Newby mistakes and help needed

Jim G

Jim G

New member
I am extremely new to the Jeep world and already making huge mistakes. Lol I guess that's how I learn best, it a life long issue. I picked up a '16 Rubicon and just couldn't wait to get a lift on it and slap on the 35" Nitto Trail Grapplers. I stopped by one of our local 4x4 shops (4wheel Parts) and the salesman talked me into purchasing a RE 3.5" lift (my fault for not doing more investigatating with regards to quality lifts). I have already picked up the Fox Adjustable CD shox as a hopeful remedy to the rough ride I keep hearing about. The kit is very basic, so it shouldn't be too bad by adding to the lift with quality parts to offset my had purchase decision. Definitely not the best way of building my rig, but it is what it is I guess.
Can anyone possibly help me out with what additional quality parts I should pick up to make this a quality moderate trail riding Jeep? i.e. drag links, adjustable control arms etc. and what brand/type should I seek out? And no, throwing it in the dumpster is not really a viable option.
Thank you for any help. Keep in mind, we have all made Newby mistakes, mine is just stupidity. Lol
I'll post pics later.
Thank you in advance....
 
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First off, congrats on your new Jeep and welcome to WAL! You will learn a lot here so keep on reading.

Don't beat yourself up too much over your purchase. It is what it is and for most people, that lift will work just fine. Is it the best? No. Will it ride great? Maybe not. It will work though.

The kits can vary as far as what they come with so more info as far as what you have already will help.
 
JKRicky said:
First off, congrats on your new Jeep and welcome to WAL! You will learn a lot here so keep on reading.

Don't beat yourself up too much over your purchase. It is what it is and for most people, that lift will work just fine. Is it the best? No. Will it ride great? Maybe not. It will work though.

The kits can vary as far as what they come with so more info as far as what you have already will help.
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The RE7142 comes with the following parts.
Kit Includes. The Rubicon Express 3.5-inch Standard Coil Suspension System includes a front adjustable track bar, rear adjustable track bracket, front and rear replacement coil springs, cam bolts, bump stops and extended sway bar links.

Thanks
 
Jim G said:
The RE7142 comes with the following parts.
Kit Includes. The Rubicon Express 3.5-inch Standard Coil Suspension System includes a front adjustable track bar, rear adjustable track bracket, front and rear replacement coil springs, cam bolts, bump stops and extended sway bar links.

Thanks
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Take it all off and put the stock stuff back on. Even all the stock bolts! Look at a kit like the Evo enforcer which comes with new coils, raised trackbar brackets which lets you use your stock trackbars, adjustable front lower control arms so you can ditch those stupid cam bolts, axle mounted bump stops which is what you want, new swaybar links, and you can add in the drag link flip kit to further help correct your steering geometry. You will be able to use the fox shocks you just purchased as well with this kit.
 
LOL - I'm in that same club but I went to their sister company. Same kit. Same problem of not doing research. At least you got here in time! I spent way too much before I stopped the bleeding.
How's the handling? You would benefit from a raised front track bar bracket & drag link flip first off. Thats a good start. Read up here A LOT and go from there.

edit - Coz is dead on - those cam bolts are no good. Didn't realize they are doing that with their kits now. That's a cheap ass way out of supplying adjustable lower control arms (LCA's). If you're not in a position to get a whole new kit,
at minimum I'd get a set of LCA's from EVO or Currie. They use Johnnie joints and they are really strong. Also what I posted in first statement above.


And most importantly, throw those damn catalogs away when you get them in the mail. Dont be afraid to ask here and also you can pick up the phone & ask guys at Trail Jeeps, ORE, etc questions. Those guys are both really good. BUT, make sure you buy from them if you call 'em!
 
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I believe that you will need a new front drive shaft too with that amount of lift height.
 
I had no idea they switched to cam bolts. Why would a company switch to a cheaper alternative over quality knowing everyone talks. That says a lot about them.
 
Ddays said:
LOL -And most importantly, throw those damn catalogs away when you get them in the mail. Dont be afraid to ask here and also you can pick up the phone & ask guys at Trail Jeeps, ORE, etc questions. Those guys are both really good. BUT, make sure you buy from them if you call 'em!
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It's amazing how much utter crap is available to order and bolt onto your jeep through these ad mags. I like to thumb through them and laugh. Even my wife knows what's up with the garbage in these cheapo ad mags after listening to me tell her all about the differences between good parts and bad from knowledge learned here on WAL.
 
I would personally go with rock krawler Evo or metal cloak. Never really heard anything bad about those. I have Rock krawler and am extremely happy
 
I have exactly the same kit. It may not be the best but it does the job in my opinion for the wheeling level i am doing now. I had it for about three month and so far i did not have any issues. I did not have to change the drive shaft yet and i did not use cam bolts from the kit.
I am adding EVO drag link flip kit in two weeks and eventually coil overs.
As stated i did not have negative experience with the kit.
 
12-mile said:
His profile says rubicon unlimited, so looks like a 4-door. Hopefully...
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Yes, it is a 4dr. Rubi. After many emails back and forth, they have agreed to let me send the kit back as long as I pay for the shipping. From everything that I have learned since making this bone head purchase, I believe this would be my best option and cheapest route in the end. I figure it would be easier to lose $100 in shipping now rather than having to get pissed and have to rip it all out later and starting over.
With issues being hopefully resolved, I am now looking at the 3" EVO Enforcer kit $1289 lift as you all appear to highly recommend. Is there anything that I should be aware of before placing my order? Are the kits sold at a better price anywhere else? I would really like to find a "go to" place to buy parts and equipment with great customer service that aren't going to mislead customers in order to make a sale. I'm looking on the OFFROADEVOLUTION website. I have the wheels and shocks sitting in the garage awaiting my decision on a lift kit purchase. Lol I have 18x9 Fuel Krank wheels w/35x12.50x18 Nitto Trail Grapplers and Fox 2.0 Racing Shox w/ CD adjusters.
Edit: The Rock Krawler 3.5" has been talked about on WAL alot and seems to be what many of you run. How does this stack up again the EVO Enforcer 3"?
Thank you all for the advice and guidance with my build. :thankyou:
 
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if the control arm mounting holes were drilled out to accommodate the cam bolts you'll need to have washers welded on over the stock holes (both sides) or have the extra gap weld filled so the bolts stay in place, washers are the easiest way to go.
 
Jim G said:
Yes, it is a 4dr. Rubi. After many emails back and forth, they have agreed to let me send the kit back as long as I pay for the shipping. From everything that I have learned since making this bone head purchase, I believe this would be my best option and cheapest route in the end. I figure it would be easier to lose $100 in shipping now rather than having to get pissed and have to rip it all out later and starting over.
With issues being hopefully resolved, I am now looking at the 3" EVO Enforcer kit $1289 as you all appear to highly recommend. Is there anything that I should be aware of before placing my order? Are the kits sold at a better price anywhere else? I would really like to find a "go to" place to buy parts and equipment with great customer service that aren't going to mislead customers in order to make a sale. I'm looking on the OFFROADEVOLUTION website. I have the wheels and shocks sitting in the garage awaiting my decision on a lift kit purchase. Lol I have 18x9 Fuel Krank wheels w/35x12.50x18 Nitto Trail Grapplers and Fox 2.0 Racing Shox w/ CD adjusters.
Thank you all for the advice and guidance with my build. :thankyou:
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Smart man! Wish I had done the same thing but it took me too long to get here....

If I lived where you do I'd give ORE a call. Cannot go wrong there.
 
Jim G said:
Yes, it is a 4dr. Rubi. After many emails back and forth, they have agreed to let me send the kit back as long as I pay for the shipping. From everything that I have learned since making this bone head purchase, I believe this would be my best option and cheapest route in the end. I figure it would be easier to lose $100 in shipping now rather than having to get pissed and have to rip it all out later and starting over.
With issues being hopefully resolved, I am now looking at the 3" EVO Enforcer kit $1289 as you all appear to highly recommend. Is there anything that I should be aware of before placing my order? Are the kits sold at a better price anywhere else? I would really like to find a "go to" place to buy parts and equipment with great customer service that aren't going to mislead customers in order to make a sale. I'm looking on the OFFROADEVOLUTION website. I have the wheels and shocks sitting in the garage awaiting my decision on a lift kit purchase. Lol I have 18x9 Fuel Krank wheels w/35x12.50x18 Nitto Trail Grapplers and Fox 2.0 Racing Shox w/ CD adjusters.
Thank you all for the advice and guidance with my build. :thankyou:
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You will not be disappointed with the Enforcer lift. I would highly recommend getting the drag-link flip kit as well. I went this route with the 3" Enforcer with drag-link flip. I'm still on factory tires so the comparison between pre-Enforcer and post-Enforcer is easy to make. I haven't had a chance to beat it up properly off-road yet but so far I absolutely love it on highway and tight winding roads. Some people don't like the body roll but I don't think it's bad at all. It feels fine to me in corners.
 
Ddays said:
Smart man! Wish I had done the same thing but it took me too long to get here....

If I lived where you do I'd give ORE a call. Cannot go wrong there.
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Hahaha, It's hard to laugh at this point due to my frustration with my early decisions. I have read and read many threads here on WAL and I have yet to read any legitimate complaints about ORE. I've seen some posts on here about saving 5-10% by purchasing on certain websites, however, after just getting lied to by these other websites, I just want to get honest and knowledgeable advice from the companies that I'm buying from. I'm going to go ahead a give ORE a call and see how there customer service works. I can say that new Jeep owners should be seriously aware that 4wheel Parts and Morris 4x4 are completely incompetent and will lie directly about the crap they're trying to sell to unknowing new Jeep owners. I will certainly take my share of the blame for not educating myself before my purchase, but their misleading sales tactics are far from admirable. Joining WAL is the best decision I have made since starting down the road of building a quality Jeep for off road fun.
Edit: The Rock Krawler 3.5" lift is recommended by many on WAL, how does it compare to the EVO Enforcer 3" lift?
Thanks
 
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JeepJeep75 said:
You will not be disappointed with the Enforcer lift. I would highly recommend getting the drag-link flip kit as well. I went this route with the 3" Enforcer with drag-link flip. I'm still on factory tires so the comparison between pre-Enforcer and post-Enforcer is easy to make. I haven't had a chance to beat it up properly off-road yet but so far I absolutely love it on highway and tight winding roads. Some people don't like the body roll but I don't think it's bad at all. It feels fine to me in corners.
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I hope so.. People such as yourself are making the decision much easier to make due to your first hand experience with the EVO lifts. I can't wait till I get to UPS Store to ship the RE 3.5" lift back. Then I will feel much better about this nightmare experience. Atleast I gOT educated here on WAL before installing the kit and regretting it. Lol
 
jeeeep said:
if the control arm mounting holes were drilled out to accommodate the cam bolts you'll need to have washers welded on over the stock holes (both sides) or have the extra gap weld filled so the bolts stay in place, washers are the easiest way to go.
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Thanks for the advice, but I am going to go ahead and ship this entire kit back and pay for the shipping. I have decided to go with the EVO Enforcer 3"
Thanks
 
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