DEJK2012

ya sorry to the original poster, but ya iv heard stuff about the zinc coating also but i am extreme salt lol. i live near the bay on a salt water lake.i wash my jeep once a week and after everytime im on the beach and i am still rusting so ya. just looking for somthing that can hold up until i get a chance to leave this city. i have friends that run the metal cloak and they love it.

Sltimmins

I agree with nth, I have the 2.5" MC Gamechanger with 37" stt pros and psc flares and still have plenty of room. If you're going with stock fenders and 35s I would personally stick to the 2.5". I also came from a POS rough country 2.5" lift that rode like hell and this MC lift rides better and handles better than my Jeep ever did when it was bone stock. The customer service at MC is amazing too and they really know their way around a Jeep. Heard good things about AEV but have no experiences with them, take it as you will but in my opinion you can't go wrong with anything MC is putting out.

snakeyes76

thank you to all for your input. i'm really at an impass right now. i told the wife that 2.5" is the way to go for her use but she loves the lifted jeep look .. she clearly doesn't understand everything involved in surpassing that height.
i'll show her this thread and let her decide. that way i don't get blamed lol
i personally love the bilsteins. i like a firmer ride. i had them on my 2dr and had no complaints at all and that was with crappy 3 year old rough country springs.
the only experience i have with JKS is their front trackbar which i liked, then again, i didn't have it for too long as i sold the jeep 6 months or so after that.
we already changed the front bumper to the AEV and will eventually get the rear to match, terraflex reinforcement tire support/carrier, a winch, tranny/oil pan skid and diff guards so we will be adding a bit of weight but not a whole lot.

Sltimmins

With the 2.5" coils it looks pretty tall, the 37s make it look a little shorter and mine came in at right about 2.75". I also have a very heavy Jeep with steel bumpers, fenders, rocker guards, and skids so with a lighter two door like you are describing I bet the actual height you net would be a little over three. Good luck with the wife! At least she's into this hobby like you are.

nthinuf

Good call. Even with all the advice, it's always good to remember that it's your (her) Jeep and your (her) money. Build it the way you want, just do the research into the possible issues so you have an idea of what you'll do if/when each one comes up.

snakeyes76

FINAL DECISION - we decided on the Metalcloak 3.5" Overland Rocksport edition and added the MC front adj trackbar and exaust spacer.
I'm going to install that and see how it handles, then decide if we need to add control arms. Will probably do JKS J flex arms since they use OEM style bushings so no maintenance required and they are powder coated instead of zinc plated. Finally, whatever zinc plated hardware in the MC kit, I will add a couple of layers of paint (maybe just a clear) specifically on the control arm drop brackets. I think she'll be happy with this. Found an authorized MC distributor with excellent pricing a couple hours away from me so I'll just take a drive and pick everything up once received. He says 3-4 weeks. CAN'T WAIT!

TheDirtman

You should not need front control arms with drop brackets. The brackets do more to help the ride than adjustable control arms do so you would be degrading the ride moving from the brackets to adjustable arms. You might want to consider a set of rear arms to gain back some of the lost wheel base you get by lifting and using the factory arms that will push the rear axle forward. You should think hard about a drag link flip as you will be over 4" in actual lift which lends itself to wander and bump steer due to the steep angles of the front track bar. Powder coating does not = rust proof, You will still see rust and powder coating tends to flake more then paint when the rust gets under the coating.

Good luck with the jeep.

snakeyes76

would this work? i don't want to drill anything just yet if i can avoid it - STEER SMARTS YETI HD NO DRILL TOP MOUNT OUTER DRAGLINK END
as for the rear arms, just upper or lower as well?

nthinuf

Nice. Let us know what you think of the ride/handling. Which trackbar bracket are you adding along with the yeti end?

Don't forget to keep an eye on that front driveshaft joint at the tcase, the grease is very noticeable if/when it starts spitting out.

One set of arms will rotate the top or bottom of the housing. To move the entire axle forward/backward in the wheel well you need both sets. But install it and see what you think about the clearances and handling before another purchase.

snakeyes76

i was under the impression I don't need a bracket. it's reversed so it installs on the knuckle from the top instead of the bottom changing the angle.
I'll try it without arms and take it from there.
Driveshafts will eventually have to be changed, but that's the cost of lifting so high i suppose