My 89 is currently sitting on a 3" short arm lift with 31" tires I really want some more articulation (in AZ its mostly rock crawlin) but is a long arm lift the only way to get it? and if I do get a long arm is there any way to do it without needing an SYE? idk if I could do that myself (anyone ever done one??? let me know if it is easier than I think) and kinda dont want to pay for it. any help would be really appreciated!!!

 

Long arm would be your best bet. But if your going to spend on a long arm, best spend on everything else to make it proper and that includes an sye

 

^^^ This.....If you can install long arms the SYE shouldn't be a problem.

 

is a long arm much more difficult than a short arm lift? and also wont i need to replace my rear drive shaft with the sye? sorry for all the questions i just never did much with cars until i bought my jeep (now it seems to be all i can think about lol)

 

To install a long arm you will have to cut off the short arm mounts off your jeeps body.The rest of the install is easy you might have to drill some holes but thats it.And yes if you go sye you will have to replace the rear drive shaft since it changes from a slip yoke to a yoke mounted to the t case that takes a u joint.Back to the long arm kit read up on them most if i remember right you need 4 inchs of lift to use but new springs aint that bad of a price.And do you still have the stock steering ?And you might need longer brake lines since you got more flex up front.The a look at this chart https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/nk...-chart-211878/ its everything you need at what size lift.

 

unless you're going with a taller lift height, there is no correlation between having long arms in the front and needing an SYE. although I highly recommend the SYE kit for off roading. We've cracked the factory tail cone with a little old ball-peen hammer before, it really doesn't take much. And some sort of transfer case skid, you will hit it on the rocks. then onward to frame plates, you will dent your uniframe the first trip out. The rocks are very unforgiving and it takes a lot of prep to avoid destroying your undercarriage in the first few trips

 

are there long arm kits for 3.5" lift? I've only seen 4.5+ I was also just thinking about the RE 3.5" superflex short arm system with some swaybar quick disconnects cuz I really dont plan on doing anything super crazy just some of the more difficult trails that call for a little more articulation than what i have right now. and im working on skid plates now

 

I have always pimped full traction and I don't think I've seen anyone ever buy it. great bang-for-buck system and it keeps you at 3.5" lift height. the only thing missing is a good cross member


if you don't want to use their coil springs I'd say call them up and just get the long arm system alone

http://www.full-traction.com/detail....=4&t=1&p=586#n


I like rubicon express (transAmerica) but I'll never off road a jeep without long arms again personally, the ride quality is just crappy and with short arms your axle will roll back underneath the body of the jeep during articulation. BUT, my budget is probably different than a beginners. just know that we all upgrade in the end, my motto is do it once do it right


here's my old rubicon express short arm. see how the axle rolls back underneath the jeep? but I was on a budget at the time and it worked fine and did everything I asked until I started going through whoops. (the 2 images below, the jeep is not broken this is perfectly normal. that is what big articulation looks like when you have short arms)

 

Damn atmos, working the hell out of the RE lift brother lol.


It's recommended to have at least 4.5" of lift with short arms otherwise you run the risk of the arms hitting the "frame rails". If bumpstopped to all hell, you can run less lift but at the expense of less suspension up-travel. Works great for crawling, sucks on the road. But I digress.

Honestly, get your rig up a little higher. This will get your belly away from the rocks so you're not dragging your *** over everything. If you're throwing LA's at it you might benefit from going with a 6" kit. Put frame stiffeners on first! Save your rig. Anyone who wheels rocks will tell you the same. Rock sliders are a good idea to prevent crushing your rockers and doors as well.

As far as doing a SYE, it's really intimidating if you've never been inside a transfer case and depending on your mechanical ability, it can turn into a nightmare. But they really aren't hard at all. Organization is key. There are quite a few snap-rings in there so get yourself a couple different sets of snap-ring pliers. Take your time and you'll get it. I can do an SYE relatively quickly now after doing a few. We're always here for help too!

You can also check out CavFabs 3-link. This thing is pretty badassssssssss.

 

this kit looks perfect for what i want but the 2K price tag is gonna hold me back for a bit how much more articulation will I get just from disconnecting the sway bars? (I've never wheeled with them disconnected before )

 

This is me with my new Rusty's 4.5 short arm lift. You dont need long arms for mad flex

 

your axle will travel as far as gravity will take it until either your steering linkage, control arms, or brake lines limit you. try it and find out! take them off, flex it out, see if anything is binding up. if no, keep going

 

OMG TAKE THEM OFFFFFFF there's a whole new world out there with the sway bar disconnected!

 

well then i think my first step should be sway bar quick disconnects lol

 

I have a set of brand new rusty's sway bar disconnects still in the packaging I will sell you for $100