Taking the Rough out of Rough Country

AndyG

AndyG

Because some other guys are perverts
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This thread is for all the guys who have purchased a TJ with an RC lift or installed one without knowing you had other choices...like I did.

This is not about proving I made the right decision ..but how I made the decision as right as I could.

Basically , once I realized what I'd done, my control arm brackets were removed and my money was spent. And it drove great....for a little while ...then gremlins appeared.

So here is what I learned on here and how I applied it -

I chunked the sway bar links that fail (ask@Sancho) and installed JKS

I chunked my Bilstein shocks and installed Ranch0 5000x (Thanks @Chris)

I upgraded my axle end track bar bushing to a Moog K7252 with a larger bolt (thanks @Dave Kispaugh)

I replaced both front axle control arm joints with Currie Johnny Joints. (Thanks everyone that recommends them)

I replaced all my steering with Moog and a ZJ set up (thanks again)

Installed new unit bearings and all new Spicer u joints

Put RockCrawler 3.5" springs in the rear. Canned the old Skyjackers

Drives fantastic, flexes great, hooks up.

Am I recommending folks start going this route? No, not a bit. But if you are down that path and can't turn back, take the weak links out of the equation the best you can.

Along the way I should have put Currie control arms on, but I'm still breathing so that may happen one day...until it does , this is working.

One downside is the RC control arms have to be disconnected to adjust ( but they can't turn if connected).

The clevite bushings in my long arm kit are huge, 3/4 ton Dodge part # , it has some that are greasable Johnny joint type and some greasable heim.

It doesn't belong in Johnson Valley and I'm not running KOH, but it works around here enough for now.

Again , all this isn't the "smart way" and it's not about me beating the system. It's just working with the parts I purchased and knowledge I gained along the way. I'm not thrilled with a number of the design issues, but I don't have my head down in shame either.

My greatest advice is don't do anything without knowing exactly what you want to do if you can....and if you don't want to be forced to make fast decisions to get it drivable before you have the information to make those decisions , get a drivable stock TJ, not a mess with a bad lift.
 
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Rough Country wouldn't be that bad if it weren't for the shocks and crappy control arm bushings.

Unfortunately that's a large part of a lift, so it is what it is. Still, with good shocks, a Rough Country lift can be made to ride just fine.
 
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I'm in the same boat as you....bought a TJ with a 3.5" lift, all RC.

Upgraded the control arms with Rokmen
Upgraded the shocks with Rancho
Upgraded the sway bar links with Rubicon Express QD
With each replacement, the Jeep rides better.

Still need to upgrade the track bars...front and rear. I think the bushings are going bad.
 
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Midtenn said:
I'm in the same boat as you....bought a TJ with a 3.5" lift, all RC.

Upgraded the control arms with Rokmen
Upgraded the shocks with Rancho
Upgraded the sway bar links with Rubicon Express QD
With each replacement, the Jeep rides better.

Still need to upgrade the track bars...front and rear. I think the bushings are going bad.
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Those Rough Country track bar bushings can be upgraded. PM if needed.
 
Midtenn said:
I went with the longer ones...some old timers suggest going with one size shorter and they are probably right. I'm hard headed.
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Im debating on going to 4" from 3" with the 2-3" Ranchos or skipping the springs and getting a Savvy body lift.

So many decisions...
 
kudos for doing the work and the research to make it work for you. It would have taken every bit of self restraint I have to not yank it out and go with a midarm.
 
freedom_in_4low said:
kudos for doing the work and the research to make it work for you. It would have taken every bit of self restraint I have to not yank it out and go with a midarm.
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I was actually thinking last night ..there really was nothing stopping me from doing it right except downtime of the vehicle, welding brackets back on, etc. I've bought project TJ's, etc so money is no excuse.

If (or when) these start giving me problems or I wheel and hang up a lot, it will be time to get it going.
 
AndyG said:
I was actually thinking last night ..there really was nothing stopping me from doing it right except downtime of the vehicle, welding brackets back on, etc. I've bought project TJ's, etc so money is no excuse.

If (or when) these start giving me problems or I wheel and hang up a lot, it will be time to get it going.
Click to expand...

As I've been browsing for LJ's I have that in my head where if one has a bolt-on longarm kit, to just add-in the cost of a midarm as part of the purchase when comparing it to unmolested examples. The problem is I have no idea how much I would end up paying for the welding work. I have a FCAW from HF but I'm not experienced or confident enough in my welding at this point to trust myself with things as critical as a control arm mount or welding an axle truss without warping the tubes. The only thing I've done so far was filling in the brake pad divots on my steering knuckles.
 
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It takes an experienced installer to properly install Savvy's mid-arm, it's not for a beginning welder or someone not expert in setting them up. I've installed several suspension systems over the years and my MIG welding is "decent" most of the time but I certainly wouldn't attempt to install that midarm on my own.
 
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freedom_in_4low said:
As I've been browsing for LJ's I have that in my head where if one has a bolt-on longarm kit, to just add-in the cost of a midarm as part of the purchase when comparing it to unmolested examples. The problem is I have no idea how much I would end up paying for the welding work. I have a FCAW from HF but I'm not experienced or confident enough in my welding at this point to trust myself with things as critical as a control arm mount or welding an axle truss without warping the tubes. The only thing I've done so far was filling in the brake pad divots on my steering knuckles.
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Well it takes a smart man to know what he doesn't know.... There's absolutely nothing in this world wrong with knowing your limitations.

For some reason this reminds me of one of my favorite sayings..." It takes a big man to cry... But it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man."
 
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AndyG said:
Well it takes a smart man to know what he doesn't know.... There's absolutely nothing in this world wrong with knowing your limitations.
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I bought a Jeep with the RC X series 4" lift. I talked the guy down $500 because it rode so stiff and wandered. I talked him down another $500 because the heat and AC wouldn't work. I knew exactly what was wrong and easily fixed it. The RCX adjustable control arms held up great for 3 years of driving the Jeep in mud (PO and me until I sold it ). I greased the bushings, replaced the RC shocks, aligned the front end, removed the dropped pitman arm and replaced it with a stock one. The Jeep drove like new for $200. I pulled the knob on the AC/heat (fan speeds) when test driving it. It was cracked like a few of my other Jeeps. Fix cost me a 50 cent tube of super glue. I paid $7500 for the Jeep (03' Sahara) and sold it 18 months later for $12,500. I miss that Jeep.

p.s. I have no idea where that finger in the lower corner of the windshield came from.:sneaky:
BRAND NEW PIC (2017_11_20 00_38_12 UTC).jpg
 
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TheBoogieman said:
I bought a Jeep with the RC X series 4" lift. I talked the guy down $500 because it rode so stiff and wandered. I talked him down another $500 because the heat and AC wouldn't work. I knew exactly what was wrong and easily fixed it. The RCX adjustable control arms held up great for 3 years of driving the Jeep in mud. I greased the bushings, replaced the RC shocks, aligned the front end, removed the dropped pitman arm and replaced it with a stock one. The Jeep drove like new for $200. I pulled the knob on the AC/heat (fan speeds) when test driving it. It was cracked like a few of my other Jeeps. Fix cost me a 50 cent tube of super glue. I paid $7500 for the Jeep (03' Sahara) and sold it 18 months later for $12,500. I miss that Jeep.

p.s. I have no idea where that finger in the lower corner of the windshield came from.:sneaky:
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I have a 4” X-series left on mine as well. I opted to get an adjustable front trackbar that mounts in the stock location and kept the stock pitman arm. I also added an adjustable rear trackbar with a curved axle bracket as well as a CV rear driveshaft. Jeep came with a MML.

Overall I’m very happy with how it rides. No vibrations or bump steer. I would be curious to compare it to a Jeep with “softer” shocks but with the load range C tires at 26 psi I’m honestly not disappointed and I don’t consider the ride to be very rough.

As you mentioned, this setup should suit anybody’s purpose who isn’t into rock crawling or beating the snot out of their Jeep.
 
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