Jeep Cj to YJ spring

[Green-Tonka-CJ5]

New questions 6 posts down.

Okay so i have a few general questions. I made a trade as of late for some wrangler parts. Im looking to install them on my 1980 Cj5. I have run into some walls though and need some direction.
-I have the "stock" 3 pack leaf springs. All 4 have 3 leafs in them. Are these all fronts? And im looking to stay with the spring under set up. Placing them up next to my "4" lifted" Cj springs, they have a bit more arch. I know they will sag under weight of the jeep, but by how much would you imagine?
-These will bolt right in in the rear correct? Same width and everything?
-To convert the front, i would need the custom shackles, 2 rear spring plates, and that's it right?

Hopefully i can get some clarification. Thank you all for any help.

 

[Green-Tonka-CJ5]

Also, the wrangler power steering box is not a bolt in replacement for a manual gear box correct? Looks like the brackets are different.

 

[bryson]

A little clarification is needed...

Are the YJ springs you picked up lifted springs or stock springs...? If they are 4" YJ springs, they will be pretty close to 4" on your CJ. If they are stock YJ springs, they will end up pretty close to stock height on your CJ.

You are correct - Rear springs are a direct bolt in, and fronts require conversion shackles and rear u-bolt plates. That is all.

The YJ steering box will bolt to your CJ frame as long as you get brackets for a 76-86 CJ with power steering (There are 2 separate brackets needed - available and fairly cheap from Quadratec, TeraFlex PLUS, etc...) Pitman arm splines are bigger on the power unit than your manual CJ arm, and the connection to the input side of the YJ box will need to be re-worked to fit. I'd suggest you get the intermediate shaft (the shaft from the firewall side of the column, to the input of the steering box) and pitman arm from the YJ that the box comes from to make the swap easier.

Is this the info you were after?

 

[Green-Tonka-CJ5]

Yes that is exactly the help i needed. Thank you! The seller claimed they are stock wrangler height, but i was unsure because of the side by side comparison with my lifted ones. Does anyone know the differences between the leaf packs with 3 vs 5 or more springs? Im sure spring rate, but if i only have 3 will it be too soft of a ride? Thanks

 

[DaveB]

The YJ springs are also longer than CJ springs by a bit. On my CJ I tried to use YJ lift springs but had to move the shackle mounts to get the shackle angle correct. The YJ springs sagged quickly so I went with CJ lift springs instead.

 

[jdub]

Don't forget u-bolts all around. Factor in 80+ for u-bolts unless you dare to reuse.

Make sure to check your clearance for your read dif and your gas tank, see if you can afford a couple inches if the springs are longer.

If you want a softer ride, I always keep my gas tank full- Pre-loads the springs better.

If buying the bracket from any supplier for the steering box, pony up for the beefy bracket that is after market. You'll probably want to look into a box brace so that it doesn't twist off the frame.

Measure twice, cut once!

 

[Green-Tonka-CJ5]

New Direction

So i test fit the parts i have and decided they are more trouble than they are worth for the moment. If i do re work the suspension, probably will get some wrangler 4" lifted springs and stay springs under the axle.

In the mean time, i got the shackles working better (seized bolts and too tight) so now there is a bit more give going over those bumps. What else can be done to improve ride quality in a 4" lifted CJ5? New bushings, leaf spring plastic shim things? How much do the shocks come into play? Could they be so preloaded the springs cant flex over minute bumps? Thanks again!

 

[jdub]

My Scrambler was a rattle box when I was running on super worn-out Ranchos for too long. When I removed them 3 out of the four were totally shot, doing absolutely nothing. Some were only damping in one direction. I went with gas charged ones and even though the ride is firmer there are less rattles and "stupid" bumps. You need to disconnect the shocks and cycle them to see if the harsh ride is just springs only. I removed one of my shocks and the ride was the same. They can slowly crap out on you. Especially if it has been to Mexico!

 

[jdub]

Shocks are about $30-40

 

[Green-Tonka-CJ5]

Cool i will take a sick day and play jeep again! Thanks for the heads up on the top. I will probably undo the shocks tomorrow and troubleshoot from there. They are around 6 years old and probably budget ones. So that seems like the next problem on the list.

 

[DaveB]

On my old cj7 which had stiff springs I found that a nice set of seats helped a lot.