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m38a1 military springs. What to do?

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by Strider380, Aug 11, 2007.

  1. Aug 11, 2007
    Strider380

    Strider380 Can I have a zip tie?

    New England
    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2006
    Messages:
    1,117
    The springs on my m38a1 must be original military springs. Its got like 13 leafs or something in it. I'm not exactly sure right now. Anyways, they've been sitting for years and years and they have absolutly no flex. I mean the frame bends before the springs. I'm sure they must be frozen together. I hear you can take the pack apart and put grease between each leaf. Is this worth it? I am thinking about just going straight to pulling leafs out. Is this a safe idea?
     
    Strider380, Aug 11, 2007
    #1
  2. Aug 11, 2007
    kaiser_willys

    kaiser_willys Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2007
    Messages:
    1,524
    had this happen to me today,may have frozen shocks,i do agree the have little flex at best,thought about doing the same to my A1 for a better ride,think you are wasting your time with the grease thing though,if it were me i would remove some springs,cut it down to no less than what a cj5 would have though,and you wont be able to haul as much if you do this
     
    kaiser_willys, Aug 11, 2007
    #2
  3. Aug 12, 2007
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2003
    Messages:
    8,126
    With 13 leaves you're not going to have much flex anyhow. We had the same problem with Tonka when we bought him- every little bump turned into a trip to the dentist to replace lost fillings.:( A quick trip to the spring shop for spring leafectomy made the ride a million times better.

    The lighter factory spring packs were ether 5 or 7 leaves in the front and 9 in the rear

    H.
     
    Howard Eisenhauer, Aug 12, 2007
    #3
  4. Aug 12, 2007
    w3srl

    w3srl All-around swell dude Staff Member

    Port Orange, FL
    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2002
    Messages:
    4,275
    IMHO. I wouldn't even mess with 50-year old springs. Stock ECJ5 replacements should restore the original ride height and and ride much, much better. Oh, and replace the shocks while you are at it, they're pretty cheap. ;)
     
    w3srl, Aug 12, 2007
    #4
  5. Aug 12, 2007
    Patrick

    Patrick Super Moderator Staff Member

    Los Alamos, NM
    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2002
    Messages:
    8,360
    What Steve said. Your'e wasting your time messing with those old springs...IMO
     
    Patrick, Aug 12, 2007
    #5
  6. Aug 12, 2007
    Dondo

    Dondo These are my good pants..

    Hutchinson, Kansas
    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2004
    Messages:
    314
    I had the same problem last year. I ended up ordering a set of SuperLift 1 " lift springs. Best upgrade I've done to my A1 since I bought it.
     
    Dondo, Aug 12, 2007
    #6
  7. Aug 12, 2007
    Hill

    Hill Member

    Colorado
    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2004
    Messages:
    142
    I have the origional leaves on my rig. I am quite sure that because I have nothing to compare it to, it works for me. There might be 13 leaves, but they are real thin. It all comes down to "spring rate" how many pounds to get 1 inch, etc. They could be frozen, and I have been known to take a pack apart, wire brush the snot out of it, and grease the mess.

    -Hill
     
    Hill, Aug 12, 2007
    #7
  8. Aug 12, 2007
    Mike C

    Mike C Member

    Austin, TX
    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2007
    Messages:
    743
    More thin leaves = better ride. Costs more to make as well which is why none of the aftermarket springs use them. Once you get some off road miles on them where you really work the spring, they will loosen up. My MB was painful when we first started using it at the farm. Admittedly, running 15# of air in the NDT's helps also...
     
    Mike C, Aug 12, 2007
    #8
  9. Aug 13, 2007
    Strider380

    Strider380 Can I have a zip tie?

    New England
    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2006
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    1,117
    Can I take a leaf or two out? Will I loose height? They are in pretty good shape.
     
    Strider380, Aug 13, 2007
    #9
  10. Aug 13, 2007
    Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    Apopka, Fl
    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2002
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    12,379
    Personally I think removing a leaf is dangerous. You increase the leverage on the next longest spring when you do that.
     
    Glenn, Aug 13, 2007
    #10
  11. Aug 14, 2007
    Grumpy58

    Grumpy58 New Member

    Galway, NY
    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2002
    Messages:
    41
    I've got 4 custom made 12 leaf springs you can have, if you like. I'm trying to put Grumpy back to an original state with 7's and 9's. Here's my website: http://home.earthlink.net/~mrstaves/index.html
    You can see the ride hight. You are right, not much of a ride. PM me if your interested, I travel to Mass on a weekly basis.
     
    Grumpy58, Aug 14, 2007
    #11
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