Suspension Kits Questions, what to buy?

Thanks for posting this question. I have a 56 CJ5 that needs new leafs as well. My question is not about the leafs so much as the U-bolts. I've seen on a few builds on the forum that people flip the u-bolts? Is there a benefit to this flip?

Thanks

 

Extra ground clearance under the axles. Not really a concern, unless you have a lot of rocks in your future. I got u-bolt skidplates for mine instead, and they have plenty of battle scars!

Regarding Mcruff's shims-I have a set on my Jeep. They are nicer than any production pieces I've seen and his price is very reasonable. He also did some machining on my transfer case recently. Again, excellent work for a reasonable price.

 

@Cooljeepguy

Thanks. It seemed pretty straight forward but, I'm just taking in as much knowledge as I can right now. Thanks again

 

i vote bds if it ever fails they will replace it.

 

Another +1 to Mcruff's shims, great product and a good guy to deal with.

 

I am surprised no one mentioned Ranchos 1" lift. I have ridden in a few jeeps and they ride very nice with those leaf packs. No need for any modification with these.

 

Are the Ranchos 1" lifts available for pre '76? I've been looking at the 2.5" lifts but I'm worried about my rear driveline which is only about 12" with the t98.

 

Yes

 

I run RANCHO 1 inch springs on my MB-5. They are STIFF but my 33s do not rub. They are a good candidate for an SOA but I would drop the bottom leaf.

 

Had those on my Jeep at one point. The ride was terrible, even by early Jeep standards. My 2.5" BDS springs are better.

 

I'd like to breath some life into this old thread:

I am looking at both the 2.5 lift and the 4 inch lift and I have no idea which one I should go with. What type of unforseen modifications are needed for a layman like myself with minimal experience in lift kits or general mechanics.

 

If you are old and creaky like me. you don't need much of a lift before it gets a bit annoying and my 3B is only lifted 1 1/2 inch. If I pull the Jeep on car ramps, that extra 8 inches is a bit of a challenge. You are a young guy so I suppose you are doing it for tires you want to put on. Read up here or on Expedition Portal
Lots of posts about what people have done.

 

IMO 4" is a lot of lift for a CJ-5. 4" will increase your worries over drive shaft angle, bump stops, etc. and won't make a significant difference in maximum tire size - if you set up the suspension for full travel. With any lift over an inch or so, you will need to change the shock mounting if you want full travel. Without changing the shock mounts, you will have to install blocks on the frame to lower your bump stops. You don't want the shock collapse to limit travel - instead, you want the bump stops to limit axle travel. Measure the length between the shock pins, subtract the distance from the axle to the collapsed bumper, and that's your maximum collapsed shock length.

Otherwise, the limits on tire size, fully stuffed, are the diameter of the rear wheel opening (ca 34") and interference with the front edge of the front fender on pre-72s (don't know what this size this is - I would guess 33-34"). You can fit quite a large tire equipped with the factory springs. So unless you want to run 35s or 37s or such and lower your bump stops a lot, you won't gain much from lift over a couple of inches.

 

I have too agree with tim on this one . IMO 4" is a lot of lift for a CJ-5. 4" will increase your worries over drive shaft angle . I did my lift 30 something years ago . and the recommended lift for early CJ's was 2 1/2" back then

 

A 2 1/2 lift will clear 33 X 10.50 tires on my '70 with slight rubbing of the inner sidewall on the front leaf springs only on max turning situations.

Don

 

Unless you're building a more extreme rig, you don't need or want the 4" lift. It's too much for most people. This is just my opinion.

When I put the ~2" lift on, my old springs were so sagged out I got something like 3.5" of lift! It went down a bit after driving it a while but it's plenty for 33 x 12.50's.

The extra height just makes things extra tippy on side hills.

Also, the softrides made terrific improvement in the ride over the old original springs.

HTH

 

New but related question.

Having never driven any other Jeep, or 4x4 for that matter, how do I tell if I need new springs? The old girl is 46 and was ridden hard when younger.

Tim

 

Only tangentially related. I suggest you start a new thread with this question, using an informative title. That will make any answers easier to find by search in the future.

Usually you'd replace the springs because they have sagged so much they are flat, or because the spring pack has rusted together, or you have bent leaves, or because you want more ride height (lift).