4.5-5" of real lift on a Power Wagon, the proper way: new coils, new long-stroke Fox or AEV shocks, replacement upper control arms (factory UCAs hit the coil at this lift), correction brackets, fully aligned. AEV DualSport is the reference kit. Carli Pintop is the boutique alternative. $6-9k done — this is the kit that lets you run 37s and wheel hard.
The Power Wagon's factory upper control arm is the binding constraint at lifts above 3". Lift the truck higher than ~3.5" and the factory UCA actually contacts the coil spring at full droop. You need:
AEV DualSport RT 4.5" ($6,200 kit) — the reference kit. Includes everything above. Engineered as a system. Mile-for-mile the most popular real lift on Power Wagons. AEV is owned by AAM (the axle maker) so their geometry is dialed-in for the AAM 9.25" front axle.
Carli Pintop 4" ($7,400 kit) — the boutique alternative. Slightly different damping philosophy (Fox 2.5 with custom valving), tunable for desert running. The choice if you want adjustable shock valving and don't mind the premium. Both AEV and Carli are excellent — there's no wrong answer between them.
What this lift does that a 3" lift doesn't:
What it costs beyond the kit itself:
Total realistic build cost for "4.5" lift + 37s + re-gear": $12-16k. Plan accordingly.
This is the lift for a Power Wagon you actually wheel hard or do extended overland trips with a loaded rig. For occasional weekend trail use on 33-35s, the 3" kit (pw-lift-mid-3in) is plenty.
This is a 14-28 hour expert-level job that disassembles the entire front suspension. The order matters, and a few steps are where DIYers get hurt or get it wrong.
If you're running 37s with this lift, re-gearing to 4.56 is part of the build, not an afterthought — see pw-regear-456. Owners who want height without this much surgery should look at the pw-lift-coilover-swap or 3" pw-lift-mid-3in path instead.
The factory upper control arm contacting the coil at full droop is not a maybe — it's the whole reason this kit replaces the UCAs. If you try to reach 4.5" on factory arms or a spacer kit, you'll bind the suspension, wreck ball joints early, and lose articulation. Buy the engineered system or stay at 3".
Budget for the whole iceberg, not only the kit. The $6,200 box is half the story: alignment twice, 37" tires, a re-gear, wheels or spacers, and likely shop labor push a real "4.5-inch + 37s" build to $12-16k. Going in expecting the kit price and discovering the rest mid-project is how trucks end up sitting on jack stands for months. And after install, re-torque the control-arm and track-bar hardware after the first few hundred miles — a settling lift loosens fasteners that were dead-on at assembly.
| Part | Vendor | Est. price |
|---|---|---|
| AEV DualSport RT 4.5" Lift Kit (coils, shocks, UCAs, brackets, hardware) | AEV | ~$6200 |
| Carli Pintop 4" Full Lift (alternative — coils + Fox 2.5 + UCAs) | Carli Suspension | ~$7400 |
| Front-end alignment after install + shakedown alignment at 500 miles | local shop | ~$300 |
Written and maintained by an AZ wheeler and driveway wrencher. Always cross-reference your factory service manual — modifications affect vehicle safety and warranty. Work at your own risk.
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