Rubicon Express RE8003 User Manual

RUBICON EXPRESS 3290 MONIER CIR., RANCHO CORDOVA, CA. 95742 916-473-4600
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR:
RE8003 3.5” ZJ SUPER-FLEX SUSPENSION SYSTEM
Safety Warning:
Suspension systems or components that enhance the off-road performance of your vehicle may cause it to handle differently, on and off-road, than it did from the factory. Care must be taken to prevent loss of control or vehicle rollover during sudden maneuvers. Failure to drive the vehicle safely may result in serious injury or death to driver and passengers. We recommend you always wear your seatbelt, drive safely and avoid quick turns and other sudden maneuvers. Constant maintenance is required to keep your vehicle safe. Thoroughly inspect your vehicle before and after every off-road use.
Installation Warning: We recommend that certified technicians perform the installations of our products. Attempts to install these products without knowledge or experience may jeopardize the safety of the vehicle. These instructions only cover the installation of our products and may not include factory procedures for disassembly and reassembly of factory components. Read instructions from start to finish and be sure all parts are present before disassembling the vehicle. Included instructions are guidelines only for recommended procedures and in no way are meant to be definitive. Installer is responsible to insure a safe and controllable vehicle after performing modifications. Do not perform test drives on public roads with partially completed installations. Always double and triple check your work before use.
KIT CONTENTS:
RE1150 Rear sway bar end links RE1140 Gen2 sway bar disconnects RE1341 Front coil springs RE1343 Rear coil springs RE1380 Front bump stop extensions RE1390 Rear bump stop extension RE1550 Front brake lines ss. RE1604 Rear track bar bracket RE3700 Lower front control arms RE3715 Lower rear control arms
REQUIRED TOOLS:
Basic mechanics' hand tools Jack stands and floor jack Spring compressors Drill motor and drill bits
PRE INSTALLATION NOTE:
Control arm bushings are pre-lubed during initial assembly at Rubicon Express. As general maintenance the control arm bushings should be lubed with a silicone base grease be purchased at your local auto parts store.
The Super-flex joints are also pre-lubed during initial assembly at Rubicon Express. As general maintenance the super-flex joints should be greased as needed and the outer spanner nut tightened on the joint.
as needed. Silicone base grease can
Any type of grease will work on the Super-flex joints. A spanner nut tool is available through Rubicon Express (RE3772) if needed for tightening of the joints.
INSTALLATION:
Note: Lift heights of 3.5” may require a transfer case drop kit or modifications to the rear drive shaft – see slip yoke vibration in troubleshooting before proceeding.
1. Raise vehicle and support with stands.
2. Remove wheels.
3. Remove front shocks.
4. Remove front sway bar end links.
5. Remove front spring retainer clamps.
6. Disconnect front track bar at axle end. Disconnecting steering at pitman arm makes axle droop out farther.
7. Remove front springs. Spring compressors may be helpful.
8. Support the front axle with jack stands.
9. Remove factory lower control arms that are to be replaced.
10. Remove factory brake lines and replace with supplied lines. Some require positioning the block and line vertically at the caliper. Watch line routing, use angle brackets and e-clips.
11. Drill 5/16” hole in center of lower spring pads.
12. Use self-tapping bolt through bump stop extension spacer to cut threads in lower spring pad. Remove bolt and spacer, it will be installed with the spring.
13. If so equipped, use factory eccentric hardware at front axle lower control arm mount. If not, use the supplied bolt.
14. Install the lower control arms with the rubber bushing at the uni­body. Use the factory bolt and nut at the uni-body mount (don’t fully tighten until vehicle is back on the ground). The super-flex joint will be installed at axle with offset tube being mounted as low as possible (zerk on top - see photo 1).
15. The front springs are the longer ones. Install the front springs with the 2” bump stop extension inside of the coil. Coil spring compressors may be useful. Once the spring is in place, thread the bolt into the lower spring pad (ref. step #12). Rotate the coil to index the spring with lower coil cup.
16. Install the spring retainer clamp removed in step #5.
17. Install longer front shocks. Bar pins may need to be put through the bottom shock eyes (use light grease).
18. Install sway bar quick disconnects per instructions supplied with disconnects (see photo 2 for typical installation).
19. Re-drill front track bar axle bracket over toward driver's side ¾”, center-to-center (or install optional adjustable front track bar). Reconnect track bar at new hole.
-REAR AXLE-
20. Remove the rear shocks.
21. Remove the rear sway bar end links.
22. Support the rear axle.
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23. Disconnect rear track bar at axle.
24. Remove the factory lower control arms that are to be replaced.
25. Remove the rear springs.
26. Remove the plastic dust shield that covers the bolt securing the rear track bar to the mount on the axle housing and discard.
27. Remove the Torx head bolt (t55) and disconnect axle end of track bar, if not done previously.
28. Install track bar bracket using the supplied ½” bolt and spacer (the spacer goes in the location vacated by the track bar to prevent the bracket from deforming when the bolt is tightened- see photo 3 for similar installation).
29. With the track bar bracket in place, drill two 5/16” holes in the axle mount where the plastic dust shield was previously located, one on top and one on angled surface.
30. Install the 5/16” hardware in the holes drilled in step #29. If required, use supplied horseshoe shim to take up space between bracket and axle mount at top 5/16” bolt.
31. Install the track bar in the track bar bracket using the Torx bolt removed in step #27. It may be easier to do this later with weight on the vehicle.
32. Set rear lower control arm length to 17.25” for 3.5” lift. Install the lower control arms with the rubber bushing at the uni-body and super flex end at the axle. The offset tube should be mounted as low as possible (zerk on top - see photo 4). Use the factory hardware at the uni-body and supplied bolt at the axle mount (don’t fully tighten until vehicle is back on the ground).
33. Remove the rubber insert from the rear bump stop. Remove the bump stop cup. Place the spacer between the bump stop cup and the frame member of the uni-body using the supplied longer metric hardware (see photo 5). Reinstall rubber bump stop.
34. Install springs. Spring compressors may be helpful.
35. Install replacement sway bar end links.
36. Install longer rear shocks.
37. Install all tires.
38. Thoroughly bleed brake lines and check for leaks.
39. Double-check all nuts and bolts to factory torque specs.
40. Test drive and note location of steering wheel. Adjust drag link to center steering wheel.
41. Align vehicle as soon as practical. A good rule of thumb is minimum factory caster and maximum factory toe-in.
42. Recheck all bolts after 50 miles and again after every off road
excursion.
PHOTO 2
< FRAME END (RUBBER) - PHOTO 1 - AXLE END (ZERK ON TOP)>
PHOTO 3
< UNI-BODY END – PHOTO 4 – AXLE END (ZERK ON TOP) >
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