Replacing RC lift with stock Rubicon suspension

[TheSomnambulist]

I have a 2020 Gladiator Sport that I purchased used. The previous owner installed a Rough Country lift kit on it. I think it's the 6" one. It's been fun, but from the time I bought the Jeep, I planned on scaling it back a bit and hopefully making it a little more durable and improve handling. This past weekend I somehow sheared off one of the control arm relocation brackets. I was looking at just ordering new control arm relocation brackets, but I found a few posts on FB marketplace of people selling entire Rubicon suspensions that have been taken off low mileage vehicles when they upgraded for not a lot more money than I would spend on just the brackets by themselves. That being said, I've never done this and don't know exactly what I need. One add I'm looking at says it comes with 4 shocks, 8 control arms, 4 springs and front and rear sway bar links. I'm wondering if there's any documentation someone could point me to so I can be sure I have all the parts I need, and to make sure I'm getting all the parts in the correct places and orientation.

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[Wheelin98TJ]

First step is determining what you have.

If you have the 6" RC lift, this is what parts it consists of:

Front:​

• Progressive rate coil springs
• Control arm drop brackets
• Pitman arm
• Track bar bracket
• Bump stop spacers
• Brake line brackets

Rear:​

• Progressive rate coil springs
• Extended brake lines
• Sway bar links
• Track bar bracket
• Carrier bearing drop bracket

Shocks:​

• (4) Premium N3 Shock Absorbers

Other:​

• Front driveshaft
• PItman arm

If this is the lift you have, you still have stock control arms and track bars.

The stock parts you would need are:

• Coil springs
• Shocks
• Sway bar links
• Front driveshaft
• Pitman arm

You could probably keep the extended brake lines in the rear. Just make sure they are secured so they are not wrapping around or catching on anything.

 

[TheSomnambulist]

I believe this is the lift kit that is installed. I'm not sure what all would have been replaced other than the parts mentioned in the sale posting that would change the geometry. A lot of these parts just appear to be relocation brackets to correct geometry, and those could simply be removed, but it looks like this might include a (longer?) front driveshaft, so I may need to get a replacement for that...

 

[TheSomnambulist]

First step is determining what you have.

If you have the 6" RC lift, this is what parts it consists of:

Front:​

• Progressive rate coil springs
• Control arm drop brackets
• Pitman arm
• Track bar bracket
• Bump stop spacers
• Brake line brackets

Rear:​

• Progressive rate coil springs
• Extended brake lines
• Sway bar links
• Track bar bracket
• Carrier bearing drop bracket

Shocks:​

• (4) Premium N3 Shock Absorbers

Other:​

• Front driveshaft
• PItman arm

If this is the lift you have, you still have stock control arms and track bars.

The stock parts you would need are:

• Coil springs
• Shocks
• Sway bar links
• Front driveshaft

You could probably keep the extended brake lines in the rear. Just make sure they are secured so they are not wrapping around or catching on anything.

This is awesome information! Thanks so much. I'm actually chatting with RC support at the moment, and it sounds like they're going to ship me out replacement brackets at no charge, despite the fact that I am not the original owner, and the warranty is non-transferrable. I'm probably going to do something less aggressive with this suspension at some point, but this gives me an opportunity to do so in my timing after I have a chance to learn more. I'm going to keep investigating this.

If I'm being honest, the reputation I have heard of Rough Country hasn't always been the best. I don't have much to compare to, but I don't have anything to complain about, and the customer service was excellent.

 

[TheSomnambulist]

In case anybody cares, here's the broken relocation bracket on my Jeep, and the link that RC gave me to the installation instructions for that lift kit.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/roughcountry/install/921912300.pdf

 

[LouisvEarlleJT]

I had an RC 3” kit on a Jeep XJ for years, but that was literally just springs, can’t speak to the quality of anything else.

One thing to keep in mind if you do eventually swap is that you’ll need smaller tires and possibly different wheels if you keep the stock fender flares. The reason a stock rubi can run 35’s with no issues is because the flares are higher and the axles cause the wheels to sit out a bit further. The rubi springs don’t provide an appreciable difference in lift beyond the spring rate.

 

[TheSomnambulist]

Good point. I need to get new tires soon anyways, but I kinda want to stick with 35s. Going with the stock Rubi suspension sounds like a good idea on paper, but the more I think about it, the more I start to think it isn't my best option.

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