i got my lift back in august of last year and had the newer flex arms from what i remember but i didn't have the drop brackets so mine would bind early than yours so it may not be a problem. Just take a look at it and just did the same thing you did flipped them but when i had it at full droop it hit on the mounts because the offset was flipped

 

After my own assessment and a discussion with the techs at the alignment shop, we determined the LCA orientation should have the grease fittings pointed upward.

The grease fittings are situated on the inside of the offset, allowing a little extra room for the axle mounting during articulation/droop. And of course, the grease fittings are well protected from any obstacle trauma.

I am confident that this is the proper orientation for my LCA design and application. Perhaps my LCA's are a newer design after all? Either way, I'm happy with their positioning.

Additionally, as you alluded to in your post, the control arm drop brackets should help combat the potential for binding.

Thank you for the insight!

 

I was out of town this weekend, so no updates the last couple days... But I'm back in town as of this evening and already got a little update as well.

Don't you love coming home to a surprise on the doorstep?


I just ordered these on Friday morning before I left! Can't believe it, they arrived Sat while I was gone.... amazing delivery time! I placed the order through summitracing.com and opted for STANDARD delivery method. Guess standard = overnight?!?!?!

Cragar Soft 8 15x8 4'' backspacing
I know you know what they look like, but I was excited:




Tires should arrive by the end of the week.

Once the wheels and tires are installed, it'll be picturefest!

 

Nice!

 

Just wanted to post a little follow up on a small issue I had with the transfer case drop.

When I finally finished the suspension install last week and started the Jeep I heard a fast-paced ticking/knocking noise coming from the engine compartment.

I immediately shut the engine down, popped the hood and took a look around but found nothing obvious. Started it again, same sound. This time, I let it run a little while I located where the sound was coming from... turns out the radiator fan was hitting an A/C line.

Coincidentally, I had just read a few days ago about a similar problem in another thread where the poster had described the same issue.

I took a picture and you can see where the contact was being made on the A/C line:


To remedy the problem, I just moved the line back away from the fan. At first I thought it might be difficult to "bend", but it turns out all it needed was a little push....

 

nice

 

Nothing new to report, just wanted to get some "before" pictures posted as the tires SHOULD be here and installed on Friday with the Cragars.

Lighting wasn't great today, overcast skies, but the pics should fulfill their intended comparison purposes.

I removed the bumper endcaps to take a look at the bumper which was damaged by the previous owner in an accident. You can see the passenger side of the bumper is a little screwed up.



No worries though, an aftermarket bumper is on the way.



Also removed the driver fender flare since I am missing the passenger flare for the symmetry













I really need to pound out this fender...









All for now.

 

thats real good! hows the ride quality with them dropped LCA brackets???

 

I'm happy to give my impression of the ride quality, BUT keep in mind that I have never ridden in/driven another lifted XJ. And my only experience with my own XJ is with the CA drop brackets installed. So, I have nothing to compare ride quality to other than stock.

When I was researching my suspension lift, I definitely came across many posters who were of the opinion that RC products ride "rough". This was the primary impetus for going with CA drop brackets. FWIW, I've read that the difference is night and day between no drop brackets and having them.

Bottom line, I am VERY happy with the ride quality thus far. The front end is nearly as comfortable as stock in my opinion. However, I have noticed a slight increase in stiffness in the rear suspension.

The on-road manners of the vehicle are great. It handles similar to stock and there are no unexpected shimmies, shakes, rattles, vibrations, etc. I feel confident taking turns at any reasonable speed. The steering is responsive and there is no detectable wobble or control issue.

The one and only "issue" I have noticed is a slight vibration at 70mph. It's barely noticeable and I'm certain a non-Jeep enthusiast would likely not even recognize the vibration. It does intensify briefly upon deceleration (taking foot off gas pedal) and then subsides. I am certain a SYE kit and custom driveshaft will solve this as the transfer case drop only serves to lessen the symptoms versus fixing them.

Overall, I'm a happy camper with the on-road performance. I have yet to wheel this thing off-road though, so I'll have to report on that later.

 

New wheels and tires arrived a day earlier than expected!

I had to rush to take the pictures as a big storm was moving in so quality and lighting isn't great. Also, the pavement isn't perfectly level.... And the new bumper will be here tomorrow which = more pics anyway so no big deal.

I'm real happy with the sizing of the wheels, I feel like they are proportional to my lift. I'm also happy to see the track width has widened.

Tires are 32x11.50 BFG All Terrain T/A KO on 15x8 Cragar Soft 8's with 4'' backspacing.
















Still need to figure out what I'm doing with fender flares...
















I forgot to buy center caps....

 

turned out really nice

 

looks great!

 

Very nice looking ride. There is something about a Jeep with black wheels, I just love it. Great thread too!

 

Looks great. New wheels and tires make a ton of difference. I ran drop brackets on 8 inches for a long time. Worked fine for me.

Keep it up.

 

Thanks guys! I'm real happy with the look so far. Project is moving right along.

Speaking of moving right along.....









That guy in the big brown truck just keeps circling my house and dropping stuff off

I will try to get it installed tonight after work. FYI, it's upside-down in the pics.