Rubicon Express 2.5 YJ springs on CJ5

[butler44]

I am new to the forum and to the jeep world and was hoping to get some info on how to make my cj a little smoother ride and have more articulation.

I have a 79 CJ5 with the AMC 304 V8. It has the T-150 3 speed tranny, Dana 20 t case, and stock axles front and rear. It has a very old ruff country 2.5 inch lift that the PO put onto it. All of the bushings are shot and shackles are rusting away. I just purchased new .5" HD greasable shackles with bushings from Daystar. I want to clear 33's but am on an extreme budget. Would it be cheaper/easier to just buy a YJ 2.5 spring kit or maybe remove a leaf from the spring pack (for softer ride and more flex)?

I appreciate any insight i can get. Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[jdarg]

There was post here or on another forum recently about brand new RE 2.5 springs being too short. They were off so far the rear shackles were pointing about 40 degrees to the front.

YJ springs are a different width, requiring conversion shackles or cutting/welding of brackets, etc. Not a bolt in and probably more expensive than just getting 2.5" CJ springs unless you can find good deals used on what you'll need.

 

[Kane]

For a 2.5 inch lift OME (Old Man Emu) is the way to go. They have the reputed best riding springs on the market for a Jeep. You have to buy the YJ kit for your Jeep. I have heard many times over that they ride better than stock and they are a sub company of ARB so the quality is there.

 

[Old Dog]

What Kane said.
I believe you can find the OME springs cheaper than the RE also.

 

[73CJ]

They are available individually for cheaper and you probably have the other brackets anyway.

O.M.E. definately good stuff. Might not want to do the YJ swap if you are on a tight budget.

Not only shackles and frame mounts, but also spring plates to do the YJ swap.

 

[butler44]

Awesome. Thanks guys. Well I found a good priced spring over/reverse shackle kit from a local reputable company that comes with the wider YJ shackles. My neighbor is probably the best tig welder/fabricator that I have seen.

I am going to go with stock YJ springs (with an add a leaf), spring over, revers shackle kit. What do you guys think? Also, I obviously want to upgrade to Dana 44 's and am having trouble deciding what to ultimately purchase. I have found a number of matched set 44's out of Waggies with the appropriate passenger drop in front. I dont want to crawl over 3 foot boulders but would like to go down about 80% of the trails that I come across here in CA. I am wondering what axle configuration you would all suggest and with what gearing? From what I have read, Wagoneer axles seem to be the best fit? Would 4.10's be enough? I really appreciate your guys' time. Thanks!

 

[Old Dog]

Awesome. Thanks guys. Well I found a good priced spring over/reverse shackle kit from a local reputable company that comes with the wider YJ shackles. My neighbor is probably the best tig welder/fabricator that I have seen.

I am going to go with stock YJ springs (with an add a leaf), spring over, revers shackle kit. What do you guys think? Also, I obviously want to upgrade to Dana 44 's and am having trouble deciding what to ultimately purchase. I have found a number of matched set 44's out of Waggies with the appropriate passenger drop in front. I dont want to crawl over 3 foot boulders but would like to go down about 80% of the trails that I come across here in CA. I am wondering what axle configuration you would all suggest and with what gearing? From what I have read, Wagoneer axles seem to be the best fit? Would 4.10's be enough? I really appreciate your guys' time. Thanks!

What I think is... SOA on a CJ5 is going to create driveline problems as you will get 5" or more of lift. I'm not a fan of the shackle reversal but that's me.
If it were me I'd look for a chevy front axle since the cast in pearch is already set up for SOA and the waggy is set up for SUA. You will probably want to narrow the chevy though. You might even get lucky and find one with flat top knuckles for the high steer set up you will need with SOA.
We would need to know what size tires you are going to run to help with the gear ratio.

 

[Scooter402]

What I think is... SOA on a CJ5 is going to create driveline problems as you will get 5" or more of lift. I'm not a fan of the shackle reversal but that's me.
If it were me I'd look for a chevy front axle since the cast in pearch is already set up for SOA and the waggy is set up for SUA. You will probably want to narrow the chevy though. You might even get lucky and find one with flat top knuckles for the high steer set up you will need with SOA.
We would need to know what size tires you are going to run to help with the gear ratio.

This.

I also agree with narrowing the front axle, if you go with Chevy ones. You can knock 4" off the long side, then use a long side Wagoneer inner to replace the Chevy shaft.

Also, I have never seen a shackle reversal kit that didn't net 2" of more lift. To keep the caster/pinion angles good, the shackle reversal will have to make it taller. I reversed the shackles on my CJ when I went SOA the first time, but I just got done rebuilding my front suspension with the shackles in their original location (or close enough to it -- somewhat forward to give me more room for my 38s). But that amount of lift in a CJ5 will give you some very steep angles on the rear driveshaft unless you move the rear axle back. And then might need to clearance/move your fuel tank. It's really a can of worms once you get into it. But gratifying when it's done!

Good luck.

 

[butler44]

Scooter:

Good to know, I dont want/need 7" of lift on my jeep so maybe i wont go with the reverse shackle. I was assuming that an SOA would be a good way to get a lot more articulation out of my jeep. Would a standard 4" lift flex like a SOA lift (done right) would? I am assuming no? Also, this is another newby question, but cant you take the ends from the old shafts and weld them onto appropriate length tubing? Or is there way more to it than that and I am sounding like an idiot?

 

[butler44]

Dog:

I would be running 35" tires max. I will be going bigger on my next build but figured i would stick to something a little easier on the pockets for this first jeep. Any other suggestions that you can give a first time jeep build?

 

[Old Dog]

Dog:

I would be running 35" tires max. I will be going bigger on my next build but figured i would stick to something a little easier on the pockets for this first jeep. Any other suggestions that you can give a first time jeep build?

I'd go with 4:88's they will be better off road and you will need them if you ever go bigger than 35's.

 

[Scooter402]

Scooter:

Good to know, I dont want/need 7" of lift on my jeep so maybe i wont go with the reverse shackle. I was assuming that an SOA would be a good way to get a lot more articulation out of my jeep. Would a standard 4" lift flex like a SOA lift (done right) would? I am assuming no? Also, this is another newby question, but cant you take the ends from the old shafts and weld them onto appropriate length tubing? Or is there way more to it than that and I am sounding like an idiot?

Unfortunately, no, a 4" lift will not flex anywhere near as well as an SOA setup will. The problem is with the arch on the springs. The only way a highly-arched spring will flex much at all (given that it has a decent spring rate somewhat lower than that of a dump truck) is if they have long shackles to absorb the length of the spring as they compress. Long shackles, in my humble opinion, are essentially a no-no, at least on the front end. A properly set up SOA lift will flex nearly as well as coils.

Are you speaking of the driveshafts? If so, yes -- you can take your old yoke and slip yoke and have them welded to a new length of tubing. I have made my own driveshafts in the past, but the problem is making sure they are perfectly straight and aligned with the joints in phase with one another. If not, you will have some massively bad vibes at speed.

 

[NorthwestCJer]

Washington Virtual Jeep Club - www.wavjc.org - View topic - Sh!t J 5's rebuild

A friend of mines build. His 81 CJ5 originally had 2.5 inch CJ springs. He did a YJ 2.5 lift and a Shackle reversal.


Good Luck.

 

[ijeeper]

Max lift for a CJ5 without extensive fabrication is 2.5", else you'll fight rear drive shaft vibration issues to the bitter end (20 year CJ5 owner).

The solution for any lift over 2.5" is to get a rear axle from a full size Jeep Truck with the passenger side offset rear end. Swap your Transfer Case to a Dana 18 which also has a passenger side rear output that is several inches lower then the Dana 20 or Dana 300 rear output. This will level out the rear drive shaft for lifts up to 5". You'll be able to drive freeway speeds without drive shaft vibrations.

I took my CJ5 one step further. I have have a custom Dynatract rear axle with a high pinion. I run a custom SOA suspension at 5" over factory height and the drive shaft is nearly flat. Like I said, extensive fab work plus dollars.

Best rear spring option are rear XJ springs. The length from the front to the center pin is identical to the CJ5 , 1976 and up, and the length from the center pin to the rear is 6" longer. Build a custom shackle mount off a solid rear bumper and you'll have a great ride.

 

[butler44]

Awesome information. Thanks everyone. I am going with Waggy 44's front and rear. I will be outboarding spring mounts in the front. I will be using YJ springs SOA. I have a T-18 (jeep) out of a buddies CJ7 with the Dana 20 . I am hoping that I am going to be able to drive down the highway without too much driveline mods. I know I will have to basically redo the driveshafts anyway, because my old tranny was the T-150 which is shorter than the T-18 . But i am wondering if I am going to have to stretch my CJ5 to get a mellow enough driveshaft angle? I would prefer to keep the Dana 20 because it was free with the T-18 . I wish this jeeping things was easy and cheap......HA! The start of my addiction.....

 

[Old Dog]

I will be using YJ springs SOA. I am hoping that I am going to be able to drive down the highway without too much driveline mods. But i am wondering if I am going to have to stretch my CJ5 to get a mellow enough driveshaft angle?.....

SOA on a 5 is going to make you do some kinda mods. only time will tell what you will need in the end.
Are you sure you need it that high.

 

[Torxhead]

Awesome information. Thanks everyone. I am going with Waggy 44's front and rear. I will be outboarding spring mounts in the front. I will be using YJ springs SOA. I have a T-18 (jeep) out of a buddies CJ7 with the Dana 20 . I am hoping that I am going to be able to drive down the highway without too much driveline mods. I know I will have to basically redo the driveshafts anyway, because my old tranny was the T-150 which is shorter than the T-18 . But i am wondering if I am going to have to stretch my CJ5 to get a mellow enough driveshaft angle? I would prefer to keep the Dana 20 because it was free with the T-18 . I wish this jeeping things was easy and cheap......HA! The start of my addiction.....

Good luck with driving a CJ5 on a California highway at 75 mph until you hit gridlock. I don't even like to drive my -7 at any faster than 60 for very long. Enjoy your young bones while you can.