Installing Rock Krawler kit, can I do it?

[IronScott]

Hi everyone!

I just ordered the Rock Krawler Adventure Series 1 with their RRD TT shocks.

http://rockkrawler.com/jlu-2-5-inch-adventure-series-1-tt/

As you can see, it’s not the most basic kit nor the most complex. In preparation, I’m wondering if I can save the cost, and most importantly, learn the process and components if I can install myself with help of my brother. Do you think I can with basic tools? I don’t have air tools, got a torque wrench and jack stands/floor lift, basic wrenches. The plan, if possible, is to install myself and then take it to local 4x4 shop and have it aligned (and maybe they can doublecheck my work).

I’m not that experienced in vehicle mechanics and have never done any work to this degree, but I feel like if I pay close attention to their directions I should be ok? I’ve done simple things like air intake, bumpers, tire carrier.

Thoughts?

As others have said, totally doable with normal tools with the exception of the crows foot to properly torque the jam nuts. I still need to get mine tighter but they are holding. I used a paint pen to paint across the edges of the control arm nuts and mounts and track bar nuts and mounts. That way it’s easy to see if anything has moved.

Bleepin’ Jeep has a good video on the RK kit. It was very helpful to me as were several people on here. The thing that took me the longest was getting the axle high enough to droop enough to get the springs in. The fronts were the worst. Using a jack on one hub to force the other down was the trick.

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[jasonhodges]

You can do it, jeeps are fun to work on in general they’re very simple. A lot of good information in previous posts, to add to it I’d recommend double checking that you have every tool for the job before you start. I believe the track bar jam nut is 1-5/16”. Another thing to add is since this lift has a lot of travel, for me lifting the frame rails up high enough to allow the new springs to be installed without setting the axle on the ground and squeezing them in made the install a lot more smooth. The cutting of the brackets will be the longest part. Other than that it’s pretty straight forward.

As @Billet_JLU noted, you may have trouble getting enough droop in the axle to get the new springs in place. I just finished the front part of the install of RK's Adv. Series 2 Stage 1 this past week. Some things that may help you out:
- If you have more than two floor jacks, you can use one as a 'helper'. Place it under the axle right beside the knuckle. Then if you have your floor jack under the pumpkin you can slowly lower it so the side without floor jack support droops. ***NOTE*** in the instructions RK has you install the bump stops a couple steps before the springs. If you do this you will have an additional 2" - 3" you have to clear with the springs. I found it better to put the bolt through the bump stops and hold them inside the spring as I wedged the spring into place. Then once the spring is seated properly, put a wrench on the bump stop bolt, get the washer and nut on the underside and tighten down.
- For the metal brake line bracket that has been mentioned as a pain: What worked for me was using a pair of Vise grips to clamp the metal bracket to the flat surface where your shock will mount (bottom). With the bracket firmly clipped down, I was then able to use a flathead screw driver to pry the circular part of the bracket open.

Hope this helps a bit. Feel free to message me if you have questions.

 

[Punkindave]

Good excuse to buy BIG tools (19-28mm wrenches/sockets), heavy duty, tall jack stands, a decent 1/2" electric impact, and perhaps some others.. Take it slow, make sure everything is supported properly, bag/mark parts and soak ALL the bolts prior to attempting removal..
Lower control arms were a total b**ch, ended up using the floor jack on a wrench to break them loose.

 

[Midwest22]

I see people saying you need to drill out the bracket on the LCA (as also mentioned in the instructions). You really don't NEED to do this if you don't want. It's also easier to grease them when the zerks are facing down.

I wheel my Jeep really hard just about every weekend through out the country and I've never sheered one of the zerks off. If, in the rare chance you do, just drill out whats left and replace it.

 

[word302]

I see people saying you need to drill out the bracket on the LCA (as also mentioned in the instructions). You really don't NEED to do this if you don't want. It's also easier to grease them when the zerks are facing down.

I wheel my Jeep really hard just about every weekend through out the country and I've never sheered one of the zerks off. If, in the rare chance you do, just drill out whats left and replace it.

If you wheel at all you'll shear those zerks off in a hurry. I don't recommend facing them down. Cutting out the brackets is no big deal.

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