So I've been looking at upgrading the UCA to get the 3" lift in front. I've also been looking at the Calmini 3" SL kit but I'm not crazy about the shocks, I already have the shackles, and apparently the T bars are not crucial. I'm thinking about buying just the control arms, add a leaf, and either bils or rancho shocks then filling in the sway bar disconnects, upper ball joints etc once I replenish my bank account. Good idea or not?
1) You don't need a "kit"...you don't need shocks right away...or torsion bars...piecing together and gradually filling in your suspension pieces is the right idea...so you are on the right track
2) The AAL will lift the rear about 3" on its own! It varies a bit by material properties and how much you have your truck loaded down and settling over time, etc...but the point being that if you have the AAL AND the PML shackles...your rear WILL be much higher than the front.
If you go the UCA route, there are 2 basic ways you can go:
1) UCAs in the front, AAL in the back, and REVOLVER shackles (pricey, but AWESOME) for the rear. Revolver shackles don't lift much (website claims 2", but people with them have said it is less), and increase the flexibility that is lost with the stiffer spring pack.
or
2) UCAs in the front, and the "adjustable shackle" in the rear. With UCAs in the front, the adjustable shackle is set to the maximum setting (2 1/8") This allows you to lift the front a little more than the rear...and level our your rake a little bit.
Also....just remove the rear sway bar...no need for it Link to the How To in my signautre
I did do the PML and thanks for all the info. That is just what I wanted to hear and I will look into the revolver and/or adjustable shackles as well. I did the real shackles pretty recently so I'm not over eager to buy another set but your reasons are definitely legitimate. Thanks again, I'm just starting to play with my X and all the info is very helpful.
I did do the PML and thanks for all the info. That is just what I wanted to hear and I will look into the revolver and/or adjustable shackles as well. I did the real shackles pretty recently so I'm not over eager to buy another set but your reasons are definitely legitimate. Thanks again, I'm just starting to play with my X and all the info is very helpful.
Yeah man I understand the feeling...the PML shackles are really only useful if you don't want to go any higher.
On a side note, it is theoretically possible to buy the 3 leaf add a leaf pack...and remove one or 2 etc....mix and match to try and get the correct ride height in the rear with the shackle and some of the leaves...but I don't know of anyone that has done that...so that could be tedious in and of itself to guess which ones would equal the correct ride height.
One other note if you do go the AAL route...get the 3 leaf pack. There is a single AAL that raises it 3"...it is cheaper...but the leaf will make the entire pack much stiffer. By spreading the stiffness into 3 leaves, the pack gets progressively stiffer and won't make the ride so harsh in the rear suspension. Any increased stiffness to the springs will reduce the flexibility of the rear axle...and that is where the revolvers come in. They are essentially a shackle with a rotating hinge in the middle. At ride height they are folded in on themselves...not adding much lift...but once the axle starts to flex they will unfold and twist, giving the axle more flexibility without fighting the springs as much. This is what MOST people seem to do on here...3 leaf AAL and revolvers.
I went with just a shackle on the rear because I didn't want to stiffen the rear springs at all. I bought the "adjustable shackle" which is longer than the regular PML shackle...and just set it at the highest setting and brought the front up the 3"...as far as I know, I am the only one running this right now... but I think a few others on here are considering it.
Ive got revolvers waiting to go on my truck, and im piecing together the lift as I decide what I want. Keep in mind with the revolvers though you'll need extended rear brake lines
One thing im gonna suggest about the shocks is if your leaning revolvers get the bilstein 5100s, I bought shocks for the truck when I 1st got it and have the 3 inch hds (4600s). Didnt quite think through where I was headed.
UCA's.... I want the calmini arms but everywhere I look, its saying extended backorder. so I may go ACs (undecided)
AAL- I been looking at xterror04's build thread and may go the route he went. prg deaver 2-leaf spring pack for a 2nd gen. minus the smallest leaf from a 2nd gen stock pack. should be around 2 inches
IMO, you don't need the UCA's for up to 2.5". Any franchise alignment shop will tell you they can't align it because of the liability with the alignment of the U joints and steering, which the UCA's take pressure off of by having a more direct alignment. I have done a 2-2.5" lift on my X with low pro bumpstops without the UCA's and have had no problem. Without lockers, your front differential does not have enough grab to break the U joint (as always, there are exceptions, but i have beat my truck to s*** for 205k and have no problems) and the main problem comes to your CV boot (manual lockers help this, but after 60k on my lift I have had no problems). I have clamini steering components and nissan automatic lockers. Take it to a smaller "ma and pa" style shop and they can align it properly by adjusting your rods--- just my $.02
Man, I don't wanna be that guy, but this is all wrong. The alignment issue has to do with dialing out the positive camber that results from lifting, not the CV angles or tie rod angles. In fact, the new arms don't affect those angles whatsoever, and if you go higher because of getting new arms, that'll actually make that situation worse. The u joints in the front prop shaft aren't affected either way- that's a solid connection between the transfer case and front diff.
All the new UCAs do is cock the upper ball joint at a different angle so you won't have camber issues.
I'm guessing you're getting yours aligned to factory specs? Those allow for a significant amount of positive camber. The specs for a lifted X call for zero camber.
__________________ 2002 Super Black 5 Speed 4x4
AC Shackles/UCAs, BL, 33" BFG ATs, ARB front, Skid Row rear, IAB, Bilsteins, K&N CAI, Magnaflow muffler, Doug Thorley Headers, GPS, Some audio stuff, backup camera. A leaking oil pan. Shovel Mount
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Link to the How To in my signautre 
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