SOA and leaf spring Help

[rfonte7]

Ok guys, I will do my best to make this simple and brief as I can. Have a 1978 CJ7 that is new to me. PO put an SOA on and 350 conversion in. Looks like he did a decent job. Right front was sagging so I bought some used springs from a local jeep "guru". He said they were 1.5 or 2in lift springs for the front. He thought the weight of the 350 would help to "level" the jeep out as I was afraid it would be too tall with the SOA already done. Put them in last night and it is!! Around 3 inches or more height in the front than the rear. He also sold me rear leafs that I planned to put on later but since I have the new master bushing kit I'm gonna put them in now. My current rear springs have 4 leafs in them and the "new" ones have 6. Does this mean they are lift springs? Is there a way to determine if they are matching to the front lift springs? He didn't know. He had like 10 sets in his garage and I picked the best looking ones that appeared to have the same arches in the pair. I don't want to put the rear ones on and still have the front be too tall. Should I put them on and see or what's my options? Is the SOA with lift springs too tall to be safe? Should I convert it back to SUA and use these lift springs? I'm on a major budget as I'm getting married in 3 months. So although putting the rear leafs on and "testing" seems like alot of work, but I'm not sure what else to do in order to determine how much lift they are gonna give me. BTW, this jeep in new to me and I'm not sure what I will do with it. It will be MOSTLY a weekend street toy as I live in Indiana and there aren't alot of places near by to go offroad. However, it will see the occasional trail ride. Thanks for any advice!!

 

[Vvajk]

Hopefully you get some more knowledgeable people to help you here than me. But, in my opinion you'd be better off in the long run to go back to SUA if you can. On the other hand. . . to save money you could try putting on those rear springs just to see, even though it's a lot of work, it won't cost you anything but time. Good luck!

 

[CJKrawler]

Staying SOA or going to SUA is something you will want to look at after the wedding, as it is not done without some work, and a little cash. Please fill out your profile, so that we have a better idea what you have, an dit will make it easier for any future questions. What size tires are you planning on running? Do you have any other isssues aside from the springs (e.g. steering, wander, rear spring wrap)?

Most of the time, people use the SOA as a way to lift, without replacing the springs. There is a member here who completed the SOA, and also used 4" lift springs, but he also has full width axles. With only 1.5"-2", you will be fine, as long as you like the look.

You will want to put the rear leafs on, to get an idea. The number of springs depends on the rear, manufacturer, and model it was designed for. The heavier duty YJ rear leaves were a 6 pack, so it is possibly it is from that. You are working with a lot of unknowns, due to having a possibly mismatch of springs. The other thing to consider is the spring rates. One reason to get a mathed set is they all have the same spring rate, which will affect the overall ride quality.

If you put the rears on, and it matches, and it rides well, you are in luck, if not, I would do some internet searching for someone selling a stock set, or at least close to stock set of CJ leaves.

 

[Old Dog]

Some pix of the front end and steering (so we can see what the PO did)would help us decide what might be best for you.
Also as CJK asked, what size tires you going to run?

 

[MrFurious]

Depending on what the PO did, I'd recommend one of two options...

1. Go back to SUA and run the new lift springs. Of course, this is assuming the SOA kit is a bolt-on type and the original SUA spring perches are still on the axles.

2. Keep it SOA and remove a leaf or two from the lift spring packs to get them back down to a more agreeable ride height.