Metalcloak 2.5" Kit NOW LIVE

[thundermuffin]

Just ordered the 2.5" GC. Still deciding whether or not I'm gonna try the I stall myself or hand it over to Misha, the only English speaking mechanic in 1000 miles

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[Jimmy_jak]

Just ordered the 2.5" GC. Still deciding whether or not I'm gonna try the I stall myself or hand it over to Misha, the only English speaking mechanic in 1000 miles

Yeah I got the DR 2.5 lift. My Jeep dealer is putting it on for me.

 

[thundermuffin]

Question - what are the points where one can safely pause the install, or do it in stages?

I’m thinking:

1) driveshaft

2) 4x shocks & springs + front stuff (ie the DR lift kit parts)

3) rear control arms + rest of the back stuff (ie the rest of the GC lift parts)

Can that be broken down more? Is it worth breaking it up like that? How much faster is it to just do it all at once? Are there horse socks?

 

[thundermuffin]

So update to my above post - I’ve been slowly installing this kit over the past few weekends, and there are a ton of viable stopping points.

Day 1 - Front LCAs. Note - the bolts for these are INCREDIBLY difficult to loosen. I had to stand on a 24” breaker bar and pull on the bumper with all my strength to get them loose.

Started opening up the hole for the track bar with my dremel, I felt like the guy in Shawshank redemption digging a tunnel with a spoon (or whatever he had). Gave up after an hour of almost zero progress.

Day 2 - put everything back together. Became a lot easier once I realized I was way short of ‘full droop’ and that I didn’t need spring compressors cranked to ‘this will maim you if you don’t pay attention’ In order to get the springs back in place. Also, after a few futile hours with ratchet straps and shuffling jacks and stands, I googled it and learned the track bar will line up again once your back on the ground.

Day 3 - Air compressor, impact wrench and die grinder finally arrived. Installed the Outboard shock mounts. Of course, one hole didn’t line up on both sides (the hole in the spring perch). Didn’t have an angle drill, so I used my trusty new air powered die grinder (wear eye protection - there’s high speed shrapnel flying in every direction) to open up the spring perch holes to the point that I could rubber-mallet everything into place.

Day 4 - Drivers side shock went in no problem, passenger side mount was 4º off. Several more rounds of opening up the spring perch hole, hammering, moving the jack around, still just a few mm off. I finally got it aligned by removing the shock from the top, connecting to the mount at the bottom, and using it as a lever to get the shock mount adjusted the last mm or so. Undid the bottom of the shock, reattached the top, more jack magic & prayers, and finally got everything connected.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten - I have a floor jack in the mail, some cheater bars, a nano impact socket set and a breaker bar ratchet on the way (currently stranded in Frankfurt as the chaos unfolds, but hopefully arriving next week), and family has been evacuated to the US, so will hopefully be able to finish by the end of the month.

Sorry for the wall of text - but hopefully this is helpful to anyone tackling a project like this for the first time. It’s both incredibly frustrating at times, and hugely rewarding once you figure out a solution to something that’s been driving you nuts all day.

 

[quietpeen]

So update to my above post - I’ve been slowly installing this kit over the past few weekends, and there are a ton of viable stopping points.

Day 1 - Front LCAs. Note - the bolts for these are INCREDIBLY difficult to loosen. I had to stand on a 24” breaker bar and pull on the bumper with all my strength to get them loose.

Started opening up the hole for the track bar with my dremel, I felt like the guy in Shawshank redemption digging a tunnel with a spoon (or whatever he had). Gave up after an hour of almost zero progress.

Day 2 - put everything back together. Became a lot easier once I realized I was way short of ‘full droop’ and that I didn’t need spring compressors cranked to ‘this will maim you if you don’t pay attention’ In order to get the springs back in place. Also, after a few futile hours with ratchet straps and shuffling jacks and stands, I googled it and learned the track bar will line up again once your back on the ground.

Day 3 - Air compressor, impact wrench and die grinder finally arrived. Installed the Outboard shock mounts. Of course, one hole didn’t line up on both sides (the hole in the spring perch). Didn’t have an angle drill, so I used my trusty new air powered die grinder (wear eye protection - there’s high speed shrapnel flying in every direction) to open up the spring perch holes to the point that I could rubber-mallet everything into place.

Day 4 - Drivers side shock went in no problem, passenger side mount was 4º off. Several more rounds of opening up the spring perch hole, hammering, moving the jack around, still just a few mm off. I finally got it aligned by removing the shock from the top, connecting to the mount at the bottom, and using it as a lever to get the shock mount adjusted the last mm or so. Undid the bottom of the shock, reattached the top, more jack magic & prayers, and finally got everything connected.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten - I have a floor jack in the mail, some cheater bars, a nano impact socket set and a breaker bar ratchet on the way (currently stranded in Frankfurt as the chaos unfolds, but hopefully arriving next week), and family has been evacuated to the US, so will hopefully be able to finish by the end of the month.

Sorry for the wall of text - but hopefully this is helpful to anyone tackling a project like this for the first time. It’s both incredibly frustrating at times, and hugely rewarding once you figure out a solution to something that’s been driving you nuts all day.

I did my outboard shock mounts and rear sway bar relocation brackets the weekend before installing the springs and shocks. I had the same issues with the outboard mounts but only on the passenger side.

 

[thundermuffin]

Did you flip the rear sway bar? I thought I read somewhere that it is recommended, but now I don't see it in the metalcloak instructions.

 

[MarkY3130]

I believe I read that the sway bar spacer is only needed if you run the 6 pack shocks, so I didn’t do it and it seems fine.

 

[quietpeen]

Did you flip the rear sway bar? I thought I read somewhere that it is recommended, but now I don't see it in the metalcloak instructions.

I think that don't say to do that for the 2.5" lift, but becomes more beneficial for the 3.5" lift and any higher

 

[CaptStarboard]

The long wait is over! Here she is, sitting around waiting for me to make time for her! Thanks Metalcloak for the frequent updates! More photos to come!

Does anyone have rough weight and dimensions of the 2.5" kit with shocks and driveshaft? Looking at freight to Australia and need some ROUGH measurements.

Pity we are so nanny-stated here. I'm looking forward to a 2.5" lift and being able to upgrade my stock 32" to 33" and JUST be legal here in Queensland (anything additional needs to be Engineered and Certified.... sighs)

 

[JLUCQ]

Does anyone have rough weight and dimensions of the 2.5" kit with shocks and driveshaft? Looking at freight to Australia and need some ROUGH measurements.

Pity we are so nanny-stated here. I'm looking forward to a 2.5" lift and being able to upgrade my stock 32" to 33" and JUST be legal here in Queensland (anything additional needs to be Engineered and Certified.... sighs)

Going by the shipping weight the full 2.5 Game Changer with driveshaft was 6 packages totaling 231 pounds.

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