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Suspension 101

Srambler83

Legacy Registered User
City
Houston
State
TX
Hey fellas well he I am down to the final strech on my restoration down to the suspension. Hopefully you all can help me with a few questions or even better maybe one of you fellas may have the same set up I am describing? And might give me your pro's and con's of this set up? Based on your experience.

1. Decided on going with the R.E 4.5" SUA suspension.
2. Going with the 4.56 F/R gears.
3. Going with the Pro comp 35. Mostly street driven 95%.
4. Currently have the d30 and amc20 suspension w/T5.
:bow:
Will I have any issues with my standard suspension(HAVE NOT UPDATED MY SUSPENSION AT ALL CURRENTLY FACTORY SET UP W/3.73)? Will my axels hold up to the NEW 4.56 gears? Not looking into changing out my suspension. Do I need to do any up dates with my axels?

Anyone have this set-up?

WILL THIS SET-UP WORK?
 

bigwalton

Alaskan Postal nutjob
FORUM MANAGER
SOA Member
City
Dexter
State
MI
Having the gears matched to the tire size only helps, so you're good there. Do you have one piece axleshafts in the rear? (you mention not updating the suspension, did you mean the drivetrain/axles?) I'd think about putting a set of those in if you haven't.

If you go relatively easy on it when you wheel, you could be good for a long time. 35s are really what most consider the very upper limit of tire size on stock axles. If you don't have lockers that might help you keep things together longer (as long as you don't hammer on it offroad to make up for the lack of lockers).

I say wheel it and enjoy :thumbsup:
 

Srambler83

Legacy Registered User
City
Houston
State
TX
Bigwalton, Yes i have one piece axle shaft in the rear. Would lockers put a strain on the shaft?
 

bigwalton

Alaskan Postal nutjob
FORUM MANAGER
SOA Member
City
Dexter
State
MI
That's good, then you should be pretty well set.

Lockers themselves don't really put any additional stress on anything and in some cases will allow you to wheel with less power because you'll have better traction in situations where you would have to hammer down if you had open diffs.

The issue with lockers is that there's no longer any "give" from the differential and you can push things too far real quick. That's all.
 

Srambler83

Legacy Registered User
City
Houston
State
TX
Would you suggest that I put lockers. I ask because I have zero experience with lockers.
 

bigwalton

Alaskan Postal nutjob
FORUM MANAGER
SOA Member
City
Dexter
State
MI
That would be your call based on the wheeling that you do. With 95% street driving, it may not be worth it for you and is definitely not necessary.

What type of offroad driving do you do?
 

Srambler83

Legacy Registered User
City
Houston
State
TX
My offroad driving will consist of backroads and a few mud puddles and a few median jumping on traffic time. But will probably be pulling a 18' bay boat but nothing heavy.
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
I would not suggest a full time locker for the type of driving you describe. The on road pitfalls of a full time locker will quickly piss you off if you drive 95% on the road with minor wheeling mixed in. You could go witha part time locker like an ARB or OX, but they are expensive, and it sounds like you would hardly ever use the diff lock anyway. My suggestion to you would be to put a good limited slip in the back, like a Tru Trac.:cheers:
 

bigwalton

Alaskan Postal nutjob
FORUM MANAGER
SOA Member
City
Dexter
State
MI
I wouldn't bother with lockers if I were you then.
 

bigwalton

Alaskan Postal nutjob
FORUM MANAGER
SOA Member
City
Dexter
State
MI
I would not suggest a full time locker for the type of driving you describe. The on road pitfalls of a full time locker will quickly piss you off if you drive 95% on the road with minor wheeling mixed in. You could go witha part time locker like an ARB or OX, but they are expensive, and it sounds like you would hardly ever use the diff lock anyway. My suggestion to you would be to put a good limited slip in the back, like a Tru Trac.:cheers:
Just a counterpoint, I have a full detroit in the rear of mine and I experience very little issue with it in the rear in street driving. If I turn while accelerating, it will chirp the inside tire, but that's it really. I wouldn't hesitate to put a full auto locker in the rear of a Scrambler (I've read that long wheelbases help significantly and that it's a much bigger problem on shorter Jeeps) if you really wanted to.

In this case, I agree that one's not needed though. Just wanted to point out my experience with a full auto locker. I was similarly surprised and pleased when I put Aussie lunchbox lockers in my old WT axles. Very tame on the street relative to the horror stories you sometimes hear.
 

Srambler83

Legacy Registered User
City
Houston
State
TX
thanks bigwalton, been a big help answering my questions have a clear direction now on what I need to do.
 

bigwalton

Alaskan Postal nutjob
FORUM MANAGER
SOA Member
City
Dexter
State
MI
Sure thing, hopfully some other folks will toss in their opinions too...
 

MarknessMonster

Amiable Jeeper
City
Western
State
CO
Regarding full-time lockers, I have Detroit lockers installed in the AMC20 in both my '81 and '83. The '81 runs 9.50" tires and the '83 runs 12.50" tires. During pavement travel, I rarely hear the locker in the '81, and only know it is back there when I make a slow and very sharp turn (like into a diagonal parking space, when traveling in the opposite direction of the diagonal). However, I know the locker is back there, so I drive appropriately.

On the other hand, I always bind the locker on the '83, and I think it is due to the tire width. It doesn't cause anything other than alarm, as it sounds like a firearm discharging behind me.

If yours were my Jeep, and I was to have the differential cover off to put in new gears, I'd put a Detroit in it, regardless if I ever needed it or not. I wouldn't mess with limited-slip types, as my personal experience proved they are junk and don't work when you need them (just one experience, but it was the same with auto trannys -I'll never go back.) :p
 

Bogged

CJ-8 Member
City
Sydney
State
NS
If you are towing boats up the ramp, then I'd suggest a locker, ARB/OX anything selectable. Just makes it easier when you get 3 wheel traction instead of 2 wheel, diagonally opposite traction.

I'm building mine up with ARB f/r (We have a deal in oz at the moment, get one ARB, get the small pump free. Get 2 lockers, get the bigger pump, speedy seal and tire inflation kit thrown in, so essentially for 2400 or so, you get a complete locker setup F/R (though trying to find 35 spline J20 D60 axles is becoming difficult. Yukon have a 6 month wait on them, and even those are blanks!)

My 2c.

:D
 
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