Owner's manual

RI7003G Page 1 of 3
RUBICON EXPRESS 3290 MONIER CIR., RANCHO CORDOVA, CA. 95742 916-473-4600
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR:
RE7003 3.5” TJ/LJ 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.
Note:
It is necessary to remove the factory transmission skid plates from the
chassis after the suspension installation. Failure to do so will result in a
damaged front drive shaft.
KIT CONTENTS:
RE1155 Rear sway bar end links
RE1141 Gen2 sway bar disconnects
RE1363 Front coil springs
RE1365 Rear coil springs
RE1380 Front bump stop extensions
RE1385 Rear bump stop extension
RE1553 Front brake lines ss.
RE1603 Rear track bar bracket
RE2100 Transfer case drop kit
RE3700 (2) Ft & rr lower control arms
REQUIRED TOOLS:
Basic mechanics' hand tools
Jack stands and floor jack
Spring compressors
Drill motor and drill bits
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: It is recommended that CV rear driveshaft be used for best
performance – see general 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 factory lower 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 9/16” bolt.
14. Install the lower control arms with the rubber bushing at the frame
bracket. Use the factory hardware at the bushing end (don’t fully
tighten until vehicle is back on the ground). The super-flex joint will
be installed at the axle with the offset tube being mounted as low
as possible (zerk on top – see Photo 1). Use supplied hardware for
the Superflex end.
15. Install the front springs (RE1363) with the pig-tail at the top and
the 2” bump stop extension inside of the coil. Coil spring
compressors may be useful. Once the coil spring is in place, thread
the bump stop bolt into the lower spring pad (refer to step #12).
Rotate the coil to index the spring with lower coil cup.
16. Install the spring retainer clamp removed in step #5.
17. Install longer front shocks. Bar pins may need to be put through the
bottom shock eyes (use light grease).