chassis dimensions

Mar 01, 2004 7 Replies

All,



Does anyone have a picture, pdf, or similar of a 76 or newer cj-5 or cj-7 chassis layout from the factory service manual? I need to know the dimensions from eye to eye for the spring and shackle hangers. I am planning on installing an RE extreme duty lift kit on my '74 cj-5. The problem is that the lift kit is for '76 and newer CJs. I think I can fit the kit by installing 76 or newer spring and shackle hangers. Has anyone else done this? Does it seem strange? Is there an easier way? Are there '74 specific kits that will offer a comparable ride? Any help or advice is appreciated. I will be ordering the parts soon and dont want to put myself in an awkward postion.



Thanks



Karl


Hey Karl,

I can't help you with any pics of chassis but I might have some ideas for your cj, I have a 74 cj5 also, the 76 frames were made wider at the rear than the front so that the springs mounted further out on the rear axle making it more stable. to use the springs you have for the 76 model you would have to custom make the spring mounts ( I think you will find the newer springs are a little wider than the old springs) What I did on my cj5 was I found an old ford f150 and cut the spring mounts off the chassis ( cant use the very rear mount as the fords shackle is inverted) I also used the ford springs, had the local spring maker shorten them and re arch them and took a s*it load of leaves out of them lol, I then bolted the ford spring mount onto the side of the jeeps chassis after cutting the original spring mount off, I had to custom make the rear shackle mount, what I liked about using the ford mounts is that it looks factory (but there isn't really any reason you couldn't custom fabricate your own mounts) doing this made my Jeep a lot more stable on the road, I could send a couple of pics if your interested

Glenn,

Interested in the picts, if its not a pain. The only thing that I have considered that is different from what you did is to purchase new spring and shackle hangers for a 76 and newer cj, which are 2" front and 2.5" rear, and swapping these with my 1.75" front and rears. It does not seem to hard, I just wanted some advice from some more seasoned jeepers out there before I dump some cash. If I dont go this route I will purchase a BDS 2.5" lift kit that uses stock hangers... Does anyone have an opinion on BDS springs? Are they any good or do they just look fancy? Am I wasting cash here?

Thanks,

Karl

Karl,

cool I'll email some pics for you tomorrow

Glenn

I guess Jeep just couldn't make up their mind with the FSJ - going for SOA on one axle and SUA on the other !

Most any collision repair shop can look up any dimension you like in their manuals. They have to know every measurement on a frame and body to fix one that's not straight. If you've ever seen one of these manuals, it's amazing how many diagonals are measured from more points that you might think before they put anything on a frame straightening machine.

Cheers, - Jeff G

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