Installing Rusty's Fender Flares - Part 1: The Front.
By Scott Brayshaw
http://www.4x4trails.net

This all started shortly after I put a budget boost on my '99 XJ. I was able to fit 30" tires on and was amazed at the places that I was able to go. There were only a few trails that I had to take the bypass on or avoid completely. Those that I couldn't attempt, I probably wouldn't have wanted to tackle anyway.

Things were going well and I was satisfied with the XJ. I put an ARB Bull Bar up front and loaded in a Warn M8000 just to be on the safe side. With the Budget Boost installed and the winch bolted up, I did my best to fend off 'inchitis.' It went well for a few months, I was sitting a little higher than stock and was able to get about everywhere I wanted. Then I started to notice all my buddies with larger lifts. Envy quickly set in and I was soon determined to get a little higher.

After doing a few months of research, which included surfing all the online XJ forums and talking with everyone I knew that had made the vertical migration, I decided on a setup. It all came down to a compromise between height and cost with the resulting decision being a 4.5" lift with 32" Super Swamper TSL Radials. I had read of a number of problems associated with lifting to 6". Not only does the steering geometry require some tweeking at that height, but odds were I'd need a slip yoke eliminator or at least a dropped transfer case. The SYE is a good upgrade, but costs another $400.

After a few phone calls to Rusty's Off-Road Products, I soon had a lift on it's way. The parts included the 4.5" front coils, 3.5" heavy duty rear leaves (to be added to the 1.5" extended shackles from the Budget Boost), 4 shocks, new bolts, an adjustable trac-bar, adjustable upper control arms and fixed length lower control arms.

Other than the Bull Bar and rocker guard install, I was fairly 'green' in terms of mechanical ability. Nevertheless, I was determined to do the install myself. Although the install took longer on my own, the knowledge I gained was well worth it.

After getting all the parts organized, I started tearing into the Jeep. I had spent the previous week soaking the bolts with penetrating oil to loosen things up. I decided to start with the rear end so I jacked up the back and placed jack-stands just in front of the leaf hanger on the frame. The shock mount on the axle was removed with an 18mm socket. I then removed the wheels and let everything droop.

In order to loosen up the leaf bolts, I placed the jack under the pumpkin and lifted it to take the axle weight off the leaves. I started by removing the u-bolts and plate that hold the axle to the leaves with a 19mm socket. With the u-bolts removed from both sides, the axle can be lowered out of the way. Be careful not to drop it too far as your rear brake-lines are still attached.

With the axle out of the way, I removed the rear leaves from the rear shackles and frame hanger (13/16"). The bolts came out rather easily which was a relief after hearing nightmare stories about the nut bolted inside the frame having a tendency to snap off. With the leaves completely out of the way, I used the extra space to get in and replace the rear shocks and add the 4" rear bumpstop extensions. The upper rear shock mounts require a 1/2" socket.

With the old leaves removed, the new leaves were put in place. The set came with a tapered block to help adjust the pinion angle. With the XJ having the axle resting below the springs, you need to place the tapered block with the thick side toward the back in order to push the pinion up. With that double checked, I started by replacing the bolts on the front of the springs. I made sure to place some anti-seize on the bolts just in case there is a need to remove the leaves somewhere down the line (like when I decide a 9" lift and 44s is the minimum lift I can live with).

With the new leaves installed, I jacked the axle back into place and re-attached the axle to the leaves using the new u-bolts. One side went in rather easily, but I had to use some body weight to get the leaf pin to line up with the axle pad on the other side. Once the u-bolts were installed, I attached the lower end of the shocks to the axle. I then jacked the back end up a little higher and threw the new 32" Swampers on. Dropped everything down and proceeded to the front.

The front was a bit more tedious of an install than the rear. If I'd have had a large hydraulic lift, I could have just thrown the whole rig up to allow the front end to completely droop. Without this option, things took a bit longer. The first step, before jacking up the vehicle at all was to remove the upper shock mounts from the body with a 5/8" socket. On my '99, I was able to do this without removing any other items. I believe that older XJs are required to remove the airbox to get to the mount.

With the upper shock mounts removed, I jacked the front end up, placed the frame on stands and removed the tires. You will make things easier on yourself if you get yourself a tall set of jack stands. The ones I had were not tall enough to allow the axles to completely droop. I had to rig up a rather un-safe lift for the jack to get the droop I needed. You will want to loosen the front brake-line frame mounts (T-40 Torx bit) before letting the axle drop.

Once the frame was supported, I removed the shocks, OEM trac-bar and factory springs. There is a retainer clip at the base of the spring that will need to removed and saved for the re-install. The trac bar frame mount will require a pickle-fork to be removed. I pretty much destroyed the grease boot removing the trac-bar, but Rusty's adjustable unit comes assembled with everything you'll need.

With the springs out, I removed the upper (15mm on frame side, 9/16" on axle side) and lower control arms from the frame and axle. At this point, the axle is supported by the jack and brake lines.

With all the factory items uninstalled, I moved on to Rusty's 4.5" springs. With the lift and 32" tires, I decided that a bumpstop would be beneficial in keeping the new rubber in good shape. The units I was using required a hole be drilled in the spring perch. With that done, I used a set of spring compressors to shorten the spring length. I then positioned the bumpstop inside the springs and coerced the new springs into place. Even with the spring compressors, I had a tough time getting the springs in place. It took some strategic turning to get them in. Once in place, I reattached the retaining spring and tightened the bumpstop to the spring plate.

After the new springs were in, I continued with the installation of the new control arms. As per Rusty's recommendation, I set the adjustable uppers about an inch longer than the factory arms. It is helpful to have an extra hand when re-installing the arms. It is a bit trouble some trying to align the axle, arms and bolts on your own, though it can be done. Rusty's upper control arm are quite a bit wider than the stock units. I had to go out and purchase some longer carriage bolts to attach the arms to the axle.

The next step was to install the new Adjustable Trac-bar. I'm not quite sure what to say about this process. It took me a bit of trial and error to set up the length properly. The first attempt had the passenger side tires sticking out quite far. If anyone has any recommendations for this, please email me (scott@4x4trails.net) so I can amend this article. After an alignment and tire balancing I was ready to test the setup.

A trip to Moab was set to flex things up. As you can see from the photos, the XJ had much more flex with the new lift and the sway-bars removed. I put the 32" SuperSwamper on 15x7 rims with 4.5" back-spacing. Both the front and rear of the vehicle stuffed very well. The back needed no trimming to completely fit the tires while the front required some minor trimming to the ARB Bull Bar. At full lock and stuffed, the front tires would mildly rub the fender flares, but not enough to do any damage.

It is difficult to determine the ride of the new lift while running the Swamper tires. Even though the TSLs are radials, they are quite loud on the road. The quiet factory ride is diminished due to the tires, but the quality of ride didn't seem much harsher. The approach and departure angles were one of the most prominent changes I noticed on the trail. Obstacles I would have never made with the budget boost are now a cake walk.

The spare tire doesn't fit in the back anymore, so I'll need to find a rear bumper/tire carrier. I could place the spare on the roof, but I don't want that much weight up high making things tippy on off-camber trails. Other than that, the lift was everything I expected and more. The lift easily fit the 32" tires, although minimal trimming was needed. Neither a slip-yoke eliminator nor dropped transfer case was needed. I can whole-heartedly endorse Rusty's lift and recommend it to anyone seeking an economic and functional lift.

Rusty's Off-Road Products
7161 Steele Station Rd.
Rainbow City, AL 35906
Phone: (256) 442-0607 | Fax: (256) 442-0017

Article by:
Scott Brayshaw
http://www.4x4trails.net