So, I'm trying to find accounts of Jeep owners, who had little to no experience as a mechanic, who took on the task of installing their own lift. I am trying to debate between spending the $700 in labor to install a Metalcloak Game Changer Lite system with control arms and new track bars, and doing it myself. I have access to tools, but have never really worked on my vehicles before, so I'm just wondering if it's something I could do on my own. If there are any special tools I may not have, that may be needed... If the inexperienced are better off just letting a professional do it... If the learning experience is something that I'll value doing it on my own (I know the answer to this, but it needs to be accompanied with a reply like, "it would be difficult to fcuk something up)."

I look forward to any and all replies, however colorful they may be.

Cheers.

 

Is your JK a daily driver? Do you have friends who know a little more than you do in regards to mechanical skills?
If you have all the tools, go for it!
Give yourself the weekend to cover anything "oops" moments.
Make sure you get the castor and the track bar dialed in.
Good luck!

 

Absolutely do it yourself!!! Give yourself the time to install and be patient, take plenty of breaks. Don't look at all the parts as a whole or it will seem overwhelming. Doing it yourself is well worth the knowledge and experience.

 

Get someone on the forum close by to come help. Pizza and beer go a long way. You are jumping in the deep end though, the MC lift is a little more involved than the normal bolt in kit. You can do it though.

 

grab some beer and a mechanically sound friend, read the instructions for setting the arms and bars ( if theyre adjustable) just make sure everything is set right.. if theyre non adjustable, bolt the shit in, torque it up, and go play

Took me a weekend to do a RK 2.5 max trave with new arms and track bars. would have taken a day if it wasnt for some nasty weather

Plus if you put it on yourself, you know how to take it apart for when you tear something up

 

I would look for an area Jeep Club and see if they have tech days or at the very least find some people close to you who can help you out.

When I got my Jeep I joined the local club and started posting on their forum and met up with a few members to wrench on my Jeep with me. I basically brought a 12 pack of beer and handed them tools as they showed me exactly how to do the install. I learned a lot, saved a bunch of money, and had fun at the same time.

edit: If you could find local people with JK exp it would be easier... Lifting a JK isn't that bad, but its one of those things that is much easier the second time you do it, so if you can have someone looking over your shoulder who has done it before it will save you a bunch of time. I would recommend watching some videos to get a good idea, Teraflex has great videos, even though you aren't using their kit, the videos will help you get familar with what things look like under your JK

 

You can absolutely do it yourself. Like others have mentioned, you get a lot more from doing it yourself than just saving money. With a lift like that (I'll assume you plan to use it as well), you do yourself a huge favor by understanding how everything works and what has been done to the Jeep.

I'll add that preparation before starting the lift will make things far easier. Read the instructions in detail. Make sure you have everything you will need, and I mean everything.

In terms of tools, if you have access to air tools, it can make things go easier/faster (just don't tighten bolts with them). If not, you'll want a breaker bar to loosen bolts as loosening control arm bolts the first time takes some muscle. Absolutely MAKE SURE you have a good torque wrench that is capable of all torque specs the kit requires. I think the most common problem post lift is due to loose bolts.

Lastly, the people on this forum are incredibly helpful. I had a couple questions during my install and I had answers within minutes. Read some of the install threads to learn what others have done and encountered. And don't hesitate to call MetalCloak! They are there to help answer your questions.

 

I did mine myself. And it took about 7 and half hrs and two friends to complete .. learned a lot about my Jeep doing it myself ..

 

I joined a jeep club and had one of the members I became friends with helped me put mine in. He knew what he a

was doing and I helped, it took us about six hours. I couldn't have done it by my self and I am mechanically inclined . So don't be afraid to ask a friend for help

 

The best way to figure out how your rig is put together is to work on it yourself. There is nothing more satisfying than looking back at the end of the day and saying to yourself "look what I just did"

My #1 piece of advice would be to triple check your parts list. Worst thing you can do is to tear apart your rig only to find out you are missing a bracket or much needed bolt. This is especially true if your Jeep is your only method of transportation.

Jump in there, get your hands dirty and have fun!