2006 Jeep Wrangler LJ Rubicon Long-Arm Suspension

Six 3/16-inch pilot holes were drilled through both sides of the framerails. Shortly afterwards, the holes were enlarged on the inside of the frame to 1/2 inch. The pilot holes on the outside of the frame were then hole-sawed out to 1 inch to accommodate six billet frame spacers. The spacers, once welded in place, serve as sleeves for six through-bolts that secure the new bellypan's outer brackets to the framerails.

The secret of the R.E. long-arm kit that makes it perform well is the positioning of the upper and lower control arms and mounts. Designed specifically to enhance vehicle dynamics both on and off pavement, the math used here makes all the difference in how the long-arm kit controls pitch, yaw, and sway. The correct amount of anti-squat and carefully calculated suspension geometry help to minimize body roll and improve on-road handling dynamics, while the range of motion is maximized to aid articulation. Note how flat the bellypan is once installed. No protruding bolt heads to get caught on rocks-just flush, flat, and smooth.

This photo shows how the rear lower control arm connects to the bellypan. Shown are the massive rebuildable Super-Flex joints. Rubicon Express ran a whole season in the competitive Jeep Speed racing series with the same type of control arms-with zero failures. At the end of the season, they were as tight as the day they were installed. In contrast, other Jeep Speed teams who use factory rubber bushings typically have to replace them after every race.

This is the lower track-bar bracket extension R.E. includes with the system. The instructions say to simply bolt this bracket to the existing track-bar mount with the supplied hardware, effectively raising the lower mounting location by about 3 inches. However, we opted to weld this bracket to the existing mount in addition to bolting it as the instructions suggest because it's been our experience that these brackets experience high stress loads during articulation.

A slightly longer CV front driveshaft was required up front, so we contacted JE Reel of Pomona, California, to get a new shaft built to our specs. The new shaft featured JE Reel's new waterproof U-joints, which are designed to handle increased torque loads while requiring less maintenance than standard U-joints. Thanks to their specially designed seals that remain effective through a greater range of temperature, these unique joints are not affected by water and are said to last much longer than OE units. They also come with special waterproof grease that is rated for extreme pressure and high temperature. Forged from high-strength alloy steel and then cryogenically treated to increase durability by about 40 percent, these joints are so tough that J.E Reel has a lifetime guarantee against breakage.

We decided to install a set of JKS Manufacturing's adjustable coilover spacers commonly referred to as the "ACOS" system. The ACOS system allows the end user to fine-tune his or her suspension system to accommodate for variables such as the added weight of bumpers, winches, and cargo-effectively leveling the vehicle front-to-back or side-to-side. The ACOS does add about 1.25 inches of lift but allows an infinite adjustability thereafter. Because our donor Jeep already had Hanson bumpers, a winch, and a removable hardtop, we felt this system would best accommodate any variances in ride height.