and drop brackets right?

 

Yep the 4" RC drop brackets and the control arms adjusted for 4.5" for the total 8.5.

 

Then I have 4.5" springs, 2.5" shackles and shackle relocators for the final 1.5" for the total 8.5. I hope my calculations are right and it sits level....LOL.

 

I should be a le to finish up the rear main seal and oil pan gasket tonight if no surprises arise like has happened from the beginning when I first climbed under this Jeep.

 

Hey guys I got the rear seal swapped out and the new oil pan gasket put on. This rear seal was easiest one I have ever done and this was like my 5th or 6th time. The old one was VERY worn out....and as I said before the PO used a cork gasket to every inch of it had to chiseled and wire brushed off. I was fortunate enough to be able to use the parts washer in our new shop to clean up the oil pan which was covered with oil and dirt grime inside and out. The bolts all had to be cleaned as well. I believe doing this rear seal and oil pan gasket will help my engine hold oil just a little bit better and it might help the oil pressure. I'm just glad to have it done so I can get started on the new lift tomorrow night after work. I think I will do the back first as it is always easier.

 

Nice work! I'm interested to hear how you do your front end alignment once the new lift is on. My alignment seems to be off as I see uneven wear on my tires. It may very well be that my steering components are bent to ****. Either way I'll need to have this see solved be for Elbe.

 

I basically adjust my control arms until the coil spring sits perfectly vertical with rhe Jeep sitting straight and level on the ground. Then I adjust the toe with the tierod ends until the length between center of tire to center of tire is rhe same for front and back side of tires. I heard tire shops toe them outaaa bit but doing it this way has always worked for me.

 

Tonight I finished tightening the oil pan up and put in a fresh oil filter and oil. Once that was all done Got everything staged and ready to start installing the rear part of the lift first thing tomorrow.

 

....And the hits just keep on coming with this damn RENIX Jeep I bought. So the Rough Country rear shackle relocation brackets have a hole for the original shackle bolt to go through it and there are 2 holes on the front side that match up with the 2 holes that are already there in 91 and up HO Cherokees. I discovered tonight that RENIX Cherokees 90 and earlier only have 1 hole drilled in the front side of the schackle pocket. So....It looks like I will be drilling the 2 required holes in my Jeep so I can properly secure the relocation brackets. Why can't anything be a direct bolt in to a RENIX Cherokee.....

 

What an awesome shop! Is that yours?

 

1/3 of it is mine. The boy and I rent it with a couple of other guys.

 

Well, once I realized that the shackle relocation brackets were all wrong and none of the holes were lining up where they are supposed to, I decided to stop with the rear and move to the front. Rough Country's website claims one part number works for all XJs 84-01. I'm going to give them a call on Monday and hear what they have to say about my situation. If they have a different bracket that fits the older Jeeps and bolts in I want it. If they say I just need to drill and dremel to make the ones I have fit, well, I can do that too. So It was already getting late when I started on the front but, I did manage to get the drop brackets put in. I was a bit rusty on how exactly they bolt together but here is a couple of pics of them in and ready for control arms.

 

So I just got off the phone with a Customer Service Rep. From Rough Country. The XJ shackle relocation brackets they sell are a one part number fits 84-01. HOWEVER, what found out and its not a huge deal if you have basic fabrication skills is that if you own a 91 and up XJ they are a bllt right in affair. If you own an 87 XJ like I do you have to drill a couple new holes and dremel a couple existing holes to make the relocation brackets fit and bolt in securely.

 

So the infamous Renix XJ is the bastard on yet another aftermarket XJ product that is said to be one size fits all years of XJ.

 

well damnit buck, lol quit running into snags! less than 4 weeks to go! Wish i lived closer to give u a hand brother! If all else fails i may have to make a trip up there and hammer it out with ya haha