So, it’s almost done. Way over budget of course. For those following, the factory tie rod and drag link did, in fact work. The ultimate 60s seem perfectly set up for 3.5-4.5 lift. Can’t even use a drag link flip. Had to go back to stock.

the guys at Jeff Daniels ended up cutting some metal flares and welding in an extra 4 inches. Rear wheels are fully covered. Front wheels, almost. Here are some teaser pics.

So, to all the haters saying my jeep would turn into an unruly, hard to live with, miserable beast- I don’t know what you’re talking about.

yes, I went from getting 275 miles a tank to 225-250. No, I’m not out accelerating any Ferrari’s. With the 5.38s I’m not really any slower than I was with 35s and stock 3.73s. I’ve had it over 90 briefly, and it wasn’t any more scary than it used to be. In fact, I’ve only really noticed two issues: I went from about 6’2 to a little over 6’6, so now I don’t clear at the garage I park at, and the turning radius has increased substantially. The result- I had to pay extra at the garage for a reserved spot, and u turns suck a little.

im going back to the shop this weekend to have everything re-torqued because I already have more than 600 miles, and we will check the steering to see if there is a clearance issue that I’m not seeing or a way we can improve it. Basically, I need 3.5 lanes to make a u turn in one shot. It doesn’t affect driving at all until you get in a tight parking lot or need to turn around.

I’m hugely impressed with the tires. They are almost as quiet and smooth as stock, and handle well on the road. Off road? I haven’t found anything to stop them yet. Dirt, sand, mud, water- walks right through. I haven’t had them on rocks or snow yet, but so far I’m blown away by these tires (milestar Patagonia, 40x13.5x17, if I didn’t mention above).

the brakes on the d60 stop really well, but the pedal feel is really soft. It takes getting used to, but once you realize they stop a whole lot better than they feel, they inspire confidence. I did the booster kit at the time of install, and stainless lines.

the d60s and Eaton lockers make this thing an absolute beast off road. I was out with a bunch of guys in all kinds of rigs, and stuff they were struggling with I just walked right through. I went through about 60 yards of deep, sticky mud that I was sure I was going to have to winch out of with minimal wheel spin. Only one other guy in the group was even willing to try it, and he got through with a lot of speed and liberal use of the skinny pedal.

one last issue- I’m now wide for a jeep and rubbed my flares on a tree or two getting down some narrow trails. A couple of F150s had to turn back, so I don’t feel too bad about it.

honestly, if you have the budget, I would totally recommend 40s on a JK with the Dana ultimate 60s. But get it done right.

You are correct. No haters on this thread. But read every other thread about going to 40s. . . It seems I got lucky and only got useful responses.