Rubicon Express RE8530 User Manual

RUBICON EXPRESS 3290 MONIER CIR., RANCHO CORDOVA, CA. 95742 916-473-4600

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR:

RE8530 2” WJ BUDGET BOOST SUSPENSION LIFT

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:

2 RXT2420 Rear shocks
2 RXT2421 Front shocks
2 RM40355 WJ upper shock sleeve (long)
2 RM40360 WJ lower shock sleeve (short)
1 RE1335 Front coil spring spacers, pair
1 RE1336 Rear coil spring spacers, pair
1 RE1392 Front bump stop spacers

1 RE1393 Rear bump stops

REQUIRED TOOLS:

Basic mechanics' hand tools
Jack stands and floor jack
Spring compressor (optional)

NOTE: A coil spring compressor will assist in an easier
removal and installation of the coil springs.

REAR INSTALLATION:

1. Support the vehicle chassis, axle housing, and remove rear wheels.

2. Remove old shocks.

3. Disconnect rear sway bar end links.

4. Lower rear axle assembly and remove rear factory coils.

5. Install RE1393 rear bump spacers on to the factory coil locating

extension using the supplied self-taping hardware. (See photo 1)

6. Install coil spring spacers with radius side down (see photo 2).

7. Install rear coil springs.

8. Raise the axle housing and reconnect rear sway bar end links.

9. Install the supplied sleeves into the rear shocks. Short sleeve in the

body end and the long sleeve in the shaft end. Install rear shocks
with the body down.

10. Install rear wheels.

FRONT INSTALLATION:

11. Support the vehicle chassis, axle housing, and remove front wheels.

12. Remove old shocks.

13. Disconnect front sway bar end links.

14. Remove factory rubber bump stops and cups.

15. Reinstall the cups with the RE1392 extensions between the frame

rail and the cup using the supplied longer hardware.

16. Reinstall the factory rubber bump stop. (See photo 3)

17. Lower front axle assembly and remove front factory coils.

18. Remove rubber coil spring isolators.

19. Install coil spring spacer between frame and rubber spring isolator

with lip down (see photo 4).

20. Install coil springs.

21. Install the new front shocks. Supplied bar pins will need to be put

through the bottom shock eyes (use light grease).

22. Raise the axle assembly back into place and reinstall the front sway

bar links.

23. Torque any previously removed factory hardware to factory specs.

24. Align vehicle as soon as practical to minimum factory caster and

maximum factory toe-in specifications.

25. Recheck all bolts after 50 miles and again after every off road

excursion.

PHOTO 1

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REAR DRIVELINE:

Acceleration vibration: Caused by the pinion being too high in relation to
the transfer case output shaft. Adjust pinion angle per factory manual
accordingly.

Deceleration vibration: Caused by the pinion being too low in relation to
the transfer case output shaft. Adjust pinion angle per factory manual
accordingly.

Slip yoke vibration: Caused by excessive angle on the transfer case slip
yoke - common on vehicles with lifts. This can usually be cured on 1.5”-

3.5” lifts with a transfer case drop kit. Note that pinion adjustment may

also be required - see acceleration and deceleration vibration
troubleshooting above.

HIGH SPEED WOBBLE:

This is fairly common with y-type steering on lifted ZJ's. It is a condition
where front tires will shimmy after hitting a bump. Avoid bias ply tires

PHOTO 2

and wheels with excessive offset. Check for worn or loose parts. In most
cases a reduction of positive castor will eliminate this condition. A good
rule of thumb is minimum factory caster and maximum factory toe in.
Note that lift heights increased with coil spacers (or taller coils) may
exhibit wobble that cannot be corrected with alignment.

BUMP STEER:

Caused by improper relationship of drag link and track bar. To correct,
center axle again following the instructions supplied with the track bar.
Next determine the neutral position of the steering wheel. Adjust the
drag link to center the steering wheel.

Photo 4

TROUBLESHOOTING

PHOTO 3

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