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Short Arm Lift Currie Johnny Joint, X Flex etc

36K views 141 replies 42 participants last post by  mukluk 
#1 · (Edited)
Short Arm Lift in action

I want to see your Short Arm Lifts doing WORK!!!! A very reputable person mentioned how great the Currie Short arm suspension worked because it didn't get hunt up on obstacles and the tires didn't fall down into other obstacles as much as the long arm suspensions might.. The mear thought of a short arm being as effective as a long arm I'm sure is blasphemy to some people but I thought I would pose this to you all.

All you Johnny joint suspension, short ARM lift X flex kits guys... POSE UP let's see how your rig get's er dun :cheers2:
 
#32 ·
put it on my jeep? I'd have to buy a spare to keep inside for thwackin people... call it the ugly stick...cuz after you got hit with it...youz ugly
 
#35 ·
Imped very nice setup.. it's hard to tell who has the most flex in this thread.. Really for the budget lifts and I mean that in the most endearing sense of the word.. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a rig that out performs these Jeeps off road. Feelin pretty solid about the short arm choice
 
#37 ·
Heck yeah I think more short arm folks should post up and picture whore a little it's a good thing in this section
 
#39 ·
lmao Jeeping where being a poser is praised!! lol VERY nice kit and really it's looking like these short arm Kits really are just incredible with what your jeeps are doing.
 
#43 ·
Imped you plan on running long arms eventually?

I will say I've seen pictures granted I'm more web wheeler than rock crawling specialist when it comes to the rock crawling aspect.. I have seen pictures where it seemed the articulation was so much that the tire created obstacles for itself by dropping own between rocks and into holes that otherwise just a proper angle might have gotten it through. Someone feel free to educate me on that.
 
#44 ·
Short arms do great for most things. I'm still very happy with mine. But a GOOD long arm system can be invaluable on the HARD stuff, which is what I'm starting to get into and what I want to be able to do well without flopping. I can walk through 90% of the stuff at the Badlands but it's that 10% of hard stuff that really interests me. And when I say GOOD, I don't mean bolt on RE, BDS, etc. stuff. I mean the Poly Perf, Clayton, TNT stuff. Those kits actually require you to think and do a bit of work. A totally custom setup also interests me but I need to get better at welding and fabbing first. And sure, some of the long arm "kits" hang down pretty low. Go with a crossmember-mounted long link setup and you have virtually nothing hanging below the skid plate, including the frame mounts for the lowers. That's when stuff gets really sexy. And once you personally see the advantages that a well-designed long arm setup have--virtually no wheelbase loss, tons of droop, and much better stability--you will want to upgrade no matter how nice your short arm setup is. So to answer your question, yes I will go with LA's in the future. Once I have my next set of axles at my side, then I will start the decision on what to do. If I could decide right now, it would be Ford 60's, the Clayton double triangulated 7" stretch kit or Poly 4 link rear/3 link with panhard front, RCI fuel cell, and 40" MTR's, among many other things. Axles have to come first.
 
#45 ·
I just did a quick mental thought of what the bill on that build will be.. I vote Imped TJ of the Month January 2040!!! lol jk yeah and I've even gone over to the fab forum and started reading through the basics. I want to buy a cheap welder I can use at home. i've done welding in shops in the past.. Nothing professional gas and stick welding.. Going to start off by playing around with roll cages.

But really for the price.. it sounds like these short arms will out do or at least keep pace with sub 3k dollar long arm set ups. Assuming good progressive spring rate, solid johnny or flex type joints and the right track bar mounts etc.

What do you think the difference between 2 short arm set ups? Is the biggest difference in the control arms or in the track bar and shocks?
 
#47 ·
Haha, don't count on it being that far off. More like 2012 or 2013. I just need to have the funds and a second vehicle. Now onto differentiating short arm setups--it's hard to narrow down just one, but I'll say the control arm ends is the first step. Rubber bushings allow a small range of motion before binding occurs. Poly is much worse. Switching to a joint on even one end of the arm, like a JJ, allows that end about 30 degrees in any direction but binding can still occur once the frame and axle want to start rotating in different directions. Going to a joint on both ends allows the frame and axle to freely contort and flow with the terrain, keeping the tires on the ground. All you're doing in a suspension system is tracking down and eliminating bottle necks. Once you've tackled the control arms, your next bottle neck will probably be the front track bar. So, put a joint on the frame end of that and there you go. After that, shock down travel becomes the issue. Once you've freed that up, unloading/unseating the coil becomes an issue so limit straps are needed. In the rear, the same thing applies. Ditching the track bar is relatively easy to do and takes care of the axle drooping down and to the side problem. It also frees up the binding that can occur due to the track bar. I'm at the point where I need longer shocks and limit straps on both ends. I'll be doing that one of these days in the near future. Ford shock towers up front with 12-14" travel shocks (probably Bilsteins) and limit straps on both sides. In the rear I'll also go with Ford shock towers to outboard 12-14" travel Bilsteins and limit straps. I'd like to get some higher clearance lower CA mounts for the frame and axle, as well. I don't see any improvement on a short arm setup after that.

Apex--looking good man. I'm guessing the shocks are stopping you there.
 
#46 ·
I'm pretty much maxed out here on my 4.5" RE superflex...not sure what exactly is limiting me, either the shocks or my currie antirock.



Checking my bumpstops...all good
 
#48 ·
Yeah as far as mortal builds Apex I dont' know enough to say what's limiting you but I do know that something hasto keep the axle underneath you lol that's doing work right there.

Imped when you say it's relatively easy to get rid of the track bar do you mean switching to a triangulated 4 link set up?

right now I'm trying to get up 3-4"s with or without a body lift for inexpensive but still improve trail ability.. I was/ am considering Rough Country's 3.75 Kit which includes a body lift. With that setup I could get the lift wheels and tires for 1700 and no need for SYE and Driveshaft.Then later down the line getting the Currie johnny joints.

Or RE superflex kit I can get for 1400 but that includes a RE SYE and Drive line..Which would allow me to switch over to Currie or Rockman at a later date.. it would just be much harder to get the rims and tires at the same time. Just make rims and tires a lot tougher to get right now but then the question begs at that point am I starting off with a better setup? Too many options imho so I'm not going to make a decision till my accounts are full and ready

Keep up with the Pics you guys are selling lifts right now lol Looking good.
 
#50 ·
Yeah as far as mortal builds Apex I dont' know enough to say what's limiting you but I do know that something hasto keep the axle underneath you lol that's doing work right there.

Imped when you say it's relatively easy to get rid of the track bar do you mean switching to a triangulated 4 link set up?

right now I'm trying to get up 3-4"s with or without a body lift for inexpensive but still improve trail ability.. I was/ am considering Rough Country's 3.75 Kit which includes a body lift. With that setup I could get the lift wheels and tires for 1700 and no need for SYE and Driveshaft.Then later down the line getting the Currie johnny joints.

Or RE superflex kit I can get for 1400 but that includes a RE SYE and Drive line..Which would allow me to switch over to Currie or Rockman at a later date.. it would just be much harder to get the rims and tires at the same time. Just make rims and tires a lot tougher to get right now but then the question begs at that point am I starting off with a better setup? Too many options imho so I'm not going to make a decision till my accounts are full and ready

Keep up with the Pics you guys are selling lifts right now lol Looking good.
Some pics of the rear setup:






Some pictures of the front when I was droop testing. See the shock mount limiting the lower control arm from drooping anymore? I'm going to notch that to give the arm some more room. That's a limit.


 
#51 ·
I have that same GM Performance Parts jack...My buddy loosened the screw too much and lost half the fluid...it is sooo slow now. I gotta fix that.


So what is the deal with that rear set-up? It is still short arm isn't it? I'm so lost on that right now...
 
#53 ·
I have that same GM Performance Parts jack...My buddy loosened the screw too much and lost half the fluid...it is sooo slow now. I gotta fix that.

So what is the deal with that rear set-up? It is still short arm isn't it? I'm so lost on that right now...
Yes, still short arms, just no track bar. Currie lowers, Rock Krawler triangulated uppers, and no track bar. The rear axle is obviously trussed and that's where the upper arms bolt to the axle. I love the setup. It droops effortlessly with no bind points. Another great thing about the setup is that the pinion angle remains about the same through the entire suspension cycle so u joint binding is not an issue until really extreme droopage is reached.

You can see the uppers and lowers in this picture:
 
#54 ·
If you don't mind me asking, what was you cost for the RK trianulated uppers? I can't weld, but I'd love to ditch my trackbar.
 
#55 ·
I believe you can pick it up for around $400 if you talk to some RK dealers. You get the truss, uppers, and frame reinforcement brackets. Get someone to help you weld it and it should only take you a couple hours from start to finish. If you end up going that route, let me know and I'll give you a couple tips.
 
#56 ·
Won't be any time soon since I just dropped some coin on the metalcloak fenders. But if and when it happens, you'll be hearing from me.
 
#59 ·
boo that! Guess at some point I'll have to upgrade. That will all have to wait, as running 35" tires as safely as possible is the priority right now.

In a few weeks I'm going to find out all my weak links...
 
#60 ·
See that's the kind of photography I WANT to be doing...Gotta love over priced Hobbies...

Ok So let's pretend...pretend were making a build sheet..your RK triangulated rear uppers...RC 3.75" lift I glanced at AEV stuff soon as I saw the prices I knew I was out of my league... The gist is I want the best performance for about 2000 dollars 2500 TOPS

4 33" **** Cepek crushers and/or GY Wrangler kevlars (still running stock rims but I can get some steel rims for like 250 bucks for a set.) so that's roughly 1,000 for rims and tires leaves me 1,000 to 1500 for lift..

PS For stock or stock man that's pretty dam# good flex for those boxy Control arms..
 
#63 ·
Well my thought is go 3.75" lift from RC shocks or not I think it's a great value and one that would work as well as most of the high dollar kits like OME springs. that's 400. Rims tires 1000...anyone know where I can get currie JJ's for around 700? lol

That would be 3.75" lift 33" tires (or 35's if I knew someone near me that could show me how to cut and trim) full Johnny Joint Control Arms a drop bracket in the rear and adjustable up front I think would be necessary to get with the RC Kit though?

I really like the idea of Wrangler Kevlars too...Anyone have a set up similar to that? how much were your AEV springs? 360 for front and rear 3" springs....hmmmm
 
#64 ·
Well my thought is go 3.75" lift from RC shocks or not I think it's a great value and one that would work as well as most of the high dollar kits like OME springs. that's 400. Rims tires 1000...anyone know where I can get currie JJ's for around 700? lol

That would be 3.75" lift 33" tires (or 35's if I knew someone near me that could show me how to cut and trim) full Johnny Joint Control Arms a drop bracket in the rear and adjustable up front I think would be necessary to get with the RC Kit though?

I really like the idea of Wrangler Kevlars too...Anyone have a set up similar to that? how much were your AEV springs? 360 for front and rear 3" springs....hmmmm
If you are on a budget, the goodyear wrangler MT/R with Kevlar may not be the greatest choice, the cheapest I have found was $204 per tire. That is $1000 for just tires...no wheels, not mounted, not balanced.

Add cheap Cragar Soft 8's and you're at $1200...factor in mounted and balanced and you're at $1300+.

You can do 5 33" tires mounted and balanced for MUCH cheaper if you choose a different tire. Just throwin it out there.
 
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