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Rubicon Express 4.5" Superflex

Rubicon Express 4.5 Superflex (sub 3.5 springs)

Part #: See Below

In the past I have gone with the big lift, big tires idea to get over all the obstacles.  After a while I found out that I was no longer enjoying myself on the trails.  Where was the challenge when you could just drive over everything.  So the first time around I decided to go minimalist, just enough lift to clear 33's.  I had already installed my JKS 1 1/4" body lift, so now was time to put in a suspension lift.  I had originally installed an OME kit on my Rubi, but after dealing with a few issues centered around the weight of the winch in the front, I decided to go with some bigger springs.  The actual problem was discovered during tear down of the vehicle and turned out to be the Teraflex spring spacers.  Then during a conversation with a friend I was offered money for my complete old OME kit.  Now I figured I could just put another kit under the Jeep.  I had previously installed a Rubicon Express kit on a friends TJ, so I knew what was a head of me.  At least mine had unrusted bolts, so there would be no 5 hours of cutting ahead just to get parts off.  I hoped.  I did discover that when you order the RE kits they need to know if it is and Auto or a Manual.

Rubicon Express Parts List

3.5' Super-Flex RE-7013 (Manual)
Front Super-Flex Adj. Upper Control Arms RE-3780
Rear Super-Flex Adj. Upper Control Arms RE-3783
OME 'LT' Shocks
JKS (OGS) Front Adj. Track Bar
JKS "Quicker Disconnects"
Teraflex shock relocators

My Jeep currently has a winch in the front along with rear corner guards, Hi-lift and recover gear in the back so I am fairly balanced on additional weight.  I also have a 1 1/4" body lift installed.  I had taken measurements before, so I figured I would once again show the difference between stock and lifted.

Critical Measurements
(*includes 1 1/4" body lift)
  Before Lift  After Lift Total Lift
*Front Fender
(Centered through tire from ground)
34 1/8" 38" 3 7/8"
*Front Fender
(From center of wheel)
19 5/8" 23 1/2" 3 7/8"
Frame behind Front 
LCA bracket
14 5/8" 18 3/8" 3 3/4"
*Center of Rocker Guard (Centered on middle body mount) 20" 23 3/4" 3 3/4"
Skid Plate 
(Lowest point under Transfer case)
10 1/4" 14" 3 3/4"
Frame in-front of Rear LCA bracket 15" 18 3/4" 3 3/4"
*Rear Fender
(Centered through tire from ground)
34 7/8" 38 1/2" 3 5/8"
*Rear Fender
(From center of wheel)
20 3/8" 24" 3 5/8"
Note: When I removed the factory shocks I was surprised when the vehicle dropped.  I went back and remeasured the Front and Rear fenders from the ground.  The front had sagged 1/2" and the rear 3/8".  Nobody has ever mentioned this drop.  Now the OME shocks are not high charged Nitrogen like the factory shocks, so I will not get any additional height out of them. 

 

Stock Rubicon
Lifted Rubicon

Spring Characteristics

Factory Front RE Front Factory Rear RE Rear
Length 17 1/4" 19" 12" 15 1/2"
Width 4 7/8" 5 1/8" 6 1/4" 6 3/8"
Wire Size 0.508" .625" 0.610" .625"
# of wraps 8 +1/4" overlap 10.75 6.5 7.25

Shock Characteristics

  Factory Front OME Front Factory Rear OME Rear
Extended 21" 27 3/8" 19" 24 3/8"
Compressed 14" 16 3/8" 12 1/2" 14 5/8"
Comp. Force 90lbs 10lbs 90lbs 10lbs

Note: Compression Force Measured on scale by applying weight stacks to top of shock.  Force is Approximate of what is required to hold shock compressed.


Rubicon Express Instructions

RE Superflex Lift ] RE Rear Trackbar Bracket ] Bad Bushings ]

 

Additional Parts:
Anti-seize
6502468 - SCREW, Hex Flange Head, M8x1.25x20, Coil Spring Bracket, Mounting
52005917 - BRACKET, Spring, Coil
Teraflex Shock Relocation Brackets
(4) brass crush washers for front brakes. 
Brake bleed kit
Brake fluid
Tools Needed:<16-Apr-2008 1/2" Drill bit
7/16" Drill bit
9/16" Drill bit
Pliers
3/8" Ratchet
4" extension
13mm Socket
16mm Socket
15mm Socket
16mm Socket Deep Well
19mm Socket Deep Well
19mm Socket
21mm Socket
9/16" Socket
11/16" Socket
3/4" Socket
13mm Combo Wrench
15mm Combo Wrench
18mm Combo Wrench
19mm Combo Wrench
21mm Combo Wrench
3/8" Combo Wrench
3/4" Combo Wrench
7/8" Combo Wrench
1 1/2" Combo Wrench
Phillips Screwdriver
Flat tip Screwdriver
Vise
Floor Jack
Jack Stands (6 tons for the height)
Small adjustable Wrench
T-55 Torx
10mm 1.50 tap
Pickle Fork
Big Hammer (3lb blacksmith works)

 

Installation: I did this in my garage, so it is fairly simple.  I do have some really neat tools for working on Jeeps, but I didn't need anything other than the basics.

 

Front Suspension:
Jack up the vehicle and place jack stands behind the front Lower Control Arm Frame Brackets.  You will need to pick this up fairly high.  I maxed out my 19" throw floor jack and put the 6-ton jack stands up as high as I could get them.  Be careful when you set the Jeep back down.  If you have a winch on the front or a heavy bumper be ready for the rear of the Jeep to shift.  I gained about 4 inches in the back, not enough to affect working on the front, but it did raise and eyebrow when it did it.  Now pull the tires off, I do hope that you already loosened the lug nuts since we started on the front.
 
Place the Floor jack back under the axle to hold the axle.  The front shocks are what limits your droop, so the axle will fall away once you take the shock off, don't worry it doesn't go far, but can make getting the shock off a pain.  The front shocks. are held in by a 15 mm nut on the shock tower at the top, and (2) 13mm nuts and bolts at the bottom.  With this being a new Jeep I was able to get the Nut off of the top without any problems.  I placed a ratcheting box end wrench (5/8" worked, but was loose) over the nut, and held the top of the shock tower with an adjustable wrench.  Then I removed the lower nuts and bolts.  You will need the extension on the socket to be able to reach the nuts or bolts. 
 
As you can see there is a slight difference between the shocks. The Standard OME is on top with the LT's on the bottom.
Shock Comparison
You will need to disconnect and/or remove the front anti-sway bar linkage.  I have JKS Quicker Disconnects already installed, so I just pulled the pins and off they came. 
Front Disco Disco Removed
For those of you that don't have these you will need a T-55 Torx and a 18mm Combo wrench to remove the bottom bolt from the sway bar link. We will remove the rest later.
 
Now that we have everything removed we need to get the spring out.  Let the axle down all the way and place the floor jack under the opposite side brake disk.  Make certain you are only lifting the disk, not any other parts.  Now jack up the disk and compress the spring on this side.  Watch so that you don't take the frame off of the jack stand.  If you do then let the jack out until you are resting on the jack stand again.  Now the spring will be loose on the other side, so have a buddy (beer belly friends work the best) put pressure on that disk and now pull the spring out.  Yes, you could use spring compressors to do this, but after having one break a finger for me I don't like to use them.
 
Repeat for the opposite side.
 
   
I started by loosening the Upper control arm bolts. This will allow the axle to rotate and move around a little. If you have cam bolts on the front axle they say you should mark them and put them back in the same location, but since the RE arms are longer than stock and you will be needing an alignment anyway's, I would just center them straight up. I don't have cam bolts on my axle, so I didn't have to worry about resetting the bolts. I then removed the nuts from the Lower control arm bolts. You will need a 21mm socket to get these off.  I also used a 21mm or 7/8" wrench to hold the bolts. I removed and replaced 1 arm at a time.
 
I installed the zerk fittings in all of the arms since I already had them out.  These are a pipe thread fitting and require a 3/8" wrench.  Make certain that you thread these down straight, otherwise they will strip out your hole and then you have a real headache trying to clean it up. 
 

As you can see the RE arms are just a little beefer than the stamped steel of the factory arms. You will also notice the offset on the arm. This allows for greater droop and flex at the axle.

LCA comparison Top LCA Comparison Side

I then removed one arm.  I slid the new arm up into the frame pocket and bolted it into the axle bracket.    Make certain that the Johnny Joint is on the axle end and that the tube is on the bottom. This will allow max droop out of the axle and prevent the arm from binding on the spring pad for the axle. I gave the axle a slight push with my foot and was able to slide the frame bolt in.  Now on the other side I used my bottle jack to move the axle forward so that I could line it up.

 

Now repeat for the other side. I then snugged down the bolts for the arms. Do not tighten them since the suspension is not at rest yet.

Note:  I put anti-seize on the bolt shafts since I was inserting them through metal bushings on the Rubicon Express Arms.  This is to prevent seizing in the future due to rust.  The first thing that I noticed about these arms once I got them installed was the amount of flex that they have.

Arm Installation
You may note in the directions that they talk about eccentric bolts. The eccentric bolts they are talking about are the factory bolts that hold the lower control arms to the front axle.  They are known as cam bolts.   Most 2000 and above models do not have them anymore, just the thick washers now. 
 
Now for the upper control arms. As you can see these are just a little bigger than the stock arms. I figured the front would be easy.  Okay I was wrong, it was hard to get the tools into the tight spaces up front, especially around the differential.
UCA Comparison 

You will need a 15mm socket for the bolts. The Frame bracket has a nut on that tab stuck way up in there. I didn't remove any bolts until I had all of them free. The axle bracket has a tab on it that hooks on the arm so all you have to do is spin off the nut. The driver side is difficult since it is right on top of the differential.

front UCA bolt
Front UCA bolt
On the driver side, you will need to remove the lines for the front locker and differential vent.  These will later get zip tied back to the UCA.  Make certain you zip ties these well, the drive shaft is right there.

 

line zip tie
Once you get the arms off adjust the RE UCA's to 1/4" longer.  This measurement was 13 1/4", just a little shorter than the rears.  Once you get the arms adjusted you will need to tighten the jam nut down real tight.  This takes a rather large wrench 1 1/2". 
 

In the front you don't have the same dilemma of which side goes where as you will see with the rears.  The front's only go in one way, Johnny joint to the frame. 

 

Axle UCA mount
I did notice that the front arm to axle bolt didn't clip over the edge of the RE arm like it did on the stock arm, but a quick tap of the hammer fixed that. I choose to reuse the stock hardware (RE didn't send bolts). There should be a new bolt with the RE arms that goes through the axle brackets.
Stock bolt in new arm
Now that you have the arms in you can lower the axle down as far as you can with it, just keep an eye on the brake lines since you haven't replaced them yet. They will stretch a little which is okay.
 
Now to drill out the lower spring pads for the new bump stop spacers.  You will need 5/16" drill bit and a M10 x 1.50 Tap.  I know that the kit comes with self tapping bolts, but the Rubi's have that heavy metal plate welded to the top of the spring pad, so the Tap makes life easier.  Now all you need to do is mark the center of the spring pad. 
front spring pad
Lay the spacer down on top so that it is centered and take a center punch and make a mark right down through the center of the spacer. 
Marking front spring pad
When you drill out the hole you need to make certain that you drill straight down.  There is a gap between the top plate and the bottom plate.  If you don't get a straight drill, your holes will be off and you will be unable to get a screw down through the plate.  I drilled the first one fine, but got off on the second one.  I had to cut down one of the screws so that it would fit into the top of the spring pad.  Now don't bolt on the spacers yet or you won't be able to get the springs in.  When you drill the holes start with a small pilot hole and work your way up from there.  I drilled an 1/8" and then worked my way up, instead of trying to drill the hole the first time.  Stepping up in drill sizes will also allow you to have a tighter clearance on the actual hole size.  Reason is that if you drill at the 1/2" size (for example) the center point will wander in a small circle as it drill through causing your hole to be slightly larger.  This is why they came up with the pilot point drill bits.  Get yourself some good drill bits.  I used titanium and drilled right through.
Drilling front pad
Front pad drilled
After you get that done, it is time to put in the new spring.  
Spring comparison

Put the floor jack under the opposite brake disk and jack it up as far as you can, but be careful you don't lift it off the frame.  

 
Now insert the spring up around the bump stop cup.  I was able to do this without spring compressors.  The RE arms allow the front end to really flex.  Before you slide the spring over the top of the spring perch, you will need to insert the new bump stop into the bottom of the spring.  Watch your fingers. 
   
Now push the spring completely onto the spring perch. 
 
Once you have the spring on, you will need to install the bolt in the bump stop spacer and tighten it down.  A 9/16" socket fits the bolts. 
 
Rotate the coil until the pigtail (end of spring) slides into the indent in the bottom spring pad.
 
Repeat on the other side. 
 

I now installed the spring clips and bolts on each side.  The front OME shocks have so much travel that they will unseat the springs by about 4 inches, so this is good insurance that they don't move around.

spring retainers
Here you can see the two holes that the clip goes in. The rear hole (to right) is where the little pigtail on the clip goes in, the bolt goes in the forward hole.
spring retainer install point
Here you can see it installed.
retainer installed
Once you are done, put the new shocks back in.  Okay lets talk about shocks real quick. 
 
The shocks have bar pins that need to be inserted.  Pay attention to the bar pins, and don't just dump them into a big pile.  The front bar pins are shorter than the rear and the rears you need to make certain that you put them on the top since both ends have eyes.  A vise makes putting the bar pins in easy, but if you don't have one take a big deep well socket and put it on one side against the ground, and then drive the bar pin in from the other side.  Simple directions is put washer on bar pin, drive bar pin through bushing, put washer on bar pin, put external snap ring on bar pin.  Make certain the snap ring goes into the groove. 
Bar Pin Installation:
Way #1 (Tools required: External Snap Ring Pliers, 2 Deep well sockets(16mm and 19mm work), Hammer)
Insert one washer onto the bar pin so that is sits on the shoulder, wedge the end of the bar pin in the bushing, now using a deep well socket as a support for the bushing drive the bar pin through the bushing. It should look like this before you hit it. Deep well on the ground with ratchet side down, then shock bushing, then bar pin sticking up. Drive the bar pin all the way in. Flip the shock over and put the other washer on. Use a set of exterior snap ring pliers, insert the prongs of the pliers into the two holes and gently pry the snap ring open. Open it just far enough to slide down over the bar pin, you need to kind of get it over the round part of the bar pin, vice the flat mounting area for the shock bolts. The snap ring will not go into the grove on the bar pin. Now take another deep well, that will just fit over the bar pin, give the deep well a couple of smacks with the hammer working the snap ring down and into the groove.
Way #2 (Vise, External Snap Ring Pliers)
Basically the same way as #1, but you can use the vise to press in the bar pin, and hold the washers in, while you install the snap rings, this way you can actually install them right into the groove, with out having to use a deep well and a hammer. Only problem is you lose that satisfying thunk of the hammer.
Bar Pins installing bar pins hammer and socket
 
Installation of the front shocks is the opposite of removing them. You will need a 13mm socket, short extension, and combo wrench for the bottom and a 17mm for the top. You may need to lift up on the axle to set the shocks in the bottom
 
Once you have those installed you can move on to the front trackbar.
 
If you don't replace the front track bar you will need to drill an new hole.  As far as the track bar drill point.  If I remember correctly the RE instructions state drill it 3/4" over from the factory hole in the axle bracket.  When I did this on my friends 98 TJ, we just drew a line from the factory hole (towards the ds) parallel with the axle.  We marked it at 3/4" then drilled the first hole.  We did the same thing for the inner hole that way the holes were straight. You won't have to remove the trackbar, just remove the axle side bolt.
 
I removed the front track bar since I was installing a new JKS Adjustable Front Track Bar
 
First remove the cotter pin and then the 15mm castellated nut from the frame side mount. 
 
Then take a pickle fork and drive it between the top of the track bar and the frame bracket.  Be careful that you get the tines of the pickle fork centered around the taper bolt otherwise it is a real pain.  I found it easier with the flat side of the pickle fork against the frame bracket. 
 
Now use a 15mm socket to get the bolt out of the axle side mount.  There is a capture nut on the back side attached to the little tab.  Note: Be careful putting this back in, I stripped mine out, and have waited over 4 weeks for the dealership to figure out the right part number. 
 
Now just slide the bar out and put it off to the side, I now installed the JKS bar as the link above shows.
 
I also changed out the steering stabilizer at this time. 
 
Go ahead and put the tires back down and take it off of jack stands.
 

Now reinstall the anti-sway bar end links.  You will notice that this pulls the anti-sway bar below horizontal.  The effective range of the anti-sway bar when the vehicle is on the ground is +/- 20degrees from horizontal.  The preferred range is 20 degrees above to 5 degrees below horizontal.  I extended mine to about 10 1/2".

 
You will notice that the front axle is off center.  Just a quick blurb here about that since you are not quite ready to go drive it.
 
Centering the front axle is easy. You don't have to bounce or anything.
 
First measure from the frame to the rim/ or tire as close to right above the axle. This will eliminate the possibility of the body being off center on it's mounts and having a slight turn in the tires. Now once you have this measurement, you will know how far you need to move the axle. I had initially measured my axle position and saw that I was just slightly over to the drive side. When I installed the new bar I offset it the same amount.
 
Second, once you have this measurement. Adjust the Trackbar to 1/2 the difference in distance.  My length ended up being 31 1/4".  Now all you have to do is turn the front wheels and the axle will move underneath the frame.  Once the track bar lines up with the axle bracket, install the bolt and nut.  Then just drive it around and remeasure (after you get the rear suspension done, yes someone asked me how to drive it around with the front end up in the air).
 

 

Rear Suspension:

Jack up the rear suspension and place it on jack stands just in front of the Rear Lower control arm frame brackets. 
 

Now let the suspension down and remove the tires. 

 
Support the rear axle with the floor jack and remove the rear shocks.  As you can see the rears are small compared to the standard OME's and the OME LT's (bottom).
shock comparison
You will need a to remove the (2) 13mm bolts from the top (real long extension), and the lower bolt is a 15mm and 18mm.    
   
Now remove the rear track bar so that you can install the springs and trackbar bracket. 
 
The axle ends uses a T-55 Torx and the frame side is a 15mm and 18mm. 
 
You will also need to remove the plastic cover from around the axle end of the track bar. 
 
I also removed the rear anti-sway bar links.  A 15mm and 18mm socket takes out the bolts.  I left this disconnected because I knew I needed to move the axle around so that I could drill for the track bar bracket.  These will limit your ability to droop the axle far enough to get a drill in. 
Removing rear links
Removing rear links
Now to get the rear springs out, just let the axle droop all the way down, and have a buddy step on one side, pull that spring out, and then go do the other side. As you can see the RE spring isn't much bigger than the OME spring in the center. The RE spring has more wraps and a larger wire diameter.
Rear spring removed
Spring Comparison
As you can see the RE lower arms are beefier than that stock arms. Like in the front the lower arm gets installed with the johnny joint on the top side of the arm in the axle bracket. (Yes the arm is upside down in the picture)
Rear LCA's
Rear LCA's
I started by removing the nuts from the Lower control arm bolts.  You will need a 21mm socket to get these off.  I also used a 21mm or 7/8" wrench to hold the bolts. 
Removing rear LCA's
Rear LCA's removed
I slid the arm up into the frame pocket and inserted the bolt into the axle side mount.  Now I gave a little push up on the body, and the frame bolt slid right in.  I did the opposite side the same way.  (This is a shot from my friends jeep that we replaced a RE arm on.) Once I had both control arms in and all the bolts inserted, I reinstalled the nuts.
New rear LCA

Adjustable Upper Control Arms. The instructions say to adjust these to 1/4" longer for stock drive shaft and 3/4" longer for a CV shaft.  I still had the stock shaft, so I went the 1/4" route.  I used 2 pieces of all thread to make certain that both arms were the same size.  I first installed the zerk fittings in all of the arms. A 5/16" wrench makes short work of these.  As you can see these arms are also bigger. Unfortunately they do not come with a bracket for the brake cables, air lines, etc, that are attached to the stock arms.

Rear UCA comparison
Rear UCA comparison
You will need a 13mm socket to get the emergency brake cable off of these.       
Ebrake cable
Now 15mm socket and combo wrench for the bolts to remove the control arms.
Remove rear UCA
I then measured the stock control arm from center to center on the eyes and adjusted the RE arms to 1/4" longer.  This measurement was 13 1/2".  Once you get the arms adjusted you will need to tighten the jam nut down real tight.  This takes a rather large wrench 1 1/2". 
 
Now since the RE instructions never stated which side the bushing when on and which side the Johnny joint was installed, I figured I would just put the bushing on the frame side.  I don't know if this is right, but I have no noise from it.  I installed the bolt in the axle mount, and left the control arm hanging.  I then removed the other side and repeated.
 
Once I had both arms attached at the axle, I jacked up the pinion and inserted the bolts into the frame brackets. 
New Rear UCA's
I left the emergency brake cables loose for the moment, I will zip tie them to the UCA's, once I had a chance to see how everything rides.
 
Now to install the track bar bracket.  This was a pain to put in.  You will need to drill 2 holes in the original bracket, in the holes that the clips that were holding the plastic cover were located.  Now don't go drilling these right away.  I said it before every jeep is different, and you need to use the bracket as your guide.  Of course you will either need an angle drill, or a short electric drill. 
Track bar bracket
RE rear bracket
RE Parts
ome vs RE
OME vs RE
ome vs re
ome vs re
First thing you do is bolt the bracket on in the original location utilizing the supplied bolt (3/4" socket and wrench), spacer and nut.  Getting your fingers into the little holes to put on the washers and nuts can be fun and entertaining for those watching you.  Now mine didn't fit. 
 Track bar bracket fitup
I took a look at the axle bracket and realized that I needed to do a little grinding on the very sloppy weld.  Once I got the weld ground down I could put the bracket on.  Okay I was able to get the bolt and spacer into the original location of the trackbar. 
 track bar bracket drill holes
I saw that the bottom bend in the bracket would need a little persuasion, and that the top hole did not line up with where Rubicon Express said you needed to drill, close, but not right on. 
bracket installed
I needed to drill the top hole first.  So I jacked up the opposite brake disk and was able to get a drill in.  Now this time I just went with the big drill bit 5/16" so that I could drill the hole.  I was going to hit the hole slightly off center, so I needed the big drill bit. 
 Drilling upper hole
Once you have the hole drilled you can insert the spacer under the Rubicon Express bracket and then insert the bolt (1/2" socket and wrench) and tighten it down.  If you manage to drop the nut or washer, it will fall into the axle bracket and takes a little bit of work to get out.  Luckily I had some hemostats that worked very well. 
 
Now that I had 2 bolts in, I needed to persuade the bottom of the bracket to lay flat against the axle bracket.  After a moment of reflection I whacked it with my 3lb black smith hammer.  Gotta love a resounding thunk.  With the bracket now molded to the axle bracket I was able to drill the bottom hole.  This was slightly off center like the top hole, so I just drilled straight through with the 5/16" drill bit. 
 
Now insert the bolt (1/2" socket and wrench) and tighten down.  Once you get all the bolts in and tightened down you can reinstall the track bar. 
 
Bolt it into the bracket and then lift the axle up to get the frame end to line up.  Doing it this way will make it a little harder to get the springs in, but makes it easier to get the track bar in.  
springs removed
Now I installed the rear bump stop extensions.  You will need to pull out the rubber bump stop from the cup.  If you look on the cup, you will see 3 indents.  I just grabbed mine, and gave it a sharp tug to the side and it came right out.  Now if it doesn't you will need to stick a thin screw driver up along side the bump stop and pry down on it at these 3 points to walk it out. 
 
Once you get the bump stops out, you will need a 15mm socket and the small extension to get the bolt out of the bottom of the cup. 
 
Once you remove the cup, replace the stock bolt with the RE bolt and place the spacer on the bolt, and reinstall the cup.  Use an 11/16" socket to bolt these back in place.
new bump stop extensions
I installed the Teraflex Shock relocators.
 
Reinstalling the springs in the back is as easy as the front.  Once again you will insert the spring up around the bump stop.  I jacked up the opposite brake disk and inserted the spring.   Yes, once again I could have used a spring compressor to do this, but the RE arms let the rear flex beautiful.
installing springs
As you can see at full droop the bump stop touches the spring, not bad, there isn't any real pressure against the stop so it's not going to come out.
spring to bumpstop rub
Once you have the springs in, all you need to do is install the shocks, put the wheels back on and let it down.
new rear shocks new rear shocks
You will need a 13mm and a really long extension to get up the mounts again by the gas tank. It's fun trying to get the two bolts in alongside the big OME shock. I suggest doing the frame side first, then the inner one.
upper shock mount
Once I had the shocks installed I could see that I had a few close contact points with the shocks. The drivers side would be taken care of with the exhaust change.
rear shock contact
rear shock contact
rear shock contact
Now get back underneath and reattach the anti-sway bar links.
new rear anti-sway bar links
Once again you will need a 15mm socket, and 18mm combo wrench to install these.
new link installation

Don't forget when you are adjusting your pinion angles that the front is a double candan style, so the pinion needs to be in line with the drive shaft, while the rear is a standard and the pinions need to be with in 1degree of each other.  Adjusting Pinion Angles.

Front Brake Lines:

Rubicon Express sends you a set of extended length front brake lines.  Some people advocate that you don't need to install these because the factory lines will stretch.  Well if you look at the end of the line that attaches to the caliper you will notice a small tube running into the caliper via the banjo bolt.  You can bend or break this point.  If you pull on it enough it will eventually bend and we all know exactly when it will break, most likely right after you get out of the mud puddle. 

front brake line
I first disconnected the hard brake line from the frame bracket with a 7/16" wrench and then the frame bracket with a T-40 torx. 
brake line flex to hard connection
I then removed the banjo bolt with a 9/16" wrench from the caliper and made certain that both brass crush washers came off.  You could reuse these in an emergency, but I have always installed new ones. 
banjo bolt at caliper
Now all you need to do is install the RE lines. 
new RE lines
First you will need to install the RE line into the new frame bracket.  The bracket points up and the fat end of the line goes into it from below.  Install the C-clip around the fat end with a pair of pliers, make certain that it is fully engaged, these things will fly across the room. 
RE line upper fitting
Now RE does provide another screw incase you need to mount it somewhere else.  I just reinstalled it in the factory hole.  I then connected the hard brake line to the RE with 7/16" and 17mm wrenches. 
Installing the RE line
Now to install the other end onto the caliper.  Make certain that the banjo bolt and area are clean.  Install one brass crush washer onto the banjo bolt, then insert into the end of the brake line followed by another brass crush washer.  Bolt into place on the caliper making certain that the brake line sits flush, and doesn't catch on the small lip by the mount point. 
Installing the RE line
Repeat for other side.  Now all you need to do is follow the directions on the brake bleed kit and you are done.
RE line installed

 

Once you have gotten everything installed you will notice that the steering wheel is off.  Your toe in will also be off, but that is a little hard to see.  You will need to get an alignment to set everything straight.  With the steering wheel off it is difficult to drive it, lots of bump steer that can quickly lead to death wobble.  Real scary the first time.  You will need to adjust the drag link to recenter the steering wheel.  Loosen the two nuts on the adjustment with a 15mm wrench and adjust the drag link out until the steering wheel is centered up.  You may need to drive it a couple of times and adjust as necessary.  Quick primer on Jeep Alignment.
drag link adjustment

Now you will also need to adjust your headlights.  Headlight adjustment.

Troubleshooting:

Acceleration Vibration: Caused by the pinion being too high in relation to the transfer case output shaft.  To Correct, shorten the upper arms to lower the pinion.
Deceleration Vibration: Caused by the pinion being too low in relation to the transfer case output shaft.  To Correct, lengthen the upper arms to raise the pinion.
Slip Yoke Vibration:  (Not applicable to Rubicon's) Caused by excessive wear on the transfer case slip yoke.  Commonly occurs on lifted vehicles with more than 30,000 miles.  To Correct, install a slip yoke eliminator kit and replacement drive shaft.
Bump Steer:  Caused by improper relationship of drag link, and track bar.  To correct, center axle again following the instructions supplied with the trackbar.  Next determine the neutral position of the steering wheel.  Adjust the drag link to center the steering wheel.

 

  N-m Ft. Lbs. In. Lbs.

FRONT Shock Absorber Upper NuT

23 17 -
FRONT Shock Absorber Lower Nut 28 - 250
FRONT SPRING RETAINER CLIP AND BOLT 21 16 -
FRONT STABILIZER BAR UPPER LINKS 61 45 -
FRONT STABILIZER BAR LOWER LINKS 95 70 -
STABILIZER BAR RETAINER BOLTS 54  40  -
SUSPENSION ARM LOWER AXLE BRACKET NUT 163  120  -
SUSPENSION ARM LOWER FRAME BRACKET NUT 176  130  -
SUSPENSION ARM UPPER AXLE BRACKET NUT 75  55  -
SUSPENSION ARM UPPER FRAME BRACKET BOLT 75  55  -

DRAG LINK CLAMP

49  36  -

REAR Shock Absorber Upper BOLT

35 26 -
REAR Shock Absorber Lower Nut 100 74 -

REAR Track Bar Frame Bracket Nut

100 74 -
REAR Track Bar Axle Bracket Bolt 100 74 -
SUSPENSION ARM LOWER AXLE BRACKET NUT 177  130  -
SUSPENSION ARM LOWER FRAME BRACKET NUT 177  130  -
SUSPENSION ARM UPPER AXLE BRACKET NUT 75  55  -
SUSPENSION ARM UPPER FRAME BRACKET BOLT 75  55  -
STABILIZER BAR RETAINER BOLTS 54  40  -
STABILIZER BAR LINK NUT/BOLT 54  40  -

This page last updated: 15-Apr-2008

Content and Design © 2002-present WanderingTrail,  Ronald Seegert
Common Sense and Safety should always be observed when working on your vehicle or doing modifications. Jackstands, wheel blocks, disconnecting the battery are a few of the basic safety precautions that should be used and may not be mentioned in the write ups on this site. You are responsible for your own installation, these write ups are a helpful guideline and should not be taken as an official installation instruction. My write up may be different from the kits currently out there, so alwasy double check the manufacturers installation instructions when installing anything. I try to keep the site up to date with changes that have occured as I discover them, but may not have the latest unless someone lets me know. If you feel that an install is above your capabilities after reading my write ups, I recommend getting together with a club and getting some help. Only a few times have I needed to employe some actual help from a shop to get something done. Usually welding or A/C work. While I have spent many years working on mechanical systems, I am not an expert, nor do I pretend to be one. I hope these write ups have been useful to you.
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