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©2008 Dirt Road Magazine

Rusty's 3" XJ Lift:

Rusty's 3" Lift with rear Springs Includes:

  • 4 Shocks
  • 2 Front Coils
  • 2 Rear Spring Packs
  • 1 rear brakeline drop bracket
Let's start off by saying that this is a very strong kit. Instead of just offering stiffer springs, like other companies, Rusty's coils are longer, with a 4-pound higher-than-stock spring rate. This provides a nice soft ride, as well as great articulation.

Remember to use lots of WD40 on the current suspension hardware before attempting to upgrade, including the transfercase skid plate bolts. (We didn't heed our own advice and broke three bolts).

Due to the weight of our Mile Marker Winch, we also added 0.75 inch poly spacers (provided by Rusty) to the coils to level the Jeep.

Front Installation:

Removing Old Spring

New Spacers

New & Old

New Shock & Spacer

Spring Install 1

Spring Install 2

Spring Install 3

Completed Front

Rear Installation:

Removing Swaybar
& Rear Leaf-Pack

Ready For Install!

New Spring-Pack
In Place

Completed Rear

Transfer Case Drop Kit:

Support The Crossmember

Rusty's TC Drop Kit

Drop Kit Installed

Completed Project

We installed this lift with three people in under six hours using only hand tools and jackstands to show that this installation can be done at home.

The Test Drive

This kit rides better than stock! It's very smooth and without the "clunks" or floating that is typical of other lifts. Off-road, it flexes great. The 31's still rub a little at full compression, but it's nothing a little fender-trimming won't fix.

This kit is professionally built, no doubt about it. No shortcuts were taken, and the quality of the parts provided show it. We highly recommend this kit to all Cherokee owners.



Dirt Road Magazine is sponsored by Turner 4WD Parts Co.