Suspension

This is my suspension upgrade page.

SPRINGS

First of all my new Skyjacker Softride springs are worth every penny I spent on them as far as articulation and ride quality. I went from about 6" of articulation to about 14" and the ride quality is superb.

I received a complete set of front and rear springs and installed them promptly. When I finished, the rear was .75 inches higher than the front. I give some benefit of the doubt considering I have a V8 which is slightly heavier than the six and might compress the springs the extra .75 inch.

The springs are very soft therefore a sway bar or add a leaf kit is highly recommended. I installed my original sway bar and built disconnects to accommodate rock crawling. The articulation is awesome and around 14". I now have so much articulation that before the 1" body lift, I rubbed the fenders with all tires. The actual lift is about 3.5" in the rear and about 3" in the front.

Installation is the same as any lift install with the exception of the sway bar and disconnects. Pay close attention to drive shaft angles especially if you have a CV rear shaft.

I paid about 450.00 for the spring kit including 4 springs new u-bolts and bushings.

Here are a couple of pictures of my jeep before and after the new springs. These pictures were taken before the 1" body lift and the 33-12.50 tires rub heavily.

BEFORE: Air1 | Air2

The springs are everything I expected except for the difference in height front to back. I was told by Mickey at Skyjacker that over flexing the springs was not a problem because they over arch the springs in both directions during manufacturing and then measure them to make sure they are at the proper height. I now can now bury the tires into the fender wells with ease.

UPDATE 09/01/01

I have added an extra leaf to all four of my Skyjacker spring packs, just under the main leaf. This adds 1"extra lift and more stability while retaining all the flex it had before. I also removed the sway bar.

LEVELING WITH SHACKLES

I leveled my jeep after the install of my new Soft ride springs. It was necessary due to the softness of the Skyjacker springs. The front was around .75 inch lower than the rear. The front shackles I have are supplied by 4 Wheel Drive hardware. They are a three part bolt together shackle which is made up of two shackle halves and a center supporting spacer. All I did was: Disassemble the old shackles so I could use the spacer for my new shackle halves, buy 3 feet of 1/4x2 bar stock, cut it to length, drill all the holes, assemble, paint the finished product and install.

When using shackle length to lift a jeep, the rule of thumb is-- for each inch of lift required to lift the jeep, add two inches of shackle. In other words, add double the length to the shackle that is needed to achieve your desired height. This is what I did and it worked perfect. Email me if you have any questions.

SHACKLE PIC 1 | SHACKLE PIC 2

SWAY BAR DISCONNECTS

My new "Built by me" disconnects are very handy and work very well but will take some getting used to as far as putting them back together after maximum articulation. Email me if you have questions.

Click here for a picture of one of my "me built" disconnects.

Click here for a drawing of the disconnect.

FRONT WAGONEER SHOCK MOUNTS

They work nice and are cheap. the can be bolted on or welded, as I did with mine.

BODY LIFT

My Daystar 1" body lift install was uneventful except for the rusted bolts and body nuts that broke loose when I tried to remove the bolts. After 4 hours and a lot of cutting, tapping, and removing as much rust as possible, the lift was on. I am pleased with results. the body lift fit perfectly.

STEERING BOX AND PUMP

I installed an AGR steering box and Super Pump. The turn ratio is 16:1. This seems like a fast ratio but I love it. The combination of the pump and box is one of the best things I have done to the Jeep in it's history. I also installed new box mounting hardware, hoses, and Borgeson steering shaft. It all makes for a very solid and safe feeling setup. The AGR box and pump is worth the money believe me!

| BOX PIC 1 |

Box brace pictures are here. I built this brace from scratch.

BOX BRACE | BOX BRACE INSTALLED

SKID PLATE FOR THE A.M.C. MODEL 20

UPDATE 03/01/02

I have replaced the AMC 20 with a Dana 60, see it here

This is a worked over Go Rhino truss/skid plate and was the only way I could come up with to protect my A.M.C model 20 differential cover. No one, that I have found, sells a rock proof differential cover for the A.M.C model 20. The protection is needed because of the severe vulnerability of my model 20 cover due to the angle at which my differential now resides. I have punctured a cover on the trails causing all the fluid to leak out and destroying the ring and pinion. I tried at first to run the unmodified truss/skid plate (standard install) but every time I snagged a rock with the stock truss/skid plate It would flip around my differential and proceed to plow dirt. So I modified it a little. I cut the ends down enough to retain one axle tube clamp per side and bolted a piece of 1/4" x 2" strap across the front and over the pinion. This will keep it from flipping around the differential when hit. I then split the rear of the skid plate portion in two places and bent the pieces upward close to a 45dg angle and in front of the cover. I welded the splits, painted all parts, and added a logo sticker of my choosing to the finished product. I know it looks like a lot hanging down there but I have slammed the skid plate into a few rocks since the modification and it is very solid. Here are a couple of pictures.

| SKID PLATE 1 | SKID PLATE 2 |

Tilt steering column 2/10/02

Please READ THIS then come back!

PIC1 - PIC2 - PIC3 - PIC4 - PIC5 - PIC6 - PIC7

The tilt project was a bolt up affair. I purchased the column from an extinct company called Snake River 4Wheel Drive for $197.00. Unfortunately they are no longer in business as far as I can tell.

I had them install a dimmer switch in the column for the hell of it. I suggest having them install a key switch or you will have to tear into the column.

The column doesn't come with horn hardware. It comes complete up to the wheel spline. I used my old hardware and a Grant wheel.

You can use either the cradle bracket from your old column or a bracket supplied. You have to tell them to give you a Jeep bracket or they give you bracket that is too wide. On my 1979 CJ5, I used my shallow bracket because the bracket supplied was too deep and my column hung too low through the dash.

Everything was bolt up and plug in.

Please READ THIS then come back!

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If you have any questions put an Email in My Mail Bag.

THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED 10/01/2006 This site is about my Jeep. My goal is to help you to better your Jeep through my experience. Thanks for visiting..... Trailhed.com

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DISCLAIMER: Any usage or adaptation of any or all of the information provided here or on any or all of my web pages is purely at your own risk. You must take into account your own circumstances and vehicle requirements when attempting to utilize any or all of the information provided on any or all of my web pages. I assume no liability or responsibility for any results, damage, or unforeseen circumstances related in any way to the usage or adaptation of any or all of the aforementioned information. Enjoy

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