14 bolt short-arm truss / swap kit?

[Stuart]

I currently run Metalcloak's 3.5" Adjustable short arm and I love it.

I am looking into options for 1-Ton swaps in my LJ and I like the idea of the truss/swap kits that place all the control arm mounts right where they need to be as well as reinforcing the axle ( I know you still have to weld it all, and I've accepted moving the gas tank). However all of the kits I'm finding change the rear geometry to a triangulated 4-link, something I don't believe I can do with short arms, especially not short arms in their factory locations.

So my question is,
-Is it a dumb idea to use short arms with 1-Ton axles? Is it even possible?
-Can I replace just the upper rears with long arms to triangulate the rear? (Long/Short arms mixed just feels wrong to me)
-Are there truss/kits that can use the short arms in their stock locations?

I know this forum is all about only doing what you need to have done, which is usually my philosophy as well. I'm going to get asked why I want 1-Tons, so to answer those people before it gets asked: I am currently deployed and 1-Ton axles and possibly an engine (years further down the line) are what I plan to "waste" some of my money on when I get back. Certainly a much better idea than a lot of people who get home and buy a new car.

 

[Chris]

If you were going through the effort of swapping in 1-ton axles, I think it would be silly not to go with mid-arms and a custom setup at that point.

You don't want long arms, you want mid-arms ideally. If you want to do it right, you're going to end up replacing all the control arms, not just the upper rears.

I can't answer the truss kit question, maybe someone like @jjvw or @toximus could.

 

[Stuart]

I think I already knew most of that. I don't think I want long arms, and I honestly hadn't even heard of mid-arms until I started reading this forum. I go back and forth between regretting how much I paid for my lift, and enjoying just how amazing it wheels and drives.

Which companies make mid arms? I've seen Savvy Mid-Arm show up a lot, are there any clear frontrunners in the mid-arm market?

Theres plenty of threads on here about Mid-Arms, I'm going to do a little searching around

 

[jjvw]

Toximus has a good build thread that for what might be an ideal Jeep build that matches what you are describing.

The important thing to understand about arms is that the mounting points are what matters. Savvy gets that part right.

 

[Chris]

I think I already knew most of that. I don't think I want long arms, and I honestly hadn't even heard of mid-arms until I started reading this forum. I go back and forth between regretting how much I paid for my lift, and enjoying just how amazing it wheels and drives.

Which companies make mid arms? I've seen Savvy Mid-Arm show up a lot, are there any clear frontrunners in the mid-arm market?

Theres plenty of threads on here about Mid-Arms, I'm going to do a little searching around

Savvy and GenRight make mid-arms, and others may as well. A lot of the mid-arms you see are custom setups, but the Savvy one gets it right, and is definitely the way to go.

 

[Stuart]

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Fughuert]

I don't think I want long arms, and I honestly hadn't even heard of mid-arms until I started reading this forum.

They’re just marketing and generic discussion terms.

Mounting points and where they “intersect” is what’s important as stated.

Length of upper and lower can be different but the different lengths have effects as the suspension travels. Actual length is what matters here and this is where you need to drop and forget those generic terms exist.

If you’re welding a truss to an axle why are you reluctant to weld new brackets to the frame for custom geometry? You’re not gonna use stock arms anyways so it’s not like you’re saving on joints and DOM.

 

[Stuart]

They’re just marketing and generic discussion terms.

Mounting points and where they “intersect” is what’s important as stated.

Length of upper and lower can be different but the different lengths have effects as the suspension travels. Actual length is what matters here and this is where you need to drop and forget those generic terms exist.

If you’re welding a truss to an axle why are you reluctant to weld new brackets to the frame for custom geometry? You’re not gonna use stock arms anyways so it’s not like you’re saving on joints and DOM.

I'm not reluctant to weld new brackets on, if that's what I have to do. But replacing my lift with another when I don't have to, would be a waste of time and money.

I'd prefer not to go all the way to the generic skid-area mounted long arms. I know firsthand they get caught all the time. Although I do like the softer ride. My current kit has never given me any issues. I don't want to buy a lift kit I don't need.

 

[jjvw]

My thought is that if you are building for larger axles and the value of those axles is going to be utilized, the rest of the build necessarily needs to follow along. Meaning that the rest of the suspension is going to be what it needs to be to match the axles.