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Any Recommendations For A Soft Riding Leaf Spring Set?

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by Peter Dorey, Oct 2, 2020.

  1. Oct 3, 2020
    Beach66Bum

    Beach66Bum 1966 Tuxedo Park Mark IV 2024 Sponsor

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    I also went with the BDS 2.5” lift on my Tuxedo Park. Very very happy!
     
  2. Oct 3, 2020
    Alan28

    Alan28 Well-Known Member 2022 Sponsor

    Châtillon en...
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    I also don't like too much to be shaken in my Jeep. Well, I am 72, my my wife and children prefer when it rides smooth.
    There is not many solutions.
    I dropped my old tires hard like stones and bought tires for small trucks, road tires.
    I could change the leaf springs by softer ones, and have less springs, but it must probably be compensate by better shock absorbers.
    But I choose to ride on roads or good tracks. On bad ones, with stones, I have to drive very slow.
     
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  3. Oct 3, 2020
    Keys5a

    Keys5a Sponsor

    Florida Keys
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    The Rancho springs are notoriously stiff, might as well be "frozen". I have a 4" set on a Wagon. I can jump on the front bumper, and only the tires sidewall flexes.
    As far as the original Tuxedo Park springs, they are very soft riding. I have never found specs for the ratings. The fronts were 6 leaf, the rear were 5 leaf. They are a two-stage spring with 4 or 3 arched leaves (front/rear), with the two bottom short leaves being flat, acting as an "overload" leaf. In normal driving, only the arched leaves are in use, but at much more loading, those flatten out onto the bottom two leaves. The Tuxes sway a lot in a corner, then stffen up and hold the corner very well.
    Many later '60s CJ5's, possibly into the early AMC era, used the same rear two-stage spring as the Tux. I have found these listed as stock rear replacements, but never found a source for replacement front two-stage springs.
    Someone here will know the original manufacturer from the style of the individual leaves. Each leaf has a groove or channel formed in the center, as opposed to a flat rectangular bar.
    -Donny
     
  4. Oct 5, 2020
    teletech

    teletech Member

    Santa Cruz, CA
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    I removed one of the five front leaves from the front and cut 8" off each of the two bottom leaves in back. I'm not sure I'd want to haul four large adults and cargo with this setup but for my normal load of one or two mid-sized adults it rides pretty nicely now.
    I figured since if it didn't work out I was going to have to buy springs anyway it didn't really cost me anything.
     
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  5. Oct 6, 2020
    Peter Dorey

    Peter Dorey Member

    Vista, CA
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    "Check the shackle pivot bolts and make sure they aren’t too tight. Common to overtighten them and keeps the springs from flexing properly. Same with shocks. for years I’ve heard people pan the Rancho springs but mine have always worked very well once broken in"

    I will make sure to do this next time I am at my Dads house. Either way I am thinking we will be looking at new springs. The back right is sagging pretty good, it's about an inch lower than the left.
     
  6. Oct 6, 2020
    Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    Apopka, Fl
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    Sagging? How old are the springs?
     
  7. Oct 6, 2020
    Peter Dorey

    Peter Dorey Member

    Vista, CA
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    Sagging? How old are the springs?

    The springs were installed in the 1980's. That's about all I know. The body sits visibly crooked on the springs. It could be that the chassis is twisted or it could just be the suspension either bound up or sagging.
    The rear springs seem to at least have some compliance. If you jump on the rear bumper, the Jeep moves. Nada on the front.
    The Jeep basically sat for the last 30+ years. The springs were probably well within their endurance limit, but I am not an expert on leaf springs.
     
    Glenn likes this.
  8. Oct 6, 2020
    Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    Apopka, Fl
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    It's kinda weird that the one spring is sagging. They can't possibly be worn out but at this point replacing all of them is the only logical thing to do.
     
  9. Oct 7, 2020
    Jrobz23

    Jrobz23 Member

    Northern, WI
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    Quite a few 'leaners' out there
     
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  10. Oct 7, 2020
    Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    Apopka, Fl
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    Yeah, but generally to the left.
     
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  11. Oct 7, 2020
    Downs

    Downs Rattlecan All The Things!

    Hunt County Texas
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  12. Oct 7, 2020
    Sierra Bum

    Sierra Bum Member

    The High Sierra
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    “It could be that the chassis is twisted or it could just be the suspension either bound up or sagging.“......

    Both of the above situations are quite common on these old rigs. And If the front springs seem stiffer, it’s generally because they are....the fronts are 6” shorter which limits movement and flexibility. Without taking on a longer spring retrofit project (Holbrook, YJ, ECJ5 rears both front & rear, etc), bolting on BDS or Softride springs get good reports from most users.
     
  13. Oct 7, 2020
    ojgrsoi

    ojgrsoi Retired 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

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    These are the springs I was looking at to put on the DJ that seemed closest to the TUX springs. You have to review the page to see which ones have the lowest weight rating. I preferred the ride of my 65 Tux over anything that I have owned. I am like @Alan28 in that I mostly cruise around town with not a lot of off road.
    https://www.generalspringkc.com/Leaf_Springs_Jeep_CJ_DJ_1945_1975_s/1950.htm
     
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  14. Oct 10, 2020
    Keys5a

    Keys5a Sponsor

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    That 2nd last 900lb spring is correct for the F-134 Tux rear, as well as later CJ5's with light suspension.
    I have yet to find the correct 2-stage front spring for the Tux.
    -Donny
     
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  15. Oct 10, 2020
    rejeep

    rejeep Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

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    Just put 500 lbs in the back.
    It will ride much better
     
  16. Jun 9, 2021
    Peter Dorey

    Peter Dorey Member

    Vista, CA
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    It's been a while, but I was finally able to get a hold of the Jeep and some wrenches.
    Sure enough, the shackle bolts were cinched down HARD with, with split-lock washers on all of the 7/16" bolts.
    I went to the hardware store and replaced all the 7/16" hardware with Grade 8 bolts and Nylocks.
    The 3/4" bolts had Nylocks, so I just backed those off a half turn to loosen things up since they were also torqued down hard.
    The suspension now moves freely. It's absolutely night and day!
    The embarrassing thing is the Jeep Farm shipped the Jeep to us this way... The other embarrassing thing is my father drove the Jeep to Jeeps R' Us in Laguna Beach and they didn't even think to try loosening a bolt. It took me all of 5 minutes to get everything moving again (once I had tools!).

    Question:
    Should there be some sort of plastic/rubber/bronze washer between the shackle and the frame/hanger so the shackles don't chafe steel-steel?

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  17. Jun 13, 2021
    Peter Dorey

    Peter Dorey Member

    Vista, CA
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    I removed the old rear shackles. Looks like they were cut out with a torch... the holes didn't even line up :mad:

    Anyways, I had enough metal lying around to make a set of 4 shackles for the rear. I went ahead and added some 1/16" bronze washers between the frame and the shackles to keep the rubbing down and went with all new grade 8 hardware.
    I think they turned out pretty nice :)

    I am still planning on swapping out the leaf's (leaves?) with new BDS springs, but it looks like they are back ordered for about 4-5 weeks right now.

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  18. Jun 13, 2021
    Andrew Theros

    Andrew Theros Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

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    Busted!

    Im glad I’m not the only one that works on their Jeep in flip flops!
     
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  19. Jun 14, 2021
    Rick Whitson

    Rick Whitson Detroit Area 2024 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

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    Now you got me thinking, I have Rancho, would not use them again. It sounds like the DBS springs is more like I wanted. I am going to check my shackles see how tight I have, it's been 10k miles since I finished my Jeep. I used Urethane bushings in the frame and springs, but gave no thought about over tightening them.
    They may soften up a little if I do what you did. Thanks for your input.
     
  20. Aug 24, 2021
    Peter Dorey

    Peter Dorey Member

    Vista, CA
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    I didn't realize until I received the new BDS Springs and new frame bushings that ALL of the leaf spring and shackle bolts were supposed to be 7/16".
    Turns out the shop we used forgot (or decided against?) installing the steel sleeve bushings. The sleeves are a bit tough to install, but with the proper silicon grease and a C-clamp they slid right in.
    So there were 1/2" bolts sitting inside urethane bushings with 9/16" ID's, and without the bushings of course the leaf springs would just clamp onto the frame when the bolts were tightened. After loosening the shackles enough that the suspension could move again I was getting some rear axle shift. Unfortunately this meant I needed to make new-new shackles, this time out of 1/4" cold rolled steel since I was out of stainless.
    Now the Jeep is sitting on new springs with new bushings, new 7/16" hardware and the ride is SO MUCH BETTER! No more axle shift, it's quieter, sit's almost an inch lower (better) and the rides a bit more compliant.

    It also turned out the Caster shims in the front were installed backwards. Caster measured at 0.5 degrees prior to the install. I found some really nice bronze (or brass?) 3 degree shims under the axle, but in the wrong direction. With the new springs installed and the shims flipped around I am at 6.7 degrees. Obviously the Jeep drives better with the caster back in normal range, it was super squirrely before.

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