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Thank you, I may buy a cover for the jack, and just leave it up there. It's kind of heavy to keep taking on, and off. I'm concerned I'll drop the jack and knock out a window at some point. I'd really like to mount it on the tire carrier, but with the design of the bumper it would need to mount vertically, and it would stick up higher than the rack.
I would definitely recommend a cover for the jack or, if not, at least carry around a can of WD40. Ever since I put mine on the front bumper, I've had to spray the pins with WD when I go to use it or they stick on the way down.
The Rough Country 3" rear leafs were not handling the extra weight of the tire carrier, spare tire, tools, passengers, ect. They also moved my rear tire back, and that was causing it to make contact with the flares on the smallest of bumps.
You can see here how close the tire was to the flare when loaded, and this is without passengers.
Here's a picture of the rear tire moved back with the RC leaf springs. The wheel not being centered in the well bothered me a lot.
I decided to go with the Rubicon Express 3.5" springs on all four corners.
My hope was to regain my 3 or 3.5" lift, and for the XJ to sit a little higher in the rear so that it would sit near level when fully loaded. I also hoped the RE leaf springs would center my wheel. I read up on the forums, and several people said the RE 3.5" sat a little higher in the rear. Some people even removed a leaf from the pack to level their XJ's. I also read these leafs moved one guys wheel forward slightly. This sounded perfect.
To my delight the RE leaf springs did center my rear wheel in the well (or at least got it very close), and gave me the height back that I had lost.
Here you can see the wheel is positioned much better in the rear wheel well.
After installation, the XJ sits dead level all loaded up. Minus the driver, and passengers.
So far I am thrilled about the stance. I still need to put some trail, and highway miles on it to get a feel for how it's going to flex, and ride. I'm planning to hit the TN Dirt Devil this weekend to test it out.
I ran across this video of an inexpensive vehicle awning, and bought one to try out. It bolted right up to my rack with the supplied L-brackets. It's 6.5' x 8' and fits the rack perfectly.
I opened it briefly after installing it, but it was freezing cold so, I'm waiting for warmer weather to get a better look at it. It seems well built, but this is my first awning so I have no frame of reference. The price is down to $104.90 at the moment.
I had a chance to play in the snow so I snapped a few pics.
You can see in the first two pictures the new springs give plenty of room for the 33's. These tire are pretty worn so depending on how these springs settle, and the actual diameter of the new tires, I may lose some of the height.
I also had a chance to do some highway driving and so far there are zero vibes. I had it up to 75 mph, and it's smooth as silk. These springs ride a lot better than I expected. It really makes me want to change out the shocks for something better. I'll have to do some research on those.
She's a beaut! How's that jerry can mounted? It might be the angle, but from that picture it doesn't look attached to the tire swing-out. Looks great though!
She's a beaut! How's that jerry can mounted? It might be the angle, but from that picture it doesn't look attached to the tire swing-out. Looks great though!
Thanks. The Jerry can mount is bolted to the lift gate. I used 3/16” plate on the inside, and a large 1/8” plate on the outside to reinforce it. It’s holding up great so far. The holder itself is beginning to rust, so I’ll have to remove, and repaint it in the spring. It’s made by Smittybilt.
Just came across this and read through the whole thread. I am doing exactly the same thing as you! I started with a RC 3" full leaf pack lift, and just swapped over to the 3.5" coil springs and leaf pack in the rear. Still running RC lower control arms and shocks. I am also running 33's and will be getting Napier V2's soon.
I would recommend looking at Bilstein 5100 series shocks, I have only heard good things about them and they should compliment the RE springs ride quality nicely!
I love your rack and the awning. I might purchase the awning, i've seen the DIY video but I don't want it to look tacky. Great build.
Thanks. I researched a DIY awning, but in the end this one is about the same money, and a lot less (zero) effort. The same company offers it in tan for $86.00
10-09-2017, 08:05 AM
