cj8 lift?

After posting some messages and soliciting advice to try and learn
about the pros/cons, about what to do to fix/or replace the aged
springs on my 82 cj8 I decided to try a mild lift kit.

Mild nothing wild -- just 2 1/2".

With luck it will arrive this week and I can go after the job this
weekend.

I'm wondering if anybody has any helpful advice or suggestions or
cautions that would guide me in getting this Jeep back on its feet?

Advice is always appreciated.

Thanks ......

Mike

[email protected]

Check the yellow pages for a local truck spring shop and take it there
for the install. Seriously!

The truck spring shops like playing with 'toy' trucks and won't over
charge you like a 4x4 shop can.

On the last set of springs I helped install, it took 5 of us a weekend
with a camp out at the guys house to get them in. That was an 89 and it
was a real pain in the butt!

If you insist on the pain, the rear shackle bolts can come out without
dropping the tank, just take the nut off and pry the rubber bushing out
of the frame, then the bolt has side to side movement and it will clear
the tank easy.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

[email protected] wrote:
>
> After posting some messages and soliciting advice to try and learn
> about the pros/cons, about what to do to fix/or replace the aged
> springs on my 82 cj8 I decided to try a mild lift kit.
>
> Mild nothing wild -- just 2 1/2".
>
> With luck it will arrive this week and I can go after the job this
> weekend.
>
> I'm wondering if anybody has any helpful advice or suggestions or
> cautions that would guide me in getting this Jeep back on its feet?
>
> Advice is always appreciated.
>
> Thanks ......
>
> Mike
>
> [email protected]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> After posting some messages and soliciting advice to try and learn
> about the pros/cons, about what to do to fix/or replace the aged
> springs on my 82 cj8 I decided to try a mild lift kit.
>
> Mild nothing wild -- just 2 1/2".
>
> With luck it will arrive this week and I can go after the job this
> weekend.
>
> I'm wondering if anybody has any helpful advice or suggestions or
> cautions that would guide me in getting this Jeep back on its feet?
>
> Advice is always appreciated.
>
> Thanks ......
>
> Mike
>
> [email protected]

Not sure what brand lift you bought, regardless installing new springs on a
CJ is very straightforward, although the sway bar links can be a PITA unless
you first remove them from the front spring plate pins. Other wise, just
make sure you've got the front springs on the front, the rears out back ...
don't laugh, I've seen 'em installed backwards, and make sure you've got the
springs oriented properly. Should be in the instructions which end goes
where, but some of the newer kits such as Rubicon Express use the same large
bushings on both ends of the spring.

Use a torque wrench to tighten the spring plates, go up in three stages,
like 50 ft lbs, 70, 85. It's also best to do the final torquing with the
wheels on the ground.

Don't over tighten any of the shackle or frame eye bolts, use whatver the
kit mfr recommends. Lastly, do a retorque at 50 miles or so, then every few
hundred miles until the torque settings hold.

Good Luck!

I don't know. The Toolman Tim Allen would just crank up his Binford
compressor to about 500 psi and -- oh, wait! That's when he'd blow
something up, wasn't it?

I am paying attention to what you guys are telling me. But when
looking at the old parts still on the Jeep the problem isn't obvious
to me.

Is the problem getting the rusted bolts/nuts and shackles to come
loose or is it something else?

This garaged cj has never seen ice, nor snow, nor road salt. It has
no rust on it top or bottom. All the bolts "look" clean, and I've
been soaking them daily with PBBlaster.

What would happen (or be wrong with) if I took my air wrench and
tried to just loosen all of the nuts before actually disassembling
anything? If the nuts come loose am I basically home free or am I
missing something else with getting the old parts off?

And if I can do this -- are there any special challenges to getting
the new springs installed??

I don't mind getting under the Jeep; but I don't want to get in over
my head, if you know what I mean ......

Mike

On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 17:29:57 -0400, [email protected] wrote:

>After posting some messages and soliciting advice to try and learn
>about the pros/cons, about what to do to fix/or replace the aged
>springs on my 82 cj8 I decided to try a mild lift kit.
>
>Mild nothing wild -- just 2 1/2".
>
>With luck it will arrive this week and I can go after the job this
>weekend.
>
>I'm wondering if anybody has any helpful advice or suggestions or
>cautions that would guide me in getting this Jeep back on its feet?
>
>Advice is always appreciated.
>
>Thanks ......
>
>Mike
>
>[email protected]

Mike

* snip *

>On the last set of springs I helped install, it took 5 of us a weekend
>with a camp out at the guys house to get them in. That was an 89 and it
>was a real pain in the butt!

I'm willing to bet you didn't plan on spending the weekend on this!

Knowing you have the expertise to do this, and assuming you had what
tools you needed -- what went wrong that turned this into such a huge
problem?

Mike

>If you insist on the pain, the rear shackle bolts can come out without
>dropping the tank, just take the nut off and pry the rubber bushing out
>of the frame, then the bolt has side to side movement and it will clear
>the tank easy.
>
>Mike
>86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
>[email protected] wrote:
>>
>> After posting some messages and soliciting advice to try and learn
>> about the pros/cons, about what to do to fix/or replace the aged
>> springs on my 82 cj8 I decided to try a mild lift kit.
>>
>> Mild nothing wild -- just 2 1/2".
>>
>> With luck it will arrive this week and I can go after the job this
>> weekend.
>>
>> I'm wondering if anybody has any helpful advice or suggestions or
>> cautions that would guide me in getting this Jeep back on its feet?
>>
>> Advice is always appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks ......
>>
>> Mike
>>
>> [email protected]

Rust, rust and more rust.

The old bushing cores are needed and the bolts were welded in by rust.

None of the bolts unbolted, it was cut and grind time. We had impact
tools and big breaker bars with big boys on the ends of them, no matter.

This means using spacers to try and pull the bushing sleeves out was not
an option for us. If you drill enough holes in the rubber, the sleeve
will finally tear loose.

Oh and things were just plain rusty....

When the truck shop did mine, he just torched everything apart and
burned the bushings out when his big hydraulic press would budge them.
That had his eyebrows up for sure. The rubber would stretch the length
of the stroke for the press without the damn bolt budging.

Mike

[email protected] wrote:
>
> Mike
>
> * snip *
>
> >On the last set of springs I helped install, it took 5 of us a weekend
> >with a camp out at the guys house to get them in. That was an 89 and it
> >was a real pain in the butt!
>
> I'm willing to bet you didn't plan on spending the weekend on this!
>
> Knowing you have the expertise to do this, and assuming you had what
> tools you needed -- what went wrong that turned this into such a huge
> problem?
>
> Mike
>
> >If you insist on the pain, the rear shackle bolts can come out without
> >dropping the tank, just take the nut off and pry the rubber bushing out
> >of the frame, then the bolt has side to side movement and it will clear
> >the tank easy.
> >
> >Mike
> >86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> >88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
> >
> >[email protected] wrote:
> >>
> >> After posting some messages and soliciting advice to try and learn
> >> about the pros/cons, about what to do to fix/or replace the aged
> >> springs on my 82 cj8 I decided to try a mild lift kit.
> >>
> >> Mild nothing wild -- just 2 1/2".
> >>
> >> With luck it will arrive this week and I can go after the job this
> >> weekend.
> >>
> >> I'm wondering if anybody has any helpful advice or suggestions or
> >> cautions that would guide me in getting this Jeep back on its feet?
> >>
> >> Advice is always appreciated.
> >>
> >> Thanks ......
> >>
> >> Mike
> >>
> >> [email protected]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I don't know. The Toolman Tim Allen would just crank up his Binford
> compressor to about 500 psi and -- oh, wait! That's when he'd blow
> something up, wasn't it?
>
> I am paying attention to what you guys are telling me. But when
> looking at the old parts still on the Jeep the problem isn't obvious
> to me.
>
> Is the problem getting the rusted bolts/nuts and shackles to come
> loose or is it something else?
>
> This garaged cj has never seen ice, nor snow, nor road salt. It has
> no rust on it top or bottom. All the bolts "look" clean, and I've
> been soaking them daily with PBBlaster.
>
> What would happen (or be wrong with) if I took my air wrench and
> tried to just loosen all of the nuts before actually disassembling
> anything? If the nuts come loose am I basically home free or am I
> missing something else with getting the old parts off?
>
> And if I can do this -- are there any special challenges to getting
> the new springs installed??
>
> I don't mind getting under the Jeep; but I don't want to get in over
> my head, if you know what I mean ......
>
Ok, a few other things, since you've not done this before. Pre-assemble the
spring packs by installing the bushings & sleeves into them before you
start. I use white litium grease on them to make assy easier.

Youshould just loosen everything one at a time as you go. Do the fronts or
rears first, your call, then the other end.

If this never saw salt (hey, this sounds like a nice scrambler!) everything
will come off very easy, even the u-bolts.

As for tools, you need at least two high-tonnage jackstands and a good floor
jack. (DO NOT try and do this with jacks alone!)
Jack up, place jack stands under the frame and remove remove wheels from one
end, then remove u-bolts from one side, remove front shackle, drop front
(rear) of spring, then remove frame eye bolt...voila, spring off. Reverse,
torque to spec, then go to other side. Reinstall wheels, lower to ground,
then repeat on the other end.

Follow a set proceedure and you can do a CJ in about 3 hours. Get
disorganized about it and it'll be like a monkey screwing a football. Note,
if you have air, then use air tools for disassembly but don't go back
together using impact, too imprecise.

Some kits come with new brake lines, brake line drop brackets, etc. These
can really be a bear to install, depends upon the vehicle.

Lastly, study the instructions carefully and note front & rear spring
numbers, orientation of springs and any special instructions. Some CJ8 kits
require adding an additional spring to the rear leaf pack. Be sure you have
it.

We are now on hold.

Shipment arrived as promised.

Well, not exactly. One package, but not the order.

Apparently one of our favorite sources managed to ship ONLY the helper
springs. No spring set.

Supposed to have all been there, but the paperwork also indicated
differently.

I'll get back up with them on Monday and I'm certain they will get it
right.

But now it will be at least a couple of weeks before I can report back
and let you know how it went.

Mike

On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 17:29:57 -0400, [email protected] wrote:

>After posting some messages and soliciting advice to try and learn
>about the pros/cons, about what to do to fix/or replace the aged
>springs on my 82 cj8 I decided to try a mild lift kit.
>
>Mild nothing wild -- just 2 1/2".
>
>With luck it will arrive this week and I can go after the job this
>weekend.
>
>I'm wondering if anybody has any helpful advice or suggestions or
>cautions that would guide me in getting this Jeep back on its feet?
>
>Advice is always appreciated.
>
>Thanks ......
>
>Mike
>
>[email protected]

Michael Pomeroy