spring over axle conversion
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From: gurnee
spring over axle conversion
i know that you guys dont really deal with this kind of stuff since i think all your trucks have a SOA but after my parents made me sell my f150 ive been lookin into buying a real cheap jeep, hopefully for around $500. its an 1983 cj7 so it has the spring under axle and i would want to convert that to a spring over. what materials do i need to do this, i know i need the spring mounts and probably new u-bolts. but does anybody else know what i would need? any help would be nice but if not i know this isnt your guy's thing.
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From: okc
well, this IS a Ford site as im sure you know, there are probably a few guys here that know some jeep tech stuff....you might try pirate4x4.com, they have a jeep tech forum that might be helpfull.......why did you have to sell the ford?? thats just cruel and unusual punishment..... 
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From: gurnee
yeah no kidding. i just put up a post at pirate but i thought id try my luck here because it seems like everybody here knows what they're talking about.
my parents made me sell my ford because they said it was too expensive. which it was. but i really didnt care i loved that truck. so of course im still a ford guy but im just lookin for something small that i could build up a bit and save on the gas. no more putting $65 of gas into my truck every other week! yeah, thats the plan and then it continues on past college to the point where i buy another old ford and build it up!
adam
my parents made me sell my ford because they said it was too expensive. which it was. but i really didnt care i loved that truck. so of course im still a ford guy but im just lookin for something small that i could build up a bit and save on the gas. no more putting $65 of gas into my truck every other week! yeah, thats the plan and then it continues on past college to the point where i buy another old ford and build it up!
adam
Mountain Pass
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: LAX, most of the time :)
New perches, new u-bolts, very good welding skills. You will have to play with the steering. You will have to deal with axle wrap. Plan on reworking the shock mounts, possibly driveshafts. More than likely given the age of the vehicle, your springs are toast - budget for those.
Cheaper if you just want a small lift to buy 4" SUA springs IMHO. I have 7" custom SUA springs on my YJ - don't want to deal with the axle wrap and a rear Dana 60.
I'll look up a link or two.
Cheaper if you just want a small lift to buy 4" SUA springs IMHO. I have 7" custom SUA springs on my YJ - don't want to deal with the axle wrap and a rear Dana 60.
I'll look up a link or two.
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From: okc
i feel your pain about the gas mileage, my 460 isnt very forgiving on that at all.....thats why im looking for a 4x4 toyota or nissan X-cab, something i can get 18-20+ mpg to use for work, im not getting rid of my ford though, ill use it for the times i need the power for heavy loads or when i want to go and cruise and smoke a few chebbies!!!!
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2002
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search Suzuki Samurai's and go to the websites dedicated to them.. There are a lot of SOA kits and they are built very similar to Jeeps. It's pretty complicated, but it's also cheap if you have your own tools and fabrication capabilities. But you will have a lot more axle wrap problems.
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Originally Posted by mgman
65.00 aint bad, to and from tulsa for me (like 80 miles round trip) i put 35.00 in a day, so buy the end of the week its liek 200+, i think i do 700 miles aweek
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From: Whately, Ma
Like willd said, the zuks have SOA kits available, I'm sure there are Jeep kits. This is the way to go, I think the spring-under looks so goofy, not to mention the rock scrapin' ubolt clamps you need.
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Chesterfield, VA
I did a spring over on a YJ (Wrangler) and there are a bunch of "hidden" costs.
Stuff you already know is new spring perches, ubolts, shocks or some kind of shock mounts....
To do it correctly at all though, we had to put a new rear driveshaft in it with a CV joint...drop the xfer case, new rubber brake hoses, crossover steering, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
The crossover steering isn't even an "option" as far as I'm concerned. When you lift it...the draglink starts to hit the leaf spring so the only real solution is to put a high steer arm on to get the draglink over the leaves. To do that you have to get the correct knuckle to accept the arm. Not bolt together stuff if you want to do it right.
Stuff you already know is new spring perches, ubolts, shocks or some kind of shock mounts....
To do it correctly at all though, we had to put a new rear driveshaft in it with a CV joint...drop the xfer case, new rubber brake hoses, crossover steering, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
The crossover steering isn't even an "option" as far as I'm concerned. When you lift it...the draglink starts to hit the leaf spring so the only real solution is to put a high steer arm on to get the draglink over the leaves. To do that you have to get the correct knuckle to accept the arm. Not bolt together stuff if you want to do it right.
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From: Kentucky
....thats why im looking for a 4x4 toyota or nissan X-cab, something i can get 18-20+ mpg to use for work,
Try a Ranger, I have a 1994 Ranger 4x4 with a 4.0 5-speed (148000 miles) That I get 19-20 mpg. This is my work truck that I drive 6 days a week to work (76 miles a day)
David
Try a Ranger, I have a 1994 Ranger 4x4 with a 4.0 5-speed (148000 miles) That I get 19-20 mpg. This is my work truck that I drive 6 days a week to work (76 miles a day)
David
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