Suspension Upgrades

Going on memory here again, but but sometime in the late 70's/early 80's, someone put either 4 or 6" shackles on our '73 CJ. The strange part is they also put 2 coil springs(45 degree angles, one in front of wheel and one behind it) on the leaf springs and I believe added a 2nd shock as well, but I could be wrong about the shock. Anyways, I've never seen this setup on another Jeep and I'm not sure if I should replace the whole thing with a Skyjacker lift or just leave it be. It rides rough as all get out and squeaks pretty bad too, but I guess that can be fixed with some new bushings hopefully. It's also got power steering that I'm kinda iffy about since it's so easy to turn.

 

got a picture of this set-up ?
sounds to me as if they added an overload system of some type

 

I just purchased a junk jeep with a similar setup - 2 coilover shocks per side on either side of the axle. This jeep had a 396 in it so I imagine it was extra insurance. I had a 76 with a similar coilover shock/extended shackle setup.

From what I've seen, these setups just seem like old-school ways to lift your rig cheap and keep tires from contacting the body by making the jeep ride like a conestoga (sp?) wagon. A new lift and shocks would undoubtedly perform better. Good luck, and Post some pics!

 

Fraid not. Jeep's in TN and I'm in PA right now. Here's a drawing of the setup, I'm pretty sure that's how it looks.

 

Identical to the setup on my junker. Are the shackled 4-6" overall length?

 

I'm not sure.

 

JMO - you should put it back to stock, or maybe a mild lift. There are several places that you can get replacement springs with stock height, 1" or 2" lift. The original ride was not bad - the original seats are supportive and soft, and tires with flexible sidewalls and appropriate pressure soak up a lot of the jiggles.

Long shackles are a Q&D way to add some ride height. More than an inch or two longer than stock will negatively affect the Jeep's handling and stability. Sounds to me like the current setup was kludged up to change the ride height.

Every Jeep that I've seen with leaf springs that's more than a few years old is either flat or sgging. Even the brand new ones didn't sit level. Repacing the springs is pretty much standard procedure for these cars.

<edit> From your drawing, is it really a spring-over? The stock configuration has the spring going under the axle.

 

Wow, that just looks scary..

 

Surprisingly, the springs on this jeep aren't sagging, but that's probably because of the coils supporting them.

I wasn't sure about the axle position when I drew the picture, but now that you say that, I think it is above the springs instead of being below. I was thinking of getting this Skyjacker 4" kit. What are your thoughts?

 

Also, you might need to make driveline adjustments if you go 4 inch. I have learned from the good people here that with my setup, 258,T18, Dana 20 I would need shims and a CV shaft to make a 4 inch work. I plan on 2.5 inch within a month.

Good luck and yes, we love pix

High5

 

Yeah, hopefully I'll be able to go home in a few weeks and pick the jeep up if all goes well, so I'll have some pictures then. As for driveline adjustments, unless anything needs to be replaced from wear and tear, I think it's all good. Despite the suspension setup being outdated, whoever installed it seems to have known what they were doing. I know there's at least a longer pitman arm on the steering, so hopefully they took care of anything else while they were down there.

 

Sorry to keep coming up with more questions, but after reading the thread here, I got to wondering if the current suspension set up is what's causing my jeep to be so squirrly over 40 or if it's something else. Also, once I get the lift changed to the Skyjacker or a similar setup, will that go away so I can trust the Jeep on the road again?

 

Those oldschool "coilover" shocks weren't like real coilovers. They were just a coilspring with a clamp that you put over a regular shock and clamp on. You could literally jack up the suspension and then clamp on the spring and it would add a couple inches of lift. Of course that setup puts a lot of strain on the shock mounts, which weren't meant to hold the full weight of the Jeep. Sort of like those airshocks that you pump up to jack up the rear of a hotrod. Pretty poor way of gaining lift and like you said, makes it ride like a Conestoga wagon.

 

If everything is in good condition and set up right, you should be able to drive at well above legal speeds on the highway, without any anxiety. In my '73 CJ-5, I could easily push twice that speed without any significant loss of (straight ahead) control. Dirt road cruising speed was only limited by the road conditions (ie could I turn or stop in time to avoid obstacles), not the Jeep's straight-ahead stability.

If you feel uncomfortable at highway speeds, something is broken, worn out, or badly built.

 

Ok, that makes me feel better about the Jeep. Maybe if I can convince my family that it's built wrong they'll stop fussing about it being so dangerous and actually let me work on it. Could the power steering be making a difference too? I don't know if any of you have ever driven a tractor, but that's the best way I can describe the steering on this Jeep, it's very easy to turn; I can do it with my pinky finger.

After reading around the site a little bit more, I think I'll go with a 2.5" lift. I won't have to trim anything will I? If that's the case, I think I'd just opt for the 4".

One more thing, since the suspension is so jacked up now(no pun intended), how will I be able to tell if there were any changed made for the current lift that I'll have to change back for a smaller lift? For instance, there's a 4"-6" pitman arm on the steering. Will I have to shorten it or go back to stock with a 2.5" lift?

Can't thank you guys enough for all the help.

 

Yes, the steering is very light. There's lots of boost and the ratio is fairly slow for power steering. Even on my truck, I can easily palm the wheel when not moving, or turn it with one finger. But, that's a good thing! It's not like a sports car, where you want lots of road feel and responsiveness. You need boost to overcome the drag of large, soft tires at low speeds. This will make the Jeep much more maneuverable on the trail. The feel at speed will be fairly dead, but you shouldn't be trying to drive a CJ agressively on the pavement anyway.

 

Regarding the trimming, I think you can go as large as 33s and not have to trim. IIRC one of the members here, hudsonhawk, runs 35s and he needed to trim the rear wheel openings. That's a better option, IMO, than a big lift which will make the Jeep less stable.

AFAIK you don't need a pitman arm drop for a 2.5" lift.