cj8 lift?

Check the yellow pages for a local truck spring shop and take it there for the install. Seriously!

The truck spring shops like playing with 'toy' trucks and won't over charge you like a 4x4 shop can.

On the last set of springs I helped install, it took 5 of us a weekend with a camp out at the guys house to get them in. That was an 89 and it was a real pain in the butt!

If you insist on the pain, the rear shackle bolts can come out without dropping the tank, just take the nut off and pry the rubber bushing out of the frame, then the bolt has side to side movement and it will clear the tank easy.

Mike

snipped-for-privacy@turkeybayou.com wrote:

LOL!

Mike

"L.W.(ßill) Hughes III" wrote:

Not sure what brand lift you bought, regardless installing new springs on a CJ is very straightforward, although the sway bar links can be a PITA unless you first remove them from the front spring plate pins. Other wise, just make sure you've got the front springs on the front, the rears out back ... don't laugh, I've seen 'em installed backwards, and make sure you've got the springs oriented properly. Should be in the instructions which end goes where, but some of the newer kits such as Rubicon Express use the same large bushings on both ends of the spring.

Use a torque wrench to tighten the spring plates, go up in three stages, like 50 ft lbs, 70, 85. It's also best to do the final torquing with the wheels on the ground.

Don't over tighten any of the shackle or frame eye bolts, use whatver the kit mfr recommends. Lastly, do a retorque at 50 miles or so, then every few hundred miles until the torque settings hold.

Good Luck!

I don't know. The Toolman Tim Allen would just crank up his Binford compressor to about 500 psi and -- oh, wait! That's when he'd blow something up, wasn't it?

I am paying attention to what you guys are telling me. But when looking at the old parts still on the Jeep the problem isn't obvious to me.

Is the problem getting the rusted bolts/nuts and shackles to come loose or is it something else?

This garaged cj has never seen ice, nor snow, nor road salt. It has no rust on it top or bottom. All the bolts "look" clean, and I've been soaking them daily with PBBlaster.

What would happen (or be wrong with) if I took my air wrench and tried to just loosen all of the nuts before actually disassembling anything? If the nuts come loose am I basically home free or am I missing something else with getting the old parts off?

And if I can do this -- are there any special challenges to getting the new springs installed??

I don't mind getting under the Jeep; but I don't want to get in over my head, if you know what I mean ......

Mike

Mike

• snip *

I'm willing to bet you didn't plan on spending the weekend on this!

Knowing you have the expertise to do this, and assuming you had what tools you needed -- what went wrong that turned this into such a huge problem?

Mike

Ok, a few other things, since you've not done this before. Pre-assemble the spring packs by installing the bushings & sleeves into them before you start. I use white litium grease on them to make assy easier.

Youshould just loosen everything one at a time as you go. Do the fronts or rears first, your call, then the other end.

If this never saw salt (hey, this sounds like a nice scrambler!) everything will come off very easy, even the u-bolts.

As for tools, you need at least two high-tonnage jackstands and a good floor jack. (DO NOT try and do this with jacks alone!) Jack up, place jack stands under the frame and remove remove wheels from one end, then remove u-bolts from one side, remove front shackle, drop front (rear) of spring, then remove frame eye bolt...voila, spring off. Reverse, torque to spec, then go to other side. Reinstall wheels, lower to ground, then repeat on the other end.

Follow a set proceedure and you can do a CJ in about 3 hours. Get disorganized about it and it'll be like a monkey screwing a football. Note, if you have air, then use air tools for disassembly but don't go back together using impact, too imprecise.

Some kits come with new brake lines, brake line drop brackets, etc. These can really be a bear to install, depends upon the vehicle.

Lastly, study the instructions carefully and note front & rear spring numbers, orientation of springs and any special instructions. Some CJ8 kits require adding an additional spring to the rear leaf pack. Be sure you have it.

Rust, rust and more rust.

The old bushing cores are needed and the bolts were welded in by rust.

None of the bolts unbolted, it was cut and grind time. We had impact tools and big breaker bars with big boys on the ends of them, no matter.

This means using spacers to try and pull the bushing sleeves out was not an option for us. If you drill enough holes in the rubber, the sleeve will finally tear loose.

Oh and things were just plain rusty....

When the truck shop did mine, he just torched everything apart and burned the bushings out when his big hydraulic press would budge them. That had his eyebrows up for sure. The rubber would stretch the length of the stroke for the press without the damn bolt budging.

Mike

snipped-for-privacy@turkeybayou.com wrote:

We are now on hold.

Shipment arrived as promised.

Well, not exactly. One package, but not the order.

Apparently one of our favorite sources managed to ship ONLY the helper springs. No spring set.

Supposed to have all been there, but the paperwork also indicated differently.

I'll get back up with them on Monday and I'm certain they will get it right.

But now it will be at least a couple of weeks before I can report back and let you know how it went.

Mike

Michael Pomeroy