jkd3624

Can anyone tell me how the cam bolts that cam with my lift work. I'm not really understanding them.

wayoflife

first off, if you have not already installed them, DO NOT INSTALL THEM! cam bolts require you to notch out your control arm mounting holes so that they become rectangular slots. this allows you to shift your axle so that you can have a tiny bit more positive caster up front but, everything is ultimately held together with washers and the tightness of the bolts. for regulars street driving, this is fine but, if you wheel your jeep, the bolts and washers will eventually come loose and that will allow your axle to shift around. fixing this after the fact will require you to have the slots welded up.

cam bolts are a cheap fix and one that should not be used on a jeep.

Fenrir

So if I were to purchase the AEV RS 3.5" lift, I shouldn't use their brackets but instead buy CA's?

wayoflife

so far as i know, AEV no longer uses cam bolts. regarding their brackets, they work great if you don't plan on playing hard on the rocks or flexing out your jeep. if you do, i would not recommend them as they are not only a BIG rock target, the 2 piece design of them is pretty flimsy and i have seen them bend excessively when flexed out. over time, i fear that this bending back and forth will eventually lead to a failure. i personally would recommend getting adjustable control arms instead. but, that's just me.

Fenrir

Thanks for the tip.

I mainly drive on the road with the one or two off roading trips a year (best I can do with my schedule), but I may be headed to the SW for 5-6 months this year and one trip to the San Juan Mountains in August with the Chicagoland guys. I still don't "plan" on rock crawling stuff that Moby can do, but there may be the occasional situation. I'm really caught between OME HD coils/shocks, LCAs, Front DS set up and the AEV set up (had only planned on buying a Front DS if I had to). Thinking AEV's lift and just see how it goes. As one guy once told me, buy to what I'll primarily use something for, not for the exception. Hope that thinking works here!

wayoflife

well, if you have your heart set on it, the AEV kit will give you what you want but, if it were me, i would get the rancho sport kit instead. the rancho kit is very similar in design and, it comes with much beefier drop brackets that are welded together and costs a fraction of the price of the AEV kit. if you could see both in person and in action, i can assure you that you would agree with me on this.

Fenrir

UGH! Another to choose from! Haha :-) I'll definitely look at it! Thanks!

P1 Kodiak

Wish I had read this before I installed my RE standard kit this past week. Those tabs were a pain to remove. Oh well whats done is done. I'll know for my next jk, lol