty's 4.5" SOA kit will the truck be level?" I would like the rear to sit a tad bit higher than the front, but not extreme. From what I understand you gain ~5-6" from a SOA, will it be level. Or should I buy a coil spacer to help level the truck out, also if I level it with the spacer will the shocks that come with the kit be long enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 There isn't a definitive answer to that question. Some coils will give a bit more than the advertised height and lord knows that 20 year old leaf springs may not have their original arch in them. A SOA gives roughly 5.5" above the current height. It's not like buying brand new springs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89eliminator Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I had the Rustys 4.5in SUA leafs. When i switched to SOA with the stock leafs, i gained another inch. Right now i have 6.5in coils and SOA and the back sits 1.5in higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhorocks Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 sorry i just saw this in your post "Lucky the 4.5" re-uses the stock springs" assumed add-a-leaf my bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEThomas Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Are you going a SOA on a D-35 or an 8.8?? If an 8.8 you will be more then 5~6". We came out to 7.5" on the rear with the 8.8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moparmatt Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Are you going a SOA on a D-35 or an 8.8?? If an 8.8 you will be more then 5~6". We came out to 7.5" on the rear with the 8.8. I am going to do an axle swap the same time I am going to do the lift. My MJ has a D35 3.07 I have a 8.25 3.55 and a front D30 3.55 to swap in the same time I do the lift. I might as well buy 1" coil spacer the same time so it does not look lame. Hell if I leave the rear end to sit up that high and with the new gearing I might do some wheelies :D Put the stock tires on. Oh the possibilities.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Don't put coil spacers on the 4.5" coils. I did this & found the LCA's included in the Rusty's kit weren't long enough. If you opt for the spacers, make sure you have adj. lower arms at least. Probably need uppers as well. (I did) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moparmatt Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Don't put coil spacers on the 4.5" coils. I did this & found the LCA's included in the Rusty's kit weren't long enough. If you opt for the spacers, make sure you have adj. lower arms at least. Probably need uppers as well. (I did) Cool you are just the man I wanted to talk to... If you are not running Rusty's adjustable arms which brand and size are you using. Also another question for you, if you had to do it over again would you do the same lift kit or would you do it different, if so how? Before I saw Rusty's SOA kit I was going homebrew/piece a kit together. And go long arms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNT Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Before I saw Rusty's SOA kit I was going homebrew/piece a kit together. And go long arms. This would be the way to go. You will gain about 5.5"-6" because of the larger tubes on the 8.25. Buy 2 RE flex joints, 4 RE bushings w/ sleeves, 2 threaded inserts, 2 weld on studs and some tube. Thats all that's needed for the arms. Weld up some frame mounts and design a removable cross member between them. Weld the mounts to the frame. Buy some 5.5"-6" springs from whoever you like. Deaver springs would my 1st choice, Skyjacker, BDS or RE would be good choices also. It depends on the spring rate you want. I would recommend Bilstein shocks, 12" travel ones all the way around. You may need to modify the front shock mounts which is a good idea anyway. Locate your rear mounts as needed. There are a few small items to buy. Some hockey pucks for front bumpstop extensions, longer brake lines, swaybar disconnects and some steel to extend your rear bumpstops. You should do a SYE. But a YJ slip yoke and replacing your standard 2.5" 8.25" yoke for the 3" version should also work if the angles are set correctly. If you don't have an adjustable trackbar buy the HD RE one that comes with the mount. Buying the mounting brace that runs to the other frame rail is a good idea also. When it's all said and done you will be money ahead and have a better suspension set-up then most ones you can buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 If you are not running Rusty's adjustable arms which brand and size are you using. Also another question for you, if you had to do it over again would you do the same lift kit or would you do it different, if so how? I am running RE uppers & lowers, but I used JKS A.C.O.S to level it side-to-side & ended up with quite a bit of lift. The RE arms are stretched to the max.... and no. I definitely would not get the Rusty's kit again. I had trouble with his stuff before but got suckered in by the price. I more than doubled my original expense just getting it level & driveable. I coulda bought one hell of a long-arm kit for what I have invested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWLONGSHOT Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Don't put coil spacers on the 4.5" coils. I did this & found the LCA's included in the Rusty's kit weren't long enough. If you opt for the spacers, make sure you have adj. lower arms at least. Probably need uppers as well. (I did) Cool you are just the man I wanted to talk to... If you are not running Rusty's adjustable arms which brand and size are you using. Also another question for you, if you had to do it over again would you do the same lift kit or would you do it different, if so how? Before I saw Rusty's SOA kit I was going homebrew/piece a kit together. And go long arms. There are many opinions on who has the best, who flexes the best, who rides the best.....etc. At 4+ inches of lift, adjustable CA's are a must to get castor back to acceptable numbers. You now know this from the great advice others have given. If this is going to be driven as a DD or even still get frequent street use. I have found the BEST compromise in flex to ride quality is found with a arm that will twist AND utilize factory RUBBER, NOT POLY, bushings. the JKS CA's fit this bill as well as being made to a higher standard of quality. They have buku adjustment for length and use the factory CA bushings. The thing you need to realize when selecting a control arm. When you get a HD solid arm it WILL NOT FLEX. Once you get this style ALL available twist and flex MUST come from the bushings/joints alone. When you go for many styles you loose all isolation. This equates to harsh ride. Now this may be tolerable on a trail only rig, it will quickly loose its attractiveness on the street. The factory arms are stamped steel and naturally twist or flex. PLUS they have RUBBER bushings to further mask bumps and holes on the road. POLY bushings do still isolate out some of the harshness, but generally will not flex much. This is why I am recommending the JKS control arms. Good luck, CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 I should have mentioned I went with the Super Ride lowers with the rubber joints because my ride is on-road only. Wanted to smooth out some of those vibes & flex wasn't a concern for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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