softer ride

So when I'm driving the jeep , 66 cj5a, around its got almost dangerously rough suspension. For instance I was driving on a back road to a buddy's house. The road was moderately bumpy for a normal car but for the jeep it was bouncing me everywhere to the point I could hardly control my steering. I was thing about making a coil spring conversion into it but I just thought there may be a better way to go about it. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks guys!

 

"Any thoughts or suggestions?"

Yeah, slow down a little!

BTDT

Count your leaf springs - if it's more than 9 or 10 in a pack you may have a heavy duty suspension, and could remove one or two. But if your objective is a soft ride, you need an Oldsmobile, not a jeep.

 

In my opinion, you need softer springs.
I'd like to know what springs you have. You say you have a 5A (Tuxedo Park)? From the factory, those had two-stage springs. Should be 6 leaf front and 5 leaf rear. The two shortest (bottom leafs) should be flat, and the longer ones arched.
The vehicle normally rides on the longer leafs which are quite soft, and only hit the flat leafs at the end of travel. The 5A suspension was actually quite sophisticated for its time, especially for a Jeep.
From your description, I suspect your springs have been changed. Heavy duty springs could be ordered on 5As, but most came with the two-stage springs.
Actually, the two-stage springs are better on the trail too because they allow better articulation. It took me years to discover why, as my Jeep consistently kept more tires on the ground where my friends always lifted a tire.
-Donny

 

short wheel base jeep . will be choppy on any road not flat . just nature of beast . new springs help some . tire pressure . slow down . now if you want coil springs just buy a wangler . not worth the trouble . with 81" WB

 

The same for me, but I have a lot of springs, 11 at the rear, it was a heavy duty Jeep for snow work.

But the subject is tires : they are old and hard like steel. I can deflate them but not too much.

When deflated at 1.6 bars, it is better.

I should buy tires for cars, not for heavy duty like agriculture with plys. You should change your tires.

I changed my shock absorbers and I saw a difference.

I bought standard ones, I suggest you to buy a top quality, more expensive + good road tires and it will be OK.

Afterwards, you can change leaves but I don't think it is useful. It is a Jeep.

Or you replace them by circular springs but it is not a Jeep.

 

This is what I did for a softer ride.
http://www.rocky-road.com/yj-spring-conversion-76-86.html

 

I was only going 30. I think the yj conversion with some new shocks would probably do the job! Thanks guys

 

I have a 1965 CJ-5 F134. 7 leaves in the front, 9 in the rear. Is this heavy?

 

+1. Makes a big difference.

 

Not all shocks will expand with no load. Only gas shocks (nitrogen, etc) will extend themselves. The old-school shocks the Jeep came with were only dampers.
-Donny

 

I have what is registered as a 63 cj5 . I have found a lot of m38a 1 components on it .
It has 11 leaf on the front , and 13 on the rear . What would this setup have been from ?