I recently bought my first yj. Amd im wondering how and if i can chamge from leaf springs to coilovers. Any help appreciated. Jeep is a 1995 jeep wrangler
You have the best year for a yj.. if you want a softer, more cushy ride you should sell it and get a TJ. My .02. It can be done, and I've seen them but it won't be cheap and easy. If it was you would see a lot of them! I believe you can search coil over upgrade for jeep yj and find something?
I knew it wpuld be a costly chore and as far as fabrication goes im not to bad at it.im just trying to see if anyone knows of a slightly faster way of doing it. Such as spacific rear ends i can use and just fabricate somethi g for the upper connections. That or see about a 4 link rear and 3 link frot.
I dont want to sell it and not having coilovers isnt a big deal. Just getting information on changing over. Seeing as it sounds like you have a jeep with leafs. What type of setup do you run. Im looking to make a street/trail rig. Something that i can just hop offroad with if i see a trail. Would like to get a bit more flex and articulation out of mine. Any ideas?
I run stiff sprung under superlift 3.5" springs with no track bars or sway bars and it does decent. If i wanted good flex i would run stock springs and a spring over. But once you go that far you should really be running stronger axles and 35's.
Looking into something xalled a teraflex shackel. Seems to give me what im looking for. Add thos and some quick disconnects and i shpuld be when i want to.
Don't get hung up on the flex meme, flex is nice to have if you do rock crawling but it hurts in mud and most trail riding you don't need crazy amounts of flex. I never used Teraflex shackles but they can be dangerous is some situations if they unload on you when you don't want them too. revolver shackles front and rear difference?? - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum
Thats the firt thing i seen is that they were dangerous. I did more resarch on them and most of the problems with them breaking or snapping is because they werent greesed or properaly maintained. But with that said you can break anything without maintenance. And the trails where i live, your not getting to far without some type of flex. Im not looking to get crazy amount of flex. The stock setup i have has almost none. Just driving thrpugh the slate dump by my house i was on three wheels. Im just looking for the slight boost.something to keep the tires planted a bit more. Bit i do appreciate the imput.
Better off going to sway bar disconnects and selectable lockers rather than mess up the YJ street performance. Changing the diff (d35 delete) is easier, cheaper and safer than modify a time proven suspension. IMO
I've got really comfortable driving without a swaybar altogether (although wouldn't mind getting disconnects). Another thing to look at is making sure the shackle bolts aren't overly tightened. I believe mine are at 50 ft lbs at spring end and maybe 70 ft lbs at frame.
I bought JKS sway bar disconnects when they came out and i regret it. They were a pain in the ass to hook up unless you were on perfectly flat ground. And maybe it's because of my stiff springs but i didn't feel a bit of difference with them hooked up vs disconnected. If you have factor leafs or leafs that are soft it might do something but CJ's never had them so i threw my sway bar and disconnects in the garbage can where they belong.
There are several kits out there for converting a YJ to coil springs but the basic kit starts at around 2100.00 and they can go as high as 6,000.00. How much do you want to spend? As stated it would be cheaper to find a nice used TJ.
I would look at what suspension you have and possible upgrade to Old Man Emu or something similar to get a softer spring and allow for some of the flex you are looking for. If you currently have a cheap lift with heavy duty springs that may be the start of your issue. Good luck on your project.
Start by removing your rear track bar and replacing the D35 with a Ford 8.8 rear axle with some kind of locker.
By doing that, you haven't done anything that needs to be undone if you decide to spend a lot of money for some upgrade that is generally considered impractical. See how the Jeep drives the and plan your next move carefully.
Looking at your avatar, you probably have some kind of lift. Do you know what manufacturer and what height? What size tires are you running?
You've already had a couple suggestions to sell the YJ and buy a TJ if you want coil springs. Let me add my suggestion to that also.
Just because the big dogs use a particular part or method on a special purpose Jeep, doesn't mean that it's meant for everyone or street operation.
I suggest that you start small and go from there.
It's your Jeep and your money, so I wish you well no matter what direction you go.
Please post some pics of before, during and after.
1995 to 2001 Ford Explorer rear axle (Ford 8.8).
The axle housing is a bit narrower than the original D30 but not enough to make any difference. Also, it comes with disc brakes. Lug nut pattern is the same as our Jeeps.
Pic & Pay (or whatever self pull yard is in your area) should have plenty. You need to decide if you want to re-gear prior to beginning your search.
Find one with the ratio you decide on and remember, you will need to re-gear your front axle at the same time. If you don't plan on an air locker or something similar, you may be able to find one with a limited slip.
I am looking for an 8.8 with 4:10 gears and a limited slip.
Then I can use a 4:10 ratio differential from a 4cyl. YJ Dana30 front axle.
There are kits available from 4X4 websites that make the job especially easy.
Search this forum for 8.8 swap (or simply 8.8 if you get too many hits) and you will get plenty of tips and opinions. Also, try Utube for vids.
LM has the right idea, go slow and do your research.
I got my 8.8 3.73ls from a club member for $100 that included spring and shock perches and Solid cover, and didn't have to touch the front (although I did).
Once the top is off I leave the sway bar strapped up out of the way but hard top and doors on it is needed.
I can tell you this... I have rubicon express 4.5" extreme xuty springs and 1" shackles w 33's and have all the flex I could ever need.... it just flat out works...
Thats it. My riding lawnmower has more flex. Thats also all the higher i can get on that little hill. I know the angle isnt the greatest but even my 2000 dakota gets up that problem free. And that thing has a rougher ride than my jeep. Im not looking for a super trail rig just trying to free up the movement a bit.
Have you disconnected sway and track bars yet....
On a yj, if you drive sensibly and understand the dynamics of the vehicle IE not a sports car you can just remove em
Makes a HUGE difference
Its definite not bottoming out on the stops. Its possiable the shocks are but im not sure. They look like they would have about 3-4 more inches to come out. Im gonna check tge torque specs on everythi g tomorrow and soo how that does. It would make sense for that to be a problem as it feels stiff, not like its hitting something.
It seems that torque specs are debatable. From one manufacturer to another they may be different. As long as you have some kind of locking nut I would not go hog wild on them.
Make sure the vehicle is setting on the tires on the ground with no support as you loosen and check the torque on the suspension bolts. If it is supported up in the air as you tighten the bolts you can actually bind up the suspension and that can cause a rough ride also.
Pics of your springs and shocks are needed. You have a lift and something isn't right with it if that's the only flex you have.
Look for any part numbers on the springs and shocks
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