How to Install Rubicon Express 3.5" Short Arm Lift Kit, No Shocks on your 1997-2006 Wrangler

Safety Warning:

Suspension systems or components that enhance the off-road performance of your
vehicle may cause it to handle differently, on and off-road, than it did from the
factory. Care must be taken to prevent loss of control or vehicle rollover during
sudden maneuvers. Failure to drive the vehicle safely may result in serious injury or
death to driver and passengers. We recommend you always wear your seatbelt,
drive safely and avoid quick turns and other sudden maneuvers. Constant
maintenance is required to keep your vehicle safe. Thoroughly inspect your vehicle
before and after every off-road use.

Installation Warning:

We recommend that certified technicians perform the installations of our products.
Attempts to install these products without knowledge or experience may jeopardize
the safety of the vehicle. These instructions only cover the installation of our
products and may not include factory procedures for disassembly and reassembly of
factory components. Read instructions from start to finish and be sure all parts are
present before disassembling the vehicle. Included instructions are guidelines only
for recommended procedures and in no way are meant to be definitive. Installer is
responsible to insure a safe and controllable vehicle after performing modifications.
Do not perform test drives on public roads with partially completed installations.
Always double and triple check your work before use.

Note: You may need to weld on new rear shock mounts or install aftermarket
bolt-on shock relocators to prevent rear shocks from hitting the spring
cups.

KIT CONTENTS: 

RE1155 Rear sway bar end links

RE1142 Gen2 sway bar disconnects

RE1355 Front coil springs

RE1360 Rear coil springs

RE1383 Front lower bump stop extensions

RE1385 Rear upper bump stop extensions

RE1553 Front brake lines ss.

RE1600 Front adjustable track bar

RE1602 Rear track bar bracket (CV)

RE3700 (2) Ft & rr lower control arms

RE3780 Upper front control arms

RE3783 Upper rear control arms

INSTALLATION:

Note: For lift heights over 3.5” a rear CV drive shaft is typically required –
see General Vibration in Troubleshooting before proceeding.

1. Raise vehicle and support with stands.

2. Remove wheels.

3. Remove front shocks.

4. Remove front sway bar end links.

5. Remove front spring retainer clamps.

6. Disconnect front track bar. Disconnecting steering at pitman arm
makes axle droop out farther.

7. Remove front springs. Spring compressors may be helpful.

8. Support the front axle with jack stands.

9. Remove all four factory control arms.

10. Remove factory brake lines and replace with supplied lines. Some
require positioning the block and line vertically at the caliper. Watch
line routing, use angle brackets and e-clips.

11. Drill 5/16” hole in center of lower coil spring pads.

12. Use self-tapping bolt through the front bump stop extension spacer to cut threads in lower spring pad. Remove bolt and spacer, it will be installed with the spring.

13. If so equipped, use factory eccentric hardware at front axle lower arm mount. If not, use the supplied 9/16” bolt.

14. Install the lower control arms with the rubber bushing at the unibody. Use the factory hardware at the uni-body mount (don’t fully tighten until vehicle is back on the ground). The super-flex joint will be installed at axle with offset tube being mounted as low as possible (zerk on top - see Photo 1).

15. Set upper front control arm length to ¼”-3/8” longer than stock for a good starting point. Install the new upper control arms using supplied hardware at axle end and factory hardware at uni-body end (don’t fully tighten until vehicle is back on the ground).

16. The front springs are the longer ones. Install the front springs with the 3” bump stop extension inside of the coil. Coil spring compressors may be useful. Once the spring is in place, thread the bolt into the lower spring pad (refer to step #12). Rotate the coil to index the spring with lower coil cup.

17. Install the spring retainer clamp removed in step #5.

18. Install longer front shocks. Bar pins may need to be put through the bottom shock eyes (use light grease).

19. Install adjustable front track bar per instructions supplied with track bar. Make final adjustment when weight is on vehicle and axle is centered.

20. Install sway bar quick disconnects per instructions supplied with disconnects (see Photo 2 for typical installation).

-REAR AXLE-

21. Remove the rear shocks.

22. Remove the rear sway bar end links.

23. Support the rear axle.

24. Disconnect rear track bar at axle.

25. Remove all four factory control arms.

26. Remove the rear springs.

27. Remove the plastic dust shield that covers the bolt securing the rear track bar to the mount on the axle housing and discard.

28. Remove the Torx head bolt (t55) and disconnect axle end of track bar, if not done previously.

29. Install track bar bracket using the supplied ½” bolt and spacer (the spacer goes in the location vacated by the track bar to prevent the bracket from deforming when the bolt is tightened - see Photo 3 for similar installation).

30. With the track bar bracket in place, drill two 5/16” holes in the axle mount where the plastic dust shield was previously located, one on top and one on angled surface.

31. Install the 5/16” hardware in the holes drilled in step #30. If required, use supplied horseshoe shim to take up space between bracket and axle mount at top 5/16” bolt.

32. Install the track bar in the track bar bracket using the Torx bolt removed in step #28. It may be easier to do this later with weight on the vehicle.

33. Install the lower control arms with the rubber bushing at the frame and super flex end at the axle. The offset tube should be mounted as low as possible (zerk on top - see Photo 1). Use the factory hardware at the frame and the supplied bolt at the axle mount (don’t fully tighten until vehicle is back on the ground).

34. Set upper control arm length 3/4” longer than stock for a CV drive shaft (1/4” if trying to use std shaft) as a good starting point (see general vibration in troubleshooting). Install the upper control arms using the factory hardware (don’t fully tighten until vehicle is back on the ground). Super-Flex end should be at axle with zerk on top (see Photo 4).

35. Remove the rubber insert from the rear bump stop. Remove the bump stop cup. Place the 1-1/2" bump stop extension (RE1385) between the bump stop cup and the frame using the supplied longer metric hardware.

36. Install springs. Spring compressors may be helpful.

37. Install replacement sway bar end links.

38. Install longer rear shocks.

39. If using, install transfer case drop kit by supporting one side of transfer case with floor jack. Remove hardware from one side of crossmember. Install spacers and new hardware. Tighten to 55 ft./lbs. Repeat on opposite side.

40. Install all tires.

41. Lower vehicle to ground and adjust front track bar to center front axle per instructions supplied with track bar.

42. Thoroughly bleed brake lines and check for leaks.

43. Double-check all nuts and bolts to factory torque specs.

44. Test drive and note location of steering wheel. Adjust drag link to center steering wheel.

45. Align vehicle as soon as practical. A good rule of thumb is minimum factory caster and maximum factory toe-in.

46. Recheck all bolts after 50 miles and again after every off road excursion.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Rear driveline:

Acceleration vibration: Caused by the pinion being too high in relation to the transfer case output shaft. Adjust upper control arm to lower pinion accordingly.

Deceleration vibration: Caused by the pinion being too low in relation to the transfer case output shaft. Adjust upper control arm to raise pinion accordingly.

General vibration: Caused by excessive angle on the rear drive shaft. Very common on vehicles with 2” or more of lift. As a temporary fix, it may be possible to install the included transfer case drop kit and use a standard drive shaft. For best performance, install a slip yoke eliminator (SYE) kit (or CV yoke on RUBICON model), CV drive shaft and an RE1602 rear track bar bracket for CV’s. Adjust pinion so it is 2 degrees below parallel with CV drive shaft (see acceleration and deceleration vibration troubleshooting above). A transfer case drop kit can usually be omitted with a CV drive
shaft.

High speed wobble:

This is fairly common with y-type steering on lifted TJ's. It is a condition where front tires will shimmy after hitting a bump. Avoid bias ply tires and wheels with excessive offset. Check for worn or loose parts. In most cases a reduction of positive castor will eliminate this condition. A good rule of thumb is minimum factory caster and maximum factory toe in. Note that lift heights increased with coil spacers (or taller coils) may
exhibit wobble that cannot be corrected with alignment.

Bump steer:

Caused by improper relationship of drag link and track bar. To correct, center axle again following the instructions supplied with the track bar. Next determine the neutral position of the steering wheel. Adjust the drag link to center the steering wheel.