Going out of order a little bit today, but here are pics from the RCX install we completed last month.
The good - fit and finish were solid and directions were spot-on
The bad
- NO WAY CAN YOU INSTALL IN 8hrs - two guys who have done this before on a Tahoe with air tools and a hydraulic lift could not bang this out in 4hrs (2 guys x 4hrs each). My recommendation, start Friday evening and hope you are done by dinner on Sunday...our rigs are not spring puppies, you will run into rusty suspension bolts and some are a beast to remove.
- My front anti sway bar kept banging into my tie rods after install - you will have to seriously consider if you want to remove your front sway bar, b/c bending a tie rod is not an option.
- Order longer brake lines from the front & back; RCX has this ridiculous solution for rebending your brake lines - bad idea - don't do it! I didn't have the lines on me so I carefully rebent the lines and the rubber lines are still fully stretched when my wheel drops all the way...I received my Skyjacker extended brake lines this week and they're going in next week.
Quick tips:
When doing this lift, it's a great time to replace your pitman/idle arm/idler arm bracket. These parts wear on our rigs and you're taking apart the entire front end anyway, so spend the extra hour or two and put in some new hardware. I also recommend replacing your upper & lower ball joints - again, these parts wear and you're taking apart the front end anyway. I do have one precaution though, all of this takes up a lot of time, if you need your rig for work on Monday and you haven't completed this type of work before, don't do it...same the extras for another day so you're not stranded.
This lift requires a LOT of tools. Download their install directions online prior to ordering and make sure you can get your hands on this many tools if you don't already own them. I would also seriously recommend you have an air gun to assist you b/c manually doing all of this would be exhausting and a number of these bolts may be seized from rust. Definitely have a least one friend helping you out...there's a lot of work to be done and an extra set of hands is invaluable; especially for resetting the torsion bars and front differential.
Ok, off my soap box - on to the photos
Here's where we did the install...I got really lucky that someone in my family has a commercial garage attached to their house
First up - new torsion bars from
Sway A Way - these are huge compared to OEM and very little preload is needed to set the suspension up. B/c I'm going to have an extra 350lbs off the front (winch + bumper + battery), I decided to try these bars as they are much stiffer then OEM.
FFR Fabrication made these for me and I have to say, the craftsmanship is superb. These guys are well know for tie rods ends in the NBS community, so I called them up and they made these special for my OBS. These tie rod ends are leagues ahead of OEM and I seriously recommend them for anyone that offroads
For anyone running the np246 transfer case (it has the Auto 4wd pushbutton), you will need to order the custom driveshaft from RCX - if you don't, you will have vibrations while engaged in 4wd. I was a little skeptical of what RCX was going to send, but I have to say, this front driveshaft is incredibly well made. It's perfectly balanced and a serious beast of a driveshaft with a high end joint that allows greater articulation
Also, for folks with rear sway bars (4dr Tahoes + Subs), you will need the longer drop down links for your rear anti sway bar.
Most IFS lift require cutting/grinding/etc - the Tahoe going under the knife by one of the guys helping out
Keep a rattle can available and you can make most of your old rusty parts look pretty new; I also painted the frame and IMO, it looks great
Shot of the IFS completed!
In terms of overall lift, I'm up 4.5" in the rear (Alcan Springs - no blocks), and about 5" up in the front. I just ordered z71 bump stops and i'm hoping that b/c these are smaller then non-Z71 rigs, I can lower the front 0.5".
Once the new bump stops are in, I'll take a photo on level ground to show everyone the new stance!
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