Hi everyone. I have a 2004 Wrangler Rocky Mountain Edition. This is not my first project car but it is my first Jeep, so I'm still somewhat new to the Jeep community.
When I purchased the Jeep back in August 2020, it had a 2.5" Rough Country suspension lift on 31s. It's done the job for the year or so I've had the Jeep and hasn't given me any issues on the handful of wheeling trips I've been on. But it is time to upgrade. My long-term plan is to get up to 35s but I know I need to build my axles and drivetrain to be able to support 35s. That is a lot of work and money so I'm doing it in stages. This year my goal is to rebuild the suspension while staying on 31s. My shocks support up to 4.5" of lift and my control arms support up to 6". So down the road when I'm ready, I will just need to get taller springs if I need more lift to clear 35s.
Here is a list of what I've purchased so far for my winter overhaul.
The first question I ran into last weekend has to do with the springs. I took the Dana 30 front axle out, painted it, replaced all the ball joints, control arm bushings, wheel bearings, outer axle seals, and just cleaned up the whole axle. When putting the axle back in, everything went smooth until I got to the springs. I did notice the new 3.5" Rubicon Express springs were much shorter than the old 2.5" Rough Country springs out of the Jeep. When I put the Rubicon Express springs in, they just slid right in with absolutely no tension at all. There is almost three inches from the top of the spring to the top of the spring tower (See attached before and after photos).
I set my new control arms to the same length as the rough country ones that I took out but added about 1/4 inch in length to give me a good starting point that accounts for the additional lift (the guy at the local alignment shop recommended I do that). What might be the cause of there being so much gap? Is this not even an issue and I'm worried about nothing? Any input you all have would be greatly appreciated!
I also wanted to start this thread as a general discussion of everyone's thoughts and recommendations on what else I should do. As I said, this is not my first project car but it is my first Jeep so I'm trying to absorb as much information as I can.
Thank you!
When I purchased the Jeep back in August 2020, it had a 2.5" Rough Country suspension lift on 31s. It's done the job for the year or so I've had the Jeep and hasn't given me any issues on the handful of wheeling trips I've been on. But it is time to upgrade. My long-term plan is to get up to 35s but I know I need to build my axles and drivetrain to be able to support 35s. That is a lot of work and money so I'm doing it in stages. This year my goal is to rebuild the suspension while staying on 31s. My shocks support up to 4.5" of lift and my control arms support up to 6". So down the road when I'm ready, I will just need to get taller springs if I need more lift to clear 35s.
Here is a list of what I've purchased so far for my winter overhaul.
- Rubicon Express 3.5" Front Coil Springs (RE1363)
- Rubicon Express 2.5" Rear Coil Springs (RE1314)
- Fox 3"-4.5" Front 2.0 Performance Series Shocks (985-24-108)
- Fox 2.5"-3.5" Rear 2.0 Performance Series Shocks (985-24-112)
- Rock Jock Johnny Joint Control Arms (CE-9100AS)
- MetalCloak Universal Adjustable Bump-Stop system (7040)
- MetalCloak DuroSpring Replacement Bump Stops (7219)
- ORO SwayLOC (SL-TJLV)
- Ball Joints, Wheel Bearings, Brakes, Axle Seals, Other odds and ends to replace while working through the job.
The first question I ran into last weekend has to do with the springs. I took the Dana 30 front axle out, painted it, replaced all the ball joints, control arm bushings, wheel bearings, outer axle seals, and just cleaned up the whole axle. When putting the axle back in, everything went smooth until I got to the springs. I did notice the new 3.5" Rubicon Express springs were much shorter than the old 2.5" Rough Country springs out of the Jeep. When I put the Rubicon Express springs in, they just slid right in with absolutely no tension at all. There is almost three inches from the top of the spring to the top of the spring tower (See attached before and after photos).
I set my new control arms to the same length as the rough country ones that I took out but added about 1/4 inch in length to give me a good starting point that accounts for the additional lift (the guy at the local alignment shop recommended I do that). What might be the cause of there being so much gap? Is this not even an issue and I'm worried about nothing? Any input you all have would be greatly appreciated!
I also wanted to start this thread as a general discussion of everyone's thoughts and recommendations on what else I should do. As I said, this is not my first project car but it is my first Jeep so I'm trying to absorb as much information as I can.
Thank you!