Review on Supreme Suspensions Suspension Performance Crystalline Replacement Parts by Jeff Talcott

We bought this kit because of the price and how easy it seemed to install. Although there were no problems with the product, quality, delivery time and instructions, it still took us 10 hours of tedious work to install this kit. Supreme Suspensions are a great company and I was concerned that I would be missing parts when the package arrived, but the kit was delivered complete as advertised. If you're planning on doing this installation yourself, and like me you're a medium-sized home mechanic, don't let the YouTube videos and seemingly simple instructions fool you. We decided (three adult males over 6ft 230lbs) to install a front spacer jack first. If you do this job make sure you have an air compressor gun or it will take 10 hours like we did. Our Jeep was a 96 ZJ 5.2 with Up Country suspension. We hired spring compressors but didn't think we'd really need them based on the videos and instructions and went in thinking it was going to be a 4 hour max job mostly as we didn't know what we were doing did. After we dropped the front suspension, we couldn't get the spring out, even with the 260-pound guy standing on the suspension to lower it far enough to get the springs out. So that's where all hell began! We had to use spring compressors and since we didn't have an air compressor everything was done by hand and it took up to an hour or more to compress and decompress a spring while unwrapping and replacing them after learning the mistake where they were placed became. . After we got the spring out we had to compress it some more to get it back with the spacers and on the first one I forgot to put the jounce bumper in there so I had to open the springs, oil the jounce bumper and hammer it in there. It was difficult to get the springs back to the position they came out in because the spring decompression ratchet was moving the springs. Once we had the gasket and spring it wasn't that hard to finish the rest. Although it took over an hour to remove and reinstall the driver's side shock, depending on the location of the upper shock mount, which happened to be under the metal brake lines, it took a small wrench to remove it a half turn at a time and to remove reinstall. I also bent the tie rod end trying to take it off and had to buy a new one as I couldn't re-tighten it after tapping the end with a hammer. I flattened the end and couldn't put the nut back on. By the time we get the front finished and a few trips to the auto parts store for tie rod ends and a custom T60, 65, and 70 hex sprocket, you're downright tired. Luckily the back was much easier. The only time consuming part of the tail was compressing and decompressing the spring. Make sure you have an air compressor, some hex screws, a spring compressor, good jack stands, and more than one helper. I would also recommend assembling your shocks the day before to have them ready as it took us several hours to assemble the parts. Incidentally, the metal shock absorber inserts contained in the new bushings are not required for the 96 ZJ and are not suitable. I would also buy new shock absorbers (not included in this kit) and o-rings to attach the boots. Plan a full day if you're a backyard mechanic like me.