When trying to decide on the lift kit for the new project TJ, I wanted to get something that followed along the theme of the project. Proving that "low-tech" works. Of course the term "low-tech" doesn't exactly describe the stock quadra coil suspension of the TJ, because we all already know it works. What Rusty has done is leave this proven design alone, only altering the springs and shocks to achieve lift. After discussing my philosophy with Rusty about my new project, he seemed excited and was on board with the same ideals that the project has.

Rusty at Rusty's Off-Road has put considerable time into developing the springs and shocks for this lift. Rusty spent a lot of time with his spring manufacturer, first on the 3-D design then on to the dynos testing out the different springs and rates. He wanted a soft spring that didn't sag after being on the Jeep a few years. The same goes for his shocks which are made by Gabriel. He also spent quite a bit of time with Gabriel to get the shocks "just right." These are not just off the shelf parts from Gabriel, they are made exactly to Rusty's specification.

The lift kit comes with the following parts:

• 1 Set front lift coil springs 150lbs/in
• 1 Set rear lift coil springs 160lbs/in
• 4 Gas Shocks
• 1 Rear track-bar bracket and bolts
• 1 Dropped pitman arm
• 1 t-case drop kit
• 1 extended rear-sway bar links with sleeves

The installation was very straightforward. After installation, it was time for my favorite part, the testing. I wanted to push this suspension one step further. Not only did I want to prove it could perform on some of the toughest trails in the US, I wanted to prove it could handle the toughest trails on the East Coast, Tellico.

To prepare for the trip, I added a one inch body lift so that I could fit 33" tires. This body lift has no affect on the suspension, and was only added to allow for the 33" tires to fit into the fenders. The only other addition to this TJ before the testing in Tellico was a front ARB locker. To really be able to test the suspension out, we needed to be able to climb our way into some of the toughest obstacles Tellico had to offer. I also wanted to prove the clear superiority of a front only locker over a rear only locker.

I accomplished all of my goals. I successfully completed the following trails/obstacles at Tellico: Guardrail, Slickrock, Lower 2 (rock garden), Schoolbus, Trail 11. All of these trails were successfully conquered with no winching, strapping or breaking of parts.

The bottom line is, this suspension will work for 90% of the trails out there. The stock control arms with Rusty's 3" springs work great together as a package. There is one thing to watch out for though. The stock control arms can usually be bent easier than the aftermarket arms. Because of their channel design, if you land hard on them, they will start to bend and wear. I've included a few pictures of what mine look like after torturing it for 2 weekends off-road. If you do happen to damage them, replacement stock control arms can usually be found very cheap or free from others that have replaced them. Or if you find that you are damaging them too often, Rusty sells adjustable and non-adjustable arms that will work with his kit. His aftermarket arms are stronger than the stock design. I've also included a picture of the lower rear frame control arm mount. You will notice it is also bent and damaged. This would have happened regardless of the control arm in the mount, and I just wanted to show how hard this vehicle was abused to have caused this. What I'm saying is, I really pushed this TJ to the limit and don't feel that I damaged the stock control arms that bad. However the stock control arms would not be able to take this kind of abuse for multiple abusive trips.

The rear track-bar bracket has held up well so far and has not loosened. The front stock track-bar has not posed any problems so far. The vehicle was very easy to align after the lift, and rides and tracks as well as it did before the lift. The rear shock cans have small dents in them from hitting the rear lower spring mounts. I've talked to Rusty about this, and it is normal. The part of the can that dents is a reservoir for the oil/gas in the shock. The actual pressurized tube is inset from the outside of the can. So this dent does not affect the shock in its performance. Both of my rear shocks have the dents, and I have noticed no problem because of it and neither shock is leaking.

The bottom line is, this kit works. For the cost of this lift, I can not think of a better way to lift your TJ. You can contact Rusty at: