Shock installation problem

Hello again everyone! I have searched and come up with nothing. Yesterday I installed the shocks on my frame. I ran into a problem with the front drivers side shock not fitting... It is hitting the adjustment screw on the axle.. Did I put something together wrong? Here is the issue:



Passenger side clears but is still close...

I am pretty confident the axle mount on the leafs are lined up correctly as I double checked, and I referred to pictures I took during disassembly to make sure I was using the right spring plates. Can anybody give me a clue what I did wrong? Here are some pictures of the whole front end.

The only solution I can think of is to remove the spring plate and enlarge the center hole that the nut on the bottom of the spring goes in so I can move the plate forward? Thoughts? As always Thanks in advance!


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I got to ask did you try flipping the shocks right side up? I think the shock body might be too thick, I don't remember what people would do if the flipping the shock wouldn't work.

 

Do you have the pads switched from left to right? Doing that would put the shock mount farther away from the adjustment screw on the steering.

 

I don't think they are on the wrong side. To get the shock mount to be in the same spot they would have to be upside down if they were on the wrong side...

And I would rather keep the boot up top, I thought that was the normal way..


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Shocks usually mount with the shafts down.

The spring plate go under the springs with the curled lips down.

the steering rods go over the springs and are no-where near the spring pad plates.

 

So the boot would normally go on the bottom? I will just put it that way if that's the normal way. It's not how it was before though. Thanks! Dumb question I know but thanks for the help. I'm kinda OCD when it comes to stuff like this haha.


And yes the spring plates curl down.




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Remove the stop screw, install shock, replace screw--------bolt actually

 

I take part of that back. My shocks are also mounted with the boot up.

I have at least 3 fingers between my shock and the arms of the steering. And the mounting points are to the front like yours are. Did you maybe switch the spring packs end for end? I know that the rear ones are not centered on the axle. The rear portions are longer than the front on them. Do not remember if the fronts are like that or not.

 

Or am I all wet and those are the turn stop bolts?

 

Pretty sure he is asking about the steering stops, not steering arms.

Besides isnt three fingers a measurement for bourbon, not steering

 

Yes turn stop bolts. Taking the bolt out will obviously let the shock mount but then the bolt doesn't go in. Does anybody think that when the weight of the engine/body is on the chassis it will change that angle and allow the shock to go on?


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Huh! you enjoy your Jeep your way, and I will enjoy mine my way. Except for me it is Rum, not Bourbon.

 

Did I miss something? Or say something wrong?


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Those are the turn stop bolts.


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Heck, no. I'm just old, crusty and crabby. Plus a hole in my back that is healing and hurts pretty bad.

So it was probably me. My apologies.

 

Haha! Alright good. I appreciate all the help I receive here and want to keep getting help! Thanks again for the replies, gonna try to get these shocks mounted with the boots up since that's how yours are and mine were before.


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they are just having fun lol

anyway, I was thinking about it the two things I came up with are?

first do you think that spring bolt in you leaf pack isn't aligned with the cast holder on the front axle?
the other thing I was thinking about is maybe you can measure the distance from axle to the shock mount pin on the spring plate? this would tell you if something is off
I would say maybe the shock body is too thick but I recall there are a few members here that are running skyjacker shocks.

 

I did think about the cast holder being off, I double checked them before tightening but I guess I could remove ubolts to check.. The axle seems straight under the frame though:

Measured it and got 3 inches exactly on the drivers side where the problem is, then the passenger side was on the skinny side of 3.25 So they are different. I reckon I will take it all apart on Monday and try to figure out why. Kinda sounds like the cast holder is off. Thanks for the help!


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It looks like maybe the shock mount plate on the drivers side is from a different year model. Are the shock studs the same distance from the center pin?

Never mind, I am behind times.

 

Well you might be onto something.. The plates are different.

Passenger:


Driver:


The measurements from the center pin on the bottom of the plate to the shock mount are also off from each other.

Looks like I am in need of a new spring plate? Or maybe just some modifications to the problem one


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