...like driving a boulder down the side of a mountain...

...like driving a boulder down the side of a mountain...
S

sauhamm

Jeeper
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Location
kansas city kansas
Vehicle(s)
1973 amc cj-5 / 304 v8 / t15

kelly hardtop and doors

bone stock
describes exactly what driving my jeep feel like over any bump... so im assuming the leafs are old and the shocks are gone and the bushings are all shot...

that being said...

how does one tackle rebuilding the suspension?

i know im going to need new leafs [leaves? ha!] and new bushings and new shocks...

what else is there?

there is a serious amount of slop in the steering, not sure if its the gear box itself or just the 1000 century old bushings....

1973 v8 cj - all stock
 
Well you also have your tie rod ends and your ball joints. Odds are good the ball joints are shot as well.
 
yep tie rod ends are kaput - but they're a whopping $10 or so to replace

i was thinking about the expensive stuff... the big items if you will

a new steering box is $AMC 150 so that's not that bad [by new i mean reman]
 
Try adjusting the steering box before you replace it. Also look closely at the frame around it - see if you can find any evidence of cracking. I'm betting, though, that most of your steering slop is in tie rod ends, drag link ends, ball joints, spring bushings.

It's not such a bad job. Walk around closely inspecting the whole suspension. Make a list of everything that's pretty worn. Look inside the pivot & shackle mounts for signs of heavy rust. An exploded diagram at any of the major suppliers helps a LOT here.

Order up yon list of parts. When they come in, it's time to get t'work.

Work one wheel at a time. Jack the frame to take the weight off the springs, but not enough to lift the tire. Unbolt the shackles, unbolt the pivot end. Swap yer new parts in. Move on to the next wheel.

ARE the shocks bad? If you bounce the bumper, it continues to bounce for a while?
 
for me its not so much about lift as it is quelling the harsh ride of my jeep - im not much of an off roader, nor do i plan on climbing mountains...

i want my jeep mainly for street travel - she'll probably spend most of her life in 2h

with the 4x4 stuff coming in the winter with the snow and the ice

that being said... my focus is on a smoother ride, and right now... its at the exact opposite end of the spectrum

i suspect the leafs are stock from 37 years ago - same with all the rest of the suspension components [minus the shocks]

ive ridden in older jeeps that were calm and complacent down the highway and over bumps - so i know its possible...

in my minds eye i was thinking rebuilding the suspension and getting new springs/shocks would fix that 'boulder' problem im currently having
 
If you would like a little lift and want a nice ride I'll bet this is what you want. More than alot of other lifts? Yup. A bit more work? Sure is. Looking for a more comfortable ride out of a lfted Jeep? Probably not gonna get it. Ive never had one of these lifts personally but Ive been the passenger more than a few times. It takes alot of the "Cj" out of the Cj , if thats what your looking for. Your gonna get what you pay for , thats just the way it is. Old Man Emu is known for a nice quality ride.

Old Man Emu suspension for Jeep CJ

sauhamm said:
for me its not so much about lift as it is quelling the harsh ride of my jeep - im not much of an off roader, nor do i plan on climbing mountains...

i want my jeep mainly for street travel - she'll probably spend most of her life in 2h

with the 4x4 stuff coming in the winter with the snow and the ice

that being said... my focus is on a smoother ride, and right now... its at the exact opposite end of the spectrum

i suspect the leafs are stock from 37 years ago - same with all the rest of the suspension components [minus the shocks]

ive ridden in older jeeps that were calm and complacent down the highway and over bumps - so i know its possible...

in my minds eye i was thinking rebuilding the suspension and getting new springs/shocks would fix that 'boulder' problem im currently having
Click to expand...
 
i was just getting ready to post that the cj to yj conversion then the ome suspension components look to be the way to go

instead of dealing with cj lift kits

yes its a little more expensive... but i plan on having my cj for a good long time to come...

and i certainly dont want to spend $600+ on a good cj lift kit and have that still be subpar to the yj springs
 
Petescj said:
Looking for a more comfortable ride out of a lifted Jeep? Probably not gonna get it.
Click to expand...

i dont want comfort so much as i want to get away from the sheer bone jarringness of my current ride

im betting a stock rebuild of the suspension would be roughly 5 to the power of 45 times better...

but why spend $350 or so rebuilding the stock setup when you can spend $1000 and have the various upgrades that go along with...

ive ridden in cj's yj's tj's etc - all were more plush than what im working with
 
Probably didnt come across right in the computer text. I meant your not going to find a easier riding lift than this. I myself am looking at this for the Scrambler due to the street driving and the family liking the idea.
sauhamm said:
i dont want comfort so much as i want to get away from the sheer bone jarringness of my current ride
Click to expand...
 
thanks pete - and everyone else

the way it seems is, no matter what you spend on a cj lift kit - it's not going to be as nice as a yj lift kit [or stock yj springs for that matter]

the conversion to accept yj springs is around $500

then above that you can go stock or aftermarket - either way... it makes more sense to me to adapt the platform for the better yj springs than continue to use cj parts

i checked into stock yj springs... they're the exact same price or more expensive than the ome units...
 
sauhamm said:
thanks pete - and everyone else

the way it seems is, no matter what you spend on a cj lift kit - it's not going to be as nice as a yj lift kit [or stock yj springs for that matter]

the conversion to accept yj springs is around $500

then above that you can go stock or aftermarket - either way... it makes more sense to me to adapt the platform for the better yj springs than continue to use cj parts

i checked into stock yj springs... they're the exact same price or more expensive than the ome units...
Click to expand...

I would use the oem than. you get a warrenty that way.
Are you going SOA or SUA I saw they made the kit both ways.
 
why not put a yj lift on it? that way you get a lift and the comfort of yj springs although the yj lift springs will probably ride like factory cj springs. there are several lift kits that include the conversion to yj springs like this one
Rubicon Express 4.5" Extreme-Duty™ Suspension System for 76-81 Jeep® CJ - Quadratec
or this
Old Man Emu 2.5" Suspension Systems for 76-86 Jeep® CJ with AMC Model 20 Rear Axle - Quadratec
or how about this (my personal favorite although not a conversion)
Rustys Offroad: CJ 4" Spring Pack Kit ('76-'86)
 
Were you paying attention?? :)
Cheepjeep85 said:
why not put a yj lift on it? that way you get a lift and the comfort of yj springs although the yj lift springs will probably ride like factory cj springs. there are several lift kits that include the conversion to yj springs like this one
Rubicon Express 4.5" Extreme-Duty™ Suspension System for 76-81 Jeep® CJ - Quadratec
or this
Old Man Emu 2.5" Suspension Systems for 76-86 Jeep® CJ with AMC Model 20 Rear Axle - Quadratec
or how about this (my personal favorite although not a conversion)
Rustys Offroad: CJ 4" Spring Pack Kit ('76-'86)
Click to expand...
 
just wanted to my 2 cents in.
I just finished putting in new ENERGY Bushings on my Springs, New Shocks, Shackles and a Rancho Steering Stabilizer. This made a Big difference from the way that it behaved before the work.
I went with an OEM Spring (wrecking yard special) to replace the worn out one because of the ride, the wife had neck surgery. The other concern was that we didn't want a Lift.
What ever you decide to do will be right for you, these guys give great advice.
 
Old Dog said:
I would use the oem than. you get a warrenty that way.
Are you going SOA or SUA I saw they made the kit both ways.
Click to expand...

SUA for the relative ease of the conversion / ill be going through and replacing all the various worn items as well
 
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