front spring mounts

Hey all
I recently acquired a 1954 m38a1, i know im posting in cj5 section but you guys seem to get more help! Anyways, i have the jeep in a shop right now getting some fab work done for the seats as well as the ford toploader shifter. The guy working on it said that "the front axle alignment is way off on the driveline universal, i would build new spring mounts for the front of the springs. It will lift the jeep and get the angle better on the driveline". He also continued to say for the rear axle, "just switch the pivots in the back from on top to being on the bottom, will give you instant 3" lift in the rear".
I currently have lift springs all around, not sure how much lift i didnt do the work. Im new to 4x4 rigs ive never really messed around with axles. For the front, doesnt someone out there have aftermarket spring mounts, or how would i go about building some? For the rear, is he just talking about a spring over conversion? I thought it was already sprung over, but i haven't seen it in a couple weeks and didnt have it long before that!

Any help is appreciated! Im trying to learn, and love this rig.
Thanks
Ashton

 

If you change the angle of the spring mounts, the suspension geometry is changed. Is the Jeep lifted? The M38A1 has the spring shackles on the trailing end of the front and rear springs. (ie shackle "reversal" on the front axle, compared to a later CJ).

Sounds like the shop is talking about the pinion angle. Generally, you ignore the pinion angle and set the suspension geometry to the factory specification. You can easily set the toe-in, but the caster and camber are welded-in to the axle. It's common to adjust the caster by putting shims between the axle pads and the springs. You need for the Jeep to be driveable, and that means setting the toe, caster and camber to factory specs. Pinion angle is not optimal, but you get away with it because the front axle turns seldom and at low speeds typically.

Second thing sounds like a shackle flip. This works on a Wagoneer, but not on a CJ. I can't imagine how you'd do a shackle flip on a CJ ... not possible.

No M38 or CJ was sprung-over from the factory. The springs go under the axle.

How modified is this Jeep now? I suggest you get the factory manual and read it cover to cover. Sounds to me like this mechanic knows less about Jeeps than you do, and I'd hate for you to authorize a bunch of work that turns out to be destructive hackery.

 

It's kinda hard to make meaningful comments without a better idea of what the Jeep is like now. A lot gets lost in transmission to us through you, and your vocabulary misses a lot of the jargon that goes along with these vehicles.

I suggest you start a build thread, or an introduction thread, and post as many pictures of your Jeep as you can. We can tell a lot about what you have from a few pictures. Talk about what it has now and where you'd like to go with it. You'll get a lot of suggestions and discussion.

 

I agree with Tim, sounds like the mechanic does not know jeeps very well, at least early one. I wouldn't let him change anything on it right now, get it home, take some pics and post them on here and we can help let you know what is messed up and what is factory. I like the M38a1, congrats..

 

^Ditto the above posts. The "mechanic" sounds like he doesn't know what he's talking about.
Post up some pics so we can see what you've got!

Edit:When you're dealing with professional mechanics, remember you've got a 60 year old vehicle there. The knowledge base is rapidly disappearing amongst the auto techs out there. I recommend 2 things-Get a factory service manual and learn to do as much as you can on your own. And, talk to other owners of vintage vehicles in your area and see who they recommend for any repairs you can't handle.

 

hopefully he knows what he is talking about, they do alot of old and 4x4 rigs at their shop! I get the jeep back on wednesday, i will post a ton of pictures for you guys. thank you

 

They do 4x4 rigs, or they lift 4x4 rigs? There is a big difference.

Stay away from the guys that are trying to get their own show on tv. Most of that stuff is just not practical, plus they have people backing them that have a bunch more money than they really know what to do with.

Stay away from Spring-Over-Axle setups, these little Jeeps do not like it at all!