Rock Crawler lift

[Beav068]

Actually, I've decided to do what I normally do and start small. I think I'll throw on an EVO leveling kit and some 33s and drive it until the tires wear out and then upgrade...or not...depending on where I'm at then.

Now to find some good deals...

Thank you all for your help. It's nice to know there is such a great resource available. Hopefully I'll be able to contribute something to it.

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[wayoflife]

Actually, I've decided to do what I normally do and start small. I think I'll throw on an EVO leveling kit and some 33s and drive it until the tires wear out and then upgrade...or not...depending on where I'm at then.

Now to find some good deals...

Thank you all for your help. It's nice to know there is such a great resource available. Hopefully I'll be able to contribute something to it.

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Nothing wrong with starting off small and working your way up. Certainly, you'll learn more about your Jeep and what you really need this way.

As far as deals go, may I recommend that you start by contacting one of the vendors who support WAYALIFE? I believe that Trail Jeeps sells EVO parts if that's what you're looking for.

 

[kyle521]

Just throwing my experience in here, I have had a 2.5 rock krawler lift for around 4 years now with bilstein shocks. Back then they came with dual rate springs, now they have triple rate. The jeep rides good enough for me and will cruise at 80-90 without feeling sketchy. Over the 4 years, the track bar joint wore out, and I will be replacing it soon, also, a few of my shocks leak and could probably be replaced. I ripped the rear trackbar bracket off and replaced with an artec weld on one.I started out on it with 33s, then moved up to 35s. It came with bump stop extensions, brake line extension brackets, front track bar, coils, rear bracket, and shocks. I think I paid around $700 which I find worth it compared to pucks and re-using stock shocks as my Jeep had high miles and most of the suspension was worn out.

 

[xman4602]

I'd like to jump in here with a few questions myself........ not to hi jack......
I am in the process of putting my second build together. My first build was an 08 Jk 2 door. I had wanted a jk for a while and had a buddy built one so I followed suit. We installed a teraflex 2.5" coil lift with bilstein shocks. I got the 4 door version so it was actually 3.5". That being said my jk did pretty well at Rousch Creek. However the road manners are not great. I can't blame the kit, I just went budget and never added control arms or high steer flip kits. The kit did not hold up very well. I still have the 2 door. Side note note teraflex has been excellent and is sending me a few replacement parts on their dime.

I am now building a 16 Sahara jku. I had heard a lot of good things about Rock Krawler and new a few guys running them that were very happy with them.
I bought the 3.5" max travel kit, which includes front lower CA's and rear uppers. Now the kit is mostly installed. Still waiting on tires........ should arrive any day now. I'm rambling a bit but I wanted to give the whole picture.
I have now seen on here in a few threads and comments about RK and problems with these mid arm kits. I'd love to get some feed back on concerns/suggestions before I get the wheels on the ground. Is there anything i should be aware of or that I should add or watch out for? Gonna be running 17x9 fuel mavericks with 4.5" back spacing and 35" bfg km2's


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[Ddays]

The mid arm kit kicks the rear axle back an inch but creates a lot of interference issues with the track bar. Mine used to hit the diff cover so I ditched the RK bar & put the stock one back on. The passenger side trackbar mount hit the axle and the springs look like slinkys they are tilted so far forward. The correction wedge doesn't really help much at all. As far as the arms go, I think the quality is ok. We'll see how they last over time. I've had the kit on for about 20k miles or so.

If you didn't get the mid arm kit you should be ok and more than likely won't have the clearance issues it causes.

 

[bouche03]

The mid arm kit kicks the rear axle back an inch but creates a lot of interference issues with the track bar. Mine used to hit the diff cover so I ditched the RK bar & put the stock one back on. The passenger side trackbar mount hit the axle and the springs look like slinkys they are tilted so far forward. The correction wedge doesn't really help much at all. As far as the arms go, I think the quality is ok. We'll see how they last over time. I've had the kit on for about 20k miles or so.

If you didn't get the mid arm kit you should be ok and more than likely won't have the clearance issues it causes.

If you want RK will cut arms to whatever length you want. I didn't want the axle pushed back that far, so I got shorter rear arms. I am not 100% certain, but they may have even corrected their kits for this issue...

 

[xman4602]

The mid arm kit kicks the rear axle back an inch but creates a lot of interference issues with the track bar. Mine used to hit the diff cover so I ditched the RK bar & put the stock one back on. The passenger side trackbar mount hit the axle and the springs look like slinkys they are tilted so far forward. The correction wedge doesn't really help much at all. As far as the arms go, I think the quality is ok. We'll see how they last over time. I've had the kit on for about 20k miles or so.

If you didn't get the mid arm kit you should be ok and more than likely won't have the clearance issues it causes.

According to RK's site they only offer mid arm or long arm. However my kit has rear uppers but not lowers. After reading a few posts like this I looked to see if I could see any places that looked like there would be an issue but I didn't notice any. Not to say there aren't and I'm not seeing them.


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[wayoflife]

Control arms that are 1" too long are nowhere close to being "mid" way to a long arm which is easily 10" longer than stock and they will cause the problems outlined by Ddays.

 

[xman4602]

Control arms that are 1" too long are nowhere close to being "mid" way to a long arm which is easily 10" longer than stock and they will cause the problems outlined by Ddays.

I assume you are not a fan of RK? The recommended starting point for the rear uppers is 17 9/16". This was actually difficult because it fully adjusted as short as it gets. Again I have no lowers.
Clearly at this point I'm locked in to the choice I've made. At this point what do you recommend to try preventing problems?


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[wayoflife]

I assume you are not a fan of RK? The recommended starting point for the rear uppers is 17 9/16". This was actually difficult because it fully adjusted as short as it gets. Again I have no lowers.
Clearly at this point I'm locked in to the choice I've made. At this point what do you recommend to try preventing problems?

LOL!! I don't know how me stating facts equal not being a fan of particular brand but, okay. As far as rear upper arms go, I don't know how anyone can come up with a measurement of any kind being that they need to be set as long or short as needed to get your pinion angle in line with your drive shaft. This is REQUIRED if you are running an aftermarket drive shaft and will vary significantly depending on how much lift you ultimately have.

 

[xman4602]

LOL!! I don't know how me stating facts equal not being a fan of particular brand but, okay. As far as rear upper arms go, I don't know how anyone can come up with a measurement of any kind being that they need to be set as long or short as needed to get your pinion angle in line with your drive shaft. This is REQUIRED if you are running an aftermarket drive shaft and will vary significantly depending on how much lift you ultimately have.

I didn't mean it in a negative way it just seems like this is an issue and I'm trying to figure out what to do to make my rig set up work. I'm just looking for advice not a disagreement. In the directions for install it gives recommended starting lengths for the adjustable ca's however I've never used them before. How do I come up with correct lengths for the uppers once installed?


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[xman4602]

LOL!! I don't know how me stating facts equal not being a fan of particular brand but, okay. As far as rear upper arms go, I don't know how anyone can come up with a measurement of any kind being that they need to be set as long or short as needed to get your pinion angle in line with your drive shaft. This is REQUIRED if you are running an aftermarket drive shaft and will vary significantly depending on how much lift you ultimately have.

I understand you are used to dealing with people that are fan boys and are argumentative. I'm not trying to come across as either. I'm here to learn from the experience of guys like you so I can put together the best rig I can with what I've got. Absolutely no disrespect intended.


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[wayoflife]

I didn't mean it in a negative way it just seems like this is an issue and I'm trying to figure out what to do to make my rig set up work. I'm just looking for advice not a disagreement. In the directions for install it gives recommended starting lengths for the adjustable ca's however I've never used them before. How do I come up with correct lengths for the uppers once installed?

With your Jeep on the ground, support your rear axle pinion with a floor jack. Remove your rear upper control arms and slowly raise the pinion so that it's in line with the drive shaft. Use an angle finder to help you determine this as shown below.

Install one of your upper control arms on to the frame side mount and then set it's length so that it can easily be bolted onto the axle mount. Repeat on the opposite side and remember to tighten the bolts to 125 ft. lbs. of torque.

 

[xman4602]

With your Jeep on the ground, support your rear axle pinion with a floor jack. Remove your rear upper control arms and slowly raise the pinion so that it's in line with the drive shaft. Use an angle finder to help you determine this as shown below.

Install one of your upper control arms on to the frame side mount and then set it's length so that it can easily be bolted onto the axle mount. Repeat on the opposite side and remember to tighten the bolts to 125 ft. lbs. of torque.

Do you have a link to that write up so I can read it in greater detail?
I appreciate what you do on here. Thank you for the help.


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[xman4602]

With your Jeep on the ground, support your rear axle pinion with a floor jack. Remove your rear upper control arms and slowly raise the pinion so that it's in line with the drive shaft. Use an angle finder to help you determine this as shown below.

Install one of your upper control arms on to the frame side mount and then set it's length so that it can easily be bolted onto the axle mount. Repeat on the opposite side and remember to tighten the bolts to 125 ft. lbs. of torque.

Basically my question is this. I can't see what the angle finder reads. What is the angle supposed to be?


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[wayoflife]

Basically my question is this. I can't see what the angle finder reads. What is the angle supposed to be?


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The angle should be the same on both the pinion and drive shaft. It will be different on every Jeep as a 2-door will be steeper than a 4-door and the amount of lift will cause it to vary as well. This is why I say that it's silly for anyone to suggest that there's some kind of magical starting measurement. The ultimate length of your control arms depends entirely on your drive shaft and pinion being in line.

 

[xman4602]

The angle should be the same on both the pinion and drive shaft. It will be different on every Jeep as a 2-door will be steeper than a 4-door and the amount of lift will cause it to vary as well. This is why I say that it's silly for anyone to suggest that there's some kind of magical starting measurement. The ultimate length of your control arms depends entirely on your drive shaft and pinion being in line.

Gotcha! Thanks for your help!


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[Ddays]

If you want RK will cut arms to whatever length you want. I didn't want the axle pushed back that far, so I got shorter rear arms. I am not 100% certain, but they may have even corrected their kits for this issue...

This may be the case now but when I bought my kit over a year ago it either wasn't the case or it wasn't advertised. Either way the Mid-arm X-factor was marketed as a problem solving kit by moving the axle back an inch. It is not. You have to screw around with it to get it right. My point being that if this is the case it should be clearly noted in the instructions and it is not. When I called in and emailed photos (more than a few times) they acted like I was the first guy that had any issues and that this was normal. That's not right..

According to RK's site they only offer mid arm or long arm. However my kit has rear uppers but not lowers. After reading a few posts like this I looked to see if I could see any places that looked like there would be an issue but I didn't notice any. Not to say there aren't and I'm not seeing them.


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Xman, besides all the good info Eddie gave you one more thing you want to do with the RK joins is make sure they're straight. Its a bitch to do so but make sure you take the time to do it. If you don't torque them to the specs in the instructions they will move. Believe the 7/8" nuts are 220ft/lbs and the 1" nuts are 275-300 ft/lbs. Someone on here made a kickass jig that orients and holds the joint parallel to the arm and I wish I could remember who it was... Its simple makes the process easy. Dammit. I'll try to remember who it was & post back...

 

[Ddays]

Found it! Drtyrat30 has it posted here:

http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?37849-Rock-Krawler-3-5-Flex-Install-Issues/page2

See post #11.

 

[xman4602]

This may be the case now but when I bought my kit over a year ago it either wasn't the case or it wasn't advertised. Either way the Mid-arm X-factor was marketed as a problem solving kit by moving the axle back an inch. It is not. You have to screw around with it to get it right. My point being that if this is the case it should be clearly noted in the instructions and it is not. When I called in and emailed photos (more than a few times) they acted like I was the first guy that had any issues and that this was normal. That's not right..



Xman, besides all the good info Eddie gave you one more thing you want to do with the RK joins is make sure they're straight. Its a bitch to do so but make sure you take the time to do it. If you don't torque them to the specs in the instructions they will move. Believe the 7/8" nuts are 220ft/lbs and the 1" nuts are 275-300 ft/lbs. Someone on here made a kickass jig that orients and holds the joint parallel to the arm and I wish I could remember who it was... Its simple makes the process easy. Dammit. I'll try to remember who it was & post back...

Yeah I'd love to get a look at how to make a jig. I got them fairly straight but I was a machinist for 15 years and I don't like that they're not perfect. I still have some tweaking to do. It is on the ground post install but nothing has been torqued down or adjusted yet.


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