Rubicon XJLA First kit install pictures

[sidriptide]

well after seeing these pics i'm glad i didnt spend the $$ on the kit yet... like everyone else i am really interested in it and am a bit let down with the outcome of all the R%D they did (or didnt do) so right now my buddy Clayton is gonna get my business when the time comes, but if everyone reacts to the RE kit like this you can be damn sure they will be redesigning it.. thats a great looking kit for a daily driver.. not a rock crawler... so for now my heart belongs to square tubing....

mike

 

[FlexyJOE]

Too bad the report is not flattering towards the kit. I did my RE TJ long arms with a home brew crossmember 4 years ago and I have been very happy with the arms themselves.

Joe, didn't you REALLY like the rockcrawler stuff enough to sticker up your rig with their ads?

SeanP

Ok guys here it is...The first pictures of the RE XJLA kit!!!! My first impressions of this kit is WOW!!! I cant believe how "Beefy" everything is... They give you all of the bolts, nuts and washers for everything!!!! They include a spacer for the trans to go inbetween the skidplate and the mount!!! They even went as far to bring the support for the skidplate/arm mounting brackets to the pinch seam!!! They also bolt to the "inner" pinch seam... That should be very strong there!!!! They even use countersunk bolts on the crossmember so they dont get dinged up on rocks. It was a VERY easy kit to install with just hand tools and wrenches, and only took me 2 hours. I would HIGHly reccomend this kit for ANYONE with an XJ.


:roflmao: :sure:


Ok lets get one thing straight here..... I DONT WORK FOR ROCKKRAWLER. I work for 4 wheelers supply in Phx Az. I had the great enjoyment of the installation of this mess. You know what???? I also installed my RK kit too....And trust me...the RK kit was alot easier and smarter. And I even have rock sliders. Yes, I do ALOT of testing for RK, and DO run ALL of their products, but we are not going to turn this into another RK thtread....I posted these pictures because I TOO was awaiting this kits release. Lets face it, RE makes a great TJ kit and they make ALOT of great products....BUT and a big BUT here....these were put up to INFORM people BEFORE they spent the $$$..Wouldnt you be pissed, to spend the $$ and then find out????? As for the 3400.00, the customer upgraded alot of things too....Shocks, Sway bar disconnects....so dont take it for face value. There were ALOT of things installed on this jeep.


Joe

 

[FlexyJOE]

Has anybody else noticed that FlexyJoe started this thread and has not come back which really seems to add a little question to the above qoute

Sorry, My friend....some of us do OTHER things than sit at a computer.....Some of us work, Some of us wheel, Some of us think that the aliens designed this kit and left it for me to install....Think what you want, Does it need a RE sticker?????


Joe

 

[FlexyJOE]

I'm confused. It's too short for 33's (as all RE 5.5" kits are without trimming), too tall for good driveline angles, and the TC is too low (which improves the driveline angles). Whachutawkinbout Willis?

Other than the dumb "wings" it looks ok, not great but ok.

Ok, This guy does not want to "trim" Re says it will fit 33's on a 15x10 wheel with 3.75 of backspace. Let me tell you, IT RUBS. BAD. The Kit would be ok for a D30 REV but this has the LOW pinion. The cv at the t-case binds on acceleration, and the rearward slope of the engine/trans/t-case tilts back AND down, therefore making the FRONT driveline at more of an angle. Helps the back, not the front. This jeep, I have the feeling will be a "starbucks cruizer" Thats why he does not want to trim.. You cant even turn in the parking lot with it.


Joe

 

[FlexyJOE]

HMM When we went up to the Con we ran into an XJ from RE that was testing the long arms and it looked like a different setup then what you have here (Rabbit? Dan? Justin? did anyone of you get any pics?)

Those MAY have been the "Prototype" Kits. This is the final product. From RE.


Joe

 

[FlexyJOE]

FlexyJoe do you work for RK? Just wondering if you are giving a biased opinion. I remember reading a few threads about you and RK and that your jeep was on the RK website.

No, I dont work for RK. I use their product because it works (plain and simple) and I Like it. Period. I was doing an observance from an INSTALLERS point of view, as I too was waiting for this kit to be available. As for all of the Jeep lifts I have done, this one was the worst.


Joe

 

[DMMcG]

Damn that looks like a lot of work, especially for so little. Anyone have a pic of a 900 on a 23* ramp?

955 RTI - OME 2" suspension. Stock everything else.

 

[FlexyJOE]

Yeah, This is a 900 also..... :shhh:


Joe

 

[FlexyJOE]

33's require trimmed fenders. It shouldn't really matter how much lift you have. You do have a valid point with the rock rails vs pinch seam issue. As far as the ramp or flex goes, I have found in the two RE kits that I have used (RE 4.5" and 5.5") is that they flex "OK" out of the box, but to get the most out of them you need to do some additional tuning or adjustments to the suspension. Then it can and will flex like crazy. The same probably applies to any "kit" you buy. Heck, the guys shocks just might be too short...

Here are some pictures of my XJ with 35's...The rears are not trimmed AT ALL, and the fronts are just cut in the front, but thats it....

 

[Kejtar]

Those MAY have been the "Prototype" Kits. This is the final product. From RE.

Possible, cause the guy worked for their design and fab division or whatever it's called.

 

[BrianJr]

Thanks Joe for posting your impressions based on first hand experience.

The can be a tough place to post negative comments about Rubicon Express - a lot of people here assume that because RE has had some good products that RE can do no wrong. It is sad that people were willing to post disparaging comments about you after posting what you had seen first hand rather than consider that RE might have goofed.

However, I am curious to know why this lift did not have more flex. What was limiting flex?

Thanks again,
-Brian

 

[Ron4x4]

Seems to me that spreading the load that long arms are adding, to the Pinch weld rather than just to the undbody rails, would be a lot stronger,
Also you did not mention if it was the 5.5 LA or the 4.5 LA,

 

[Goatman]

You guys are being too critical of this new kit. Heck, this is just another way to put long arms on an XJ.........and everybody knows that long arms are COOL !!

 

[BrettM]

maybe you should come out with a blingin MidArm kit (some assembly required) :laugh3:

I bashed on the kit a little earlier in the thread, what I didn't mention is that it looks like it will work great for a mall-crawler. but for someone who needs rock-rails and might hit the crossmember, it's junk.

 

[zjmikey]

987' RE 4.5" Short ARm Kit

 

[Capt. Nemo]

Glad I didn't wait for the RE kit. I went with the FT kit, and I have been really impressed. The LCA's work well as sliders, and there really isn't a noticeable loss of ground clearance. I've never RTI ramped it, but I don't think those ramps prove much in a real world context...

These have been ground over the rocks on a number of occasions, and except for a little paint loss, they've held up very well. With .250" wall thickness, I don't think they are going to give unless maybe a 747 lands on top of the rig.

Homemade sliders fit well with the brackets

Eric :laugh3:

 

[OregonXJ]

Wow im really shocked that the RE kit would be that bad but it happens guess im gonna get the Ft kit now.

 

[Dirk Pitt]

and there really isn't a noticeable loss of ground clearance.

you don't notice the arms hanging down 3 inches below the frame rails? seriously the ft kit looks top notch. especially compared to the re kit.

 

[Capt. Nemo]

you don't notice the arms hanging down 3 inches below the frame rails?

They've never been the cause of me getting hung up - yet... You'll notice in the second pic that though the arms do hang down below the frame rails, in relation to the t-case skid plate and the crossmember they don't hang down much farther.

Anyway, this was originally about the RE kit, right...

 

[vintagespeed]

Well at least someone finally figured out that you need more than 4 bolts to hold your 2 link radius arm in suspension in place. :gag:

-jb