I have been looking to purchase a 4" lift for my 80cj7 AMC 20 rear Dana30 in front.  I am leaning toward Skyjacker or the Rubicon Express I have read that the RE lift uses procomp springs and they are stiffer than the Sky. I also like the Idea of running YJ springs in the front plus the shackle reversal kit from MORE, any suggestions would help, I plan to shoot for $1000 that includes all shims breaklines exc. My front drive shaft is there is no problem of a longer shaft but how much Longer? Thanks for the help 

I just installed the RE 4.5" lift on my '86 CJ. Don't know about it using Procomp springs, or whether they are stiffer than skyjacker's, but I can tell you that it rides much smoother than it did with the worn out stock springs that I had before. The install was pretty straightforward, I did about 90% of the work with no assistance, took about a day and a half, but I was working on some other stuff at the same time. I was actually able to re-use my driveshafts, the rear was close to binding at full droop though. A little clearancing probably would have solved that. For shocks, I went with skyjacker hydros because they were available locally and I was crunched for time due to poor planning on my part. I'm happy with them though. If you're installing 35" tires, RE recommends a 1" body lift in addition to the suspension lift. I already had a 1" body lift that I had purchased to free up room for an eventual NV4500 or SM465 tranny, and because my body mounts were shot. However, with the two lifts installed, the Jeep sits a little higher than I would like. I really don't think the body lift is necessary for tire clearance, but I haven't had the opportunity to stuff the tires yet. All in all I was very pleased with the kit. If you have any specific questions, you can email me here.

I also was wondering what all the RE kit included, and doe you know if any other kit you can get to add yj springs to the front. I left out that I was also cosidering a shackle reversal kit Thanks JC  

Honestly, it depends on your bugdet but if you're looking to save a few bones, try the Rusty's Off-road kits.  For about $500 *shipped* you can get the YJ lift.  I recommend you call them and see if they will ship the YJ springs with the CJ shocks.  That way,  you're getting the best of both worlds.  Then, you're going to need to pick up a set of YJ u-bolt plates.  That shouldn't be toooo hard.  Then, pick up your MORE shackle reversal that you mentioned above, but buy the one for the YJ, as you're going to be using wider springs in the front.  You'll have about $1000 in an SUA lift that will require some fabrication but will perform beautifully on the street and on the trail.

Good luck-Butch

I installed a RE 4.5" kit recently, it came with everything I needed, except shocks. My jeep rode MUCH smoother right away, even more so as the springs are wearing in. If you really want the shackle reversal, OME makes a kit that is a combination shackle reversal and YJ conversion, but I believe it was pretty expensive. You could also swap out the front spring hangars for some wider ones, this would involve some fabrication but is a good idea, as the factory spring hangars are notoriously weak. the RE kit achieves the conversion by using a shackle that is 1 inch wider at the bottom than at the top, as well as a wider spring plate. Curiously enough, when I installed mine, I accidently assembled one of the shackles so that they sides were parallel instead of spreading out at the bottom, effectively the top and bottom should have been the same width. Even though the spring is an inch wider, it didn't really make much of a difference. That leads me to believe that you could probably get by with using straight shackles up front, although it may not be a great idea, I'm really not sure what the down side would be. Either way, you'll definitely need a wider spring plate. Of course, that all comes with the RE kit, I liked the spring plates a lot because they are pretty beefy and work with an axle tube up to 3 1/4" in diameter, so they'll fit on pretty much anything except a Rockwell. The shocks and swaybar links connect right to the spring plate. Brake lines were good quality, all suspension bolts are greaseable, springs are pretty good quality...thats all I can think of at the moment. All in all I believe the kit is well worth the $$, and RE has a good rep for standing behind thier product.

Thanks for the info, I have tossed the idea of a SR kit I have been thinking of using a aftermarket rear spring hanger on the front. I still have not decided between RE or Skyjacker, I have been searching the web for different opinions. I also considered buying the parts to convert from cj to yj springs from RE and using Sky. yj 4" lift springs , Just one more things, I have read of people using only the rear lift springs all around instead of the normal config. Any ideas  Thanks JC  

Not sure about the rear spring idea, seems feasible, but I think the spring rate would be too low for a front application. The front springs have to support the weight of the motor, so they usually have a higher spring rate. Just FYI, I looked into getting custom springs made from either National or Deaver, they want about $800 an axle. That's twice the price of a decent lift kit, without any of the hardware.

I see what you mean i have about decided to either go with the complete RE Kit. or SJ yj springs and piece the rest together but I am a little gun shy I want the yj springs but I don't know if I should go with a heavy duty rear spring hanger on the front or just purchase the RE shackles and try to piece togather a lift. Also does the yj springs make a big difference and are the worth all the trouble.  I have a nearby source for SJ lift springs and all the other trimmings to go with them, dropped pitman arm, transfer case lowering kit and brake lines all with no tax and no shipping. I could use some info about the two different companies, I want a good road ride and great flexy. but don't we all. and again thanks for the info.  JC