75 CJ-5 Lift Questions

I have a 75 CJ-5 which Im in the process of repairing body rust. I have the body off the frame. I have done most of the mechanical work under the body including new ball joints, re pack bearings, etc. Now that I have the body off, I have noticed that the body lift seems to be either old-school or done poorly. I have 2x4 tubing as the lift blocks under the shackles and about 6 inch shackles in the rear. It also has 4 inch superlift springs. My question is, is this acceptable/safe or do I need to remove it and start fresh. Obviously this would be the time to do it since the body if off. Any thought/input would be appreciated.

 

body lift block 2X4 . or welded between spring hangers and frame rail . picture would help

 

block between the spring hangers in the front, rear spring welded to frame with elongated spring hangers in the front welded to frame and standard shackles. The rear has blocks welded to the frame and ~5 1/2 shackles in the rear. I don't know how to post pics or I would. Thanks for your help.

 

Figured it out. A little more info. I have been having some wobble issues on the highway. I am running 33s. My friend suggested doing a shackle reversal, but after doing a lot of research, I have decided against this route. My thought is to replace all the shackles with stouter ones and include bushings, which my current shackles don't have. But I wanted to get thoughts on the lift before I do anything. As I said, I don't know if this is just an old school lift and otherwise acceptable or some shade tree mechanic job.
And I don't have access to pics of the 2x4 tubing but you can probably imagine what they look like.

 

Check out the threads on caster angles... How you described the lift in another thread, it could be a lot of your problem.

 

let me get this straight. You have long shackles, and extended shackle/ springs mounts AND lift blocks between the axle and springs as well?? Sounds like trouble to me..

I researched lift limits on my 75 CJ and found that 2-1/2" lift is about max.. Sounds like you have at least 8" of hillbilly lift.

 

No that's not correct. In the front, I have that extended shackle mount with factory length shackles. The front rear spring mounts and rear front mounts have the lift blocks. The rear has the extended length shackles. Sorry I don't have upclose pics but maybe these will help.

 

Ok... I get it.. After re-reading your original post it looks like you have a lot of lift. As I stated before. 2-1/2" is pretty much the accepted limit on the 75 and older jeeps..

As for lift blocks placed between the axle and spring that is trouble waiting to happen.. I have seen three cases around here where the lift block spun under torque and dislodged or came out .. In every case the vehicle was in a bad place to begin with, and the block failure caused even more havoc.

As for your original question, it is my opinion that you scrap all the bubba stuff and start over. Maybe a BDS 2-1/2' suspension set up. There are other kits out there, but I like BDS. I'd also install OEM style/size spring hangars as well ..

Finally when you finish up take the vehicle in and have an alignment done.


And if you need I can take photo's of my setup for you..

 

Indeed. Exactly what I would suggest. Cut it all off. BDS is one option, or Wrangler springs. Since you will have no spring mounts on the frame, it's the perfect opportunity to go with the wider springs.

http://www.earlycj5.net/forums/showthread.php?91142-Wrangler-leaf-spring-conversion

You don't need a lot of lift to run big tires on a CJ.

 

If you are interested in the YJ springs, here is another reference - https://web.archive.org/web/2008051...lycj5.com/tech/SpringsShocks/yjconv/index.php

We used to have this article on the old site, before we moved to earlycj5.net.

 

As other said, you may have big issu regarding caster. Having a bad caster will bring handling problem.

As for suspension, take everything off and start over with new set of leaf.
The modification done by PO are cheap mod for a vital thing that is suspension.

 

Thanks everyone for the input. I guess the decisions been made...start over. Now to decide what to go with and what the wallet can handle!

 

Timgr...do you have another link that has the pictures from the link you sent above?

 

Zila...could you please show me pics of your setup so I can get an idea of what it looks like? Thanks for the help

 

Yeah I'll get some pix today. Keep in mind I have after market shackles [M.O.R.E.]

 

Lots of old threads about this topic - https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=site:earlycj5.net+wrangler+spring+swap

Re the tech article, I suggest you contact the article author if you want the pictures that were there. I don't have any connection with that article, other than knowing it was in the tech data before the site was moved.

My Jeep has BDS 2.5" lift springs, factory width (1.75") with Skyjacker shocks and McRuff's shackles.

 

here's some photo's. My jeep has the BDS 2-1/2" lift. M.O.R.E. shackles, with 3/4" lift.. Original spring width, which is like 1-3/4" . Can't recommend the greasable bolts though..