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TrebleHook's 1983 Scrambler Laredo

Short Story: I put BDS 3.5" springs on my YJ, They make 2 types standard and HD, the only difference being an extra (short) leaf on the bottom. The internet raves about ride and flexibility of these springs but mine (not broken in) felt like the springs were welded together, the rear end would catch air over speed bumps, no articulation, it would lift the whole rear end. I pulled the bottom leaf and it made a noticeable difference. The springs are still new and I will not know the complete improvement till I finish the YJ-8 but I will say this-- If they do not ride like I want, the next step is to order a set of Alcan leaf springs (or Deaver, or Nationals).

Verdict: Perhaps you should pull the bottom leaf and soften the ride of the springs, or call and get some custom springs made. I hear you will never go back. :)
 
John N said:
It looks like the wrong shackles, bushings or spring hangers...or some combination. Were the front spring hangers changed to 2.5" wide, like the rear ones? They should be 2".
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Front and rear hangers are stock. If I had to do it again - and I still might - I'd have swapped them out for upgraded hangers....
 
Your jeep is looking great! Do those side extensions on the rear bumper bolt to anything forward? Or just hang there? I'm looking for ideas to strengthen up the rear bumper mounting.
 
Forget the bushings; how wide are the springs and the spring hangers in the front? They should be the same width and they don't look it.
 
Let' get it on....
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4.10 with ARBs front and rear!! This shop is fantastic. This is all they do...and it shows.


 
As far as the front, that's pretty normal on our Jeeps. I found that on mine it was due to the rear of the front spring hangers being closer together than the fronts. There's a little discussion here: https://www.cj-8.com/content.php?23-Don-t-Use-a-Wagoneer-Front-Axle&page=5 look at the last 3 or 4 posts. You can try and loosen everything up, ratchet strap the front of the springs closer to straight, and then retorque everything. However,it will drive fine even with the spread.

On the rear, it probably just needs to settle in. Mine looked like that with RE springs. The driver's side always squats first, because that's where most of the weight always is.

To eliminate the vibration, try shimming the rear axle. I ended up with a sizeable shim so the output of the t/c and the input of the axle were in the same plane.
 
Got it buttoned up around 7pm. ECGS is an awesome shop with a great group of meticulous mechanics. 4 hour drive home. Moved the Jeep a little further on the trailer and that really dialed in the balance...great smooth ride.

More to follow...but I can say that 4.10s make it drive so much better and the ARBs are, well, unnoticeable! Very happy....
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Randyzzz said:
As far as the front, that's pretty normal on our Jeeps. I found that on mine it was due to the rear of the front spring hangers being closer together than the fronts. There's a little discussion here: https://www.cj-8.com/content.php?23-Don-t-Use-a-Wagoneer-Front-Axle&page=5 look at the last 3 or 4 posts. You can try and loosen everything up, ratchet strap the front of the springs closer to straight, and then retorque everything. However,it will drive fine even with the spread.

On the rear, it probably just needs to settle in. Mine looked like that with RE springs. The driver's side always squats first, because that's where most of the weight always is.

To eliminate the vibration, try shimming the rear axle. I ended up with a sizeable shim so the output of the t/c and the input of the axle were in the same plane.
Click to expand...

Thanks! The issue with my rear pinion angle is that with the springs so stiff they are basically at full-drop even with the weight of the rear on them. That makes the pinion point directly at the TC. It's not a horrible DS wobble - and it's now at around 39mph with the new gears and goes away faster than that - but it's not right and I like right - not just "close"

It has the shims that came with the kit installed - so I can probably remove the shims and drop the pinion so that it's on plane with the output of the TC. My issue then becomes, what happens when/if the springs settle and the pinion angle decreases as the result. Ugh. I'm going to drive it...see what happens when the cage and rear seats are in. If that doesn't bring the springs down, I'll re-attack.

Cheers,
Dylan
 
I had a vibration that was greatly reduced when I removed the 6" long shackles
I'm going to remove my shims too. , I don't think the cj8 needs them. !
 
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