SOA advice??? ...again:(

Sorry to beat this issue again, but I just purchased a '78 CJ5 with a SOA, GM axles, a Chevy 400 sb:twisted: , and 3 spd. I have only driven this Jeep once (to get it home) and it was probably the scariest ride of my life! The Jeep was all over the road and somebody put a clown car steering wheel on it (about 10" diameter). I have searched this site for info on previous SOA questions and have pretty much come to the conclusion to remove this and put the springs back under the axles. I'm not sure if the Jeep also has a spring lift kit in it or not. Right now it could clear at least 35's but currently has a set of really bald Super Swampers on it. I'm also not sure if the vibration I am getting is from the clutch engaging or from the driveshaft. The rear axle has been rotated up I believe to compensate for the lift but not sure. I have never seen this before. Is this common? I know it sounds like I have kind of a basketcase Jeep but I am hoping these things can be straightened out quickly and not cost a butt load of $$. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I embark on this "project".

 

I think Danstew is right on. If the PO tried to twist the front axle up to help align the driveshaft better he may have given it negative caster which can make that thing as squirrily as all getout.
Hope it heals quickly and cheaply for you.

 

If the axles are spun towards the transfer case then you should run CV driveshafts. If it is a standard drive shaft then you should have your ujoints within 3* of each other. Driveshafts arn't that hard to make that are less than perfect, perfect is a bit harder to achive. I have a pair of CV shafts for green jeep that I have a total of $0 into so far.

Check the caster on your front end. Pull a tire of and toss an angle gauge on top of the top ball joint. IIRC it is like 1-2* positive caster. I am not sure on that, would have to look it up. To fix that grind the welds off the C's and rotate them to the proper caster. (after the axle is properly mounted of course) I am probably making that sound a whole bunch easier than it really is.

There are a lot of articals on the web about SOA conversions. I think they can be made to handle well But I would not do it again (did a 75 cj5) on a shorty jeep. They just get too squirly way up in the air like that.

 

Looks like everyone has pretty much answered your questions. As for whether or not it has lift springs, it is hard to say but there is a good chance it does not. The SOA will add 5" to 5-1/2" of lift and would easily clear 35's with stock springs.

 

Well I found part of the problem... The U-joint at the rear diff is only partly there. It is just slopping around in the yoke. I guess that should be the first fix..

Thanks for all the advice. I will certainly take a look at things a little closer and see if there is anything obvious.

Thanks again, Jeff

 

With the axlewrap associated with a springover and a small block torque and HP you may as well go buy stock in a Universal Joint company and get real used to fixin them yourself on the side of the road.
The only advice I have is from experence and that would be to lose the SOA,it is unsafe on the road and is nothing but trouble.
You may check JP magazine's recent article on SOA to SUA.
Good luck,have fun,be safe

 

Hello, when I was deciding on how to build my CJ3B I was confused on whether to go SOA or SUA on it. And at the time I lived near Newcastle Califronia which is just about thirty minutes from the start of the Rubecon trail, so all the Jeepers around there where all SOA rock-crawling nuts and some of there rigs where scary as hell to drive around in (and this is just in the parking lot). So, I called Advanced Frames in Montana who build tube frames for Jeeps and told them what I wanted to due in a short wheel base Jeep and they defitately convinced me to stay away from SOA and go with a 3.5 inch lift wrangler springs and go SUA. And, I would have a safe Jeep that would handle well on the road and would do anything I wanted on the trail. So, I think that the guys that build this stuff for a living would know what they are talking about.

 

I have one thats SOA now that will soon be back to SUA.
Part of your bad vibe could be those Swampers too. They are not known for their smooth ride.

 

Heck, even guys like me who don't do this for a living know what they are talking about in this situation. There are really not that many benifits of a SOA in the long run. You might save a little money to start with, but they are usually unsafe on the road, and offer a good bit of problems off the road. Not saying they are all this way, but in most cases the SOA is not done properly. If you have the opportunity to go back to SUA and get some lift springs, you will be much, much happier in the future with the overall performance of your Jeep.

Just my .023

 

SOA stinks case closed.