Rubicon Express RE8000 - Manual

RUBICON EXPRESS 3290 MONIER CIR., RANCHO CORDOVA, CA. 95742 916-473-4600
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR:
RE8000 4.5” 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
RE1141 Gen2 sway bar disconnects
RE1345 Front coil springs
RE1350 Rear coil springs
RE1380 Front bump stop extensions
RE1390 Rear bump stop extension
RE1550 Front brake lines ss.
RE1600 Front adjustable track bar
RE1604 Rear track bar bracket
RE2120 Transfer case drop kit
RE3700 Pair, Lower front fixed control arms
RE3715 Pair, Lower Adjustable rear control arms
RE3780 Pair, Upper front Adjustable control arms
RE3783 Pair, Upper rear Adjustable control arms
REQUIRED TOOLS:
Basic mechanics' hand tools
Jack stands and floor jack
Spring compressors
Drill motor and drill bits (including 5/8”)
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 as needed. Silicone base grease can
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.
Any type of grease will work on the Super-flex joints. Spanner nut tools
are available through Rubicon Express (RE3771 & RE3772) if needed for
tightening of the joints.
INSTALLATION:
Note: Lift heights over 3.5” usually require modifications to the rear
and/or front 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. 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 all four factory control arms.
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
arm mount. If not, use the supplied bolt.
14. Install the lower front control arms with the rubber bushing at the
uni-body. 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. Install the new upper front adjustable control arms using supplied
hardware at axle end and factory bolt at frame end (don’t fully
tighten until vehicle is back on the ground). Set both control arms
to an initial length of 15 3/8” center to center. Further adjustment
may be needed at time of alignment for caster angle.
16. 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
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