Rusty's ZJ Grand Cherokee 5.5" Long Travel Kit

Description

The Rusty's Off Road ZJ long travel suspension kit is based off of the highly successful XJ long-travel suspension kit. This kit is going to be tough to beat! It takes you places other vehicles can't go; over logs, big boulders or over just about anything else on the trail. We have applied race technology and over 4 years of research and development to deliver a suspension system with enough articulation to keep your rig firmly planted even over the most radical terrain.

The system starts with new radius-style front control arms that are completely adjustable, both the long lower arm as well as the upper link. Rusty's Forged Flex ends are used at the frame, while Clevite factory rubber control arm bushings are used at the axle. This arrangement ensures great flex while eliminating any noises or vibrations that might be transmitted to the unibody. The arms are constructed of 2" diameter D.O.M. tubing, so go ahead and bash them against rocks and ledges because they can take the abuse and keep right on going!

The new front control arms bolt to a new 3/16" thick steel, laser cut crossmember that is surrounded by Rusty's frame reinforcement brackets. The 3/16" thick laser cut reinforcement brackets are located both on the outside and the inside of the unibody and basically sandwich it, tying the unibody and the new crossmember together as one solid unit. This design distributes the extreme loads from the suspension over a much larger area of the unibody and assures many years of extreme four-wheeling without any structural damage to the unibody. The crossmember's design does not reduce ground clearance.

The rear control arms are built with large 2 inch diameter D.O.M. and include the Rusty's Forged Flex Joints at the frame end and factory rubber control arm bushings at the axle end, just like the front arms. The Rusty's rear mounting hanger is constructed of 3/16" & 1/4" thick steel that has been laser-cut and CNC formed. Like the crossmember assembly, these rear mounting hangers were designed to distribute the load across a greater section of the unibody, ensuring years of trouble-free use. An adjustable rear track bar keeps the rear axle properly centered under the vehicle.

This kit will easily clear 33x12.50 tires.

Due to the thinness of the Jeep unibody, we've designed our long-arm kits to be completely bolt-on. Although it is possible to weld to the unibody, the longevity of the weld in questionable. The unibody is only 16 gauge (.060 in.) and the heat of a weld stresses the thin metal. Even though the weld itself may not crack, the unibody around it may. While the unibody is welded from the factory, this was done with precision robotically-controlled welders with heat sensors to create welds that were much more precise than even the most skilled human welder. Our bolt-on systems are not only more durable than a weld-on system due to the extensive reinforcement involved, but they are also much easier to install. Our clamped/sleeved mounting system uses 1" x3/16" thick tubes through the unibody, which creates a larger surface area that distributes stresses over a larger area than a weld-on installation. In addition, we use adjustable control arms that not only allow easy caster adjustment but also incorporate pivot points designed for suspension flex, which further eliminates stress on the unibody mounts.