Leaf spring question

I have YJ springs in my CJ-2A. The guy who did it put the fronts in the back and the backs in the front. I'm thinking he did this because of the added weight of the 327 and the lack of weight in the rear. My problem is that the drivers side of the jeep is sagging. Iv been told that because of the locker in the rear that one side might be wound up. I'm not sure I understand that but whatever. I'm thinking about getting new YJ springs but I don't want this same thing to happen again. I do have a traction bar so I'm wondering will this help prevent spring wined up?

 

It is called jeep lean. They all sag to the drivers side. It is because of the engine being off set to that side along with the fuel tank and driver, it wears the springs faster than the passenger side. only way to fix it is to change springs or re arch yours.

 

So could you simply swap springs side to side and let them level out and when they sag to low replace them at that time? I don't understand swapping the springs from the front to the rear theory. Wouldn't the front springs be heavier to support the engine weight?

 

Sounds a little weird to me.
The rear springs in stock form are longer than the front springs. Right?
My '60 CJ-5 has these really hefty 1800lb ten leaf springs on it in the rear. Spring packs are just a hair over 3 inches thick. It rides like the rear axle is mounted directly to the frame. No give at all! It used to have one of those ditching or drilling systems mounted in the back. Things are really heavy - about 1500 lbs or so.

 

I do believe that traction bars help with spring life.

 

Well I dont know. The springs were in my jeep when I bought it. They are the same length but the front has 5 leafs and the back has 4. I think I might try swaping side to side but what should I do when its time to buy new ones? Sould I get stiffer springs for the driver side? Is what Iv been told about a locker a myth?

 

hey i was considering a wrangler leaf swap on my 3b, did alot of resurching and i dont think you need to get stiffer springs for the drivers side. just buying new springs is gona cure any problem you got. as for choice of spring pick your poison, everybodies got thier favs.

p.s. you might look into the jp web site, chritian hazel converted his dj to wranglers witha shackel reversal on front. good stuff!

 

Mmm. I don't think there's any single explanation for Jeep lean. Some lean to the left, some to the right, some not at all. Sometimes rotating the springs helps, sometimes not. Usually new springs help, sometimes not.

If it's no more lean than an inch or so, I'd suggest you live with it.

 

Why not just add one extra leaf on the weak side?

 

that would throw off the geometry of the suspension and make things worse. would probably cause uneven tire wear and steering issues.

 

I don't see how making it sit level would hurt anything.

 

by adding a leaf to only one side you change how that spring pack works with the others, you also change the spring rate just on that one said. I dont think it would handle very well.

 

even if you could get it to sit level this way, one side would then be stiffer than the other side and THAT would cause problems.

the easiest solution is not usually the best

 

Yeah, if it does not lean more than an inch or an inch and a half, just live with it if you like the ride. If it rides wierd, just replace all the springs, or swap from side to side. The problem with adding a leaf to just one side is like everyone else said, it will drive, handle and feel very wierd. It will affect such things as body roll/lean when turning one way vs. the other, and probably the most annoying and dangerous will be the jeep not rebounding at the same rate when going over bumps, and this will cause the Jeep to get out of rythem with itself from side to side on rebound. this will also lead to very unpredictable bump-steer problems on the highway or at any speed and will make the Jeep difficult to drive. If you actually go this way, people will freak if they ever drive your Jeep. Just leave the springs, swap side to side, or buy 4 new ones. Also, the lean/sag may not even be from the springs, but if you have an older frame (assuming yours isn't frame-off and frame changed restoration) the lean could be anything from the body being warped on the frame and sitting wierd, the body mounts being slightly mangled on one side of the jeep, or the frame could be tweaked and provide an uneven ride height. Lots of things to consider with our old rigs.

 

If it makes you feel any better, LandCruisers have the gangster lean as well. From the fj40 all the way up the the awesome FJ80's. I think its just the fact that no frame is ever truly perfect, and regardless of the springs being the same material and load standard, the metal may have fatigued just enough on one side to give a little lean. The t-case weight theory sounds the most plausible though.

 

Welcome Chemical . . . I see this is your first post!

Post on the introductions thread and let us know a little bit about ya!