I have a 4.5 RE short arm lift and want to upgrade to long arms. I don't have the money for RE's upgrade kit but was wondering how difficult it would be to make my own. I was planning on buying the crossmember so the mounting points would be correct and just making my own arms with hiem joints. Has anyone done anything like this. I dont have major fabrication skills, but can weld and such. Any suggestions or advice would be great, or if anyone knows of a website where someone has done similar with an explanation. Thanks.

the short arm trackbars aren't good enough for the long arm kit so add that to your to-do list.

Just stay with the short arm kit and wheel it is my advice, until you are ready to pull it all off and do it right.

yeah just wheel it... i thought i would build my girls rubi.... i have as much in joints, material, heims and labor in laying it all out than if i had just went and bought the dam kit... although ill be able to say i built it.... unless it thouroghly sucks... and if you plan to build it look @ RKs skid.. good starting off point and use Jhonny joints from currie. that way you get the 3 link front end less their crappy joints (rubicon x are no better from what i c on the forums) and you get away from RKs solid stock arms. but the geometry seems to be good (also from what i read) but find some limit straps.

stay short arm, my 97 tj has 150K on it and it still works fine out on the trail... less the shit box axles but thats a whole other story.

Hey Danoh,
I just went through the same thing this summer. I have an 02 X and had been running a superflex since shortly after I bought it new.
I first bought the RE skid plate, it was about $512. I thought from there I would build my own control arms. Only problem is, by the time you figure in the cost of DOM and some better quality joints, it's almost as cheap to just by the kit from the manufacturer. I ended up going with the RE long arm with tri-link option.
Overall, I'm very happy. In regards to the coment on the front track bar, I disagree, at least if you keep the same height. I upgraded to the long arm but kept the same springs so the track bar wasn't affected at all.
You may plan on some limit straps or you'r limiting factor will be the shocks which isn't a very good idea. Also, I would recommend a longer brake line in the rear.
Running the tri-link, the only thing I haven't been happy with is the pieced together exhaust system I have. I'm trying to figure out if the full-traction exhaust kit will work with the RE stuff. They haven't returned my email so I'll try to call them.
Let me know if you have more questions.

Hey Danoh,
I just went through the same thing this summer. I have an 02 X and had been running a superflex since shortly after I bought it new.
I first bought the RE skid plate, it was about $512. I thought from there I would build my own control arms. Only problem is, by the time you figure in the cost of DOM and some better quality joints, it's almost as cheap to just by the kit from the manufacturer. I ended up going with the RE long arm with tri-link option.
Overall, I'm very happy. In regards to the coment on the front track bar, I disagree, at least if you keep the same height. I upgraded to the long arm but kept the same springs so the track bar wasn't affected at all.
You may plan on some limit straps or you'r limiting factor will be the shocks which isn't a very good idea. Also, I would recommend a longer brake line in the rear.
Running the tri-link, the only thing I haven't been happy with is the pieced together exhaust system I have. I'm trying to figure out if the full-traction exhaust kit will work with the RE stuff. They haven't returned my email so I'll try to call them.
Let me know if you have more questions.

x2...on all of that

Add the costs of a skidplate and start adding up the tubing, heims (or joint of your choice), bungs, jams, brackets, etc.,etc.,etc. and it quickly adds up to be more than a bolt on kit. It may be stronger but you need a fairly good understanding of suspension geometry to pull it off correctly. If your like me and don't have a lot of fabrication skills, it would probably be in your best interest to buy an off the shelf kit or have someone build it for you. Good luck either way.

Don't mess with the RE crap. If you can weld, get Clayton's LA kit and sell your RE arms to recoup some $.

If you are serious, I would not buy either RK or RE skids. RE would have you building radius arms, and RK's requires that you bend the rear uppes.

Take your time, do the homework, then do it yoursel.

A good kit to mimic is RK's Gen 2 lower mounts, and 3 link front. Then mimic Claytons rear upper mounts.

For rear truss you can build your own, or buy one off of RK or Clayton.

All that is left is arms, joints, misalignment spacers, bushings, straps, shocks, and brakelines.

Cheapest way to do the arms is to fixed mount bushings on one end, and johnny joint the other end. Chevy leaf spring bushings are the cheapest and most commonly available.

DOM, 3 x 30" in the front, 4 x about 24 inch in the rear. Tubeserts, and bushing ends will push them out a few inches, but its all still trial and error.

SO, 186" 2" .25, plus 2 feet for bushing ends wall dom is about 140$

3 jj's up front, 4 in the rear, x 40$/joint 280$

Tubserts for jj's, about 16$ per 112$

7 chev leaf bushing, probably 10-15$ per, 105$

Various square tubing and flat plate for bracketry and gusseting, 100$

Purcheased weld in truss, I think RK's is 75$

Misc hardware and spacers (RK's are 50 cents each, good deal) 100$

Before limiting strap, brakelines, and shocks you are in the 950$ range.

This would be an exceptionally solid suspension, but will need a lot of time and research to get it done right.

My suggestion is, start reading up and slowly collecting components from paycheck to paycheck. Then once you think you are ready, tear it down and build it.

Good luck.

P.S. All RK's spacers, brackets etc etc, come in 14 mil (stock hardware size on TJ's), you'd want to drill everything to 9/16's to properly fit JJ's, and to make your hardware more common.

Here is a good build up for you to start reading. Most of the linking bracketry applies to your question, and the design is basically what I described above.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=451569