Page updated: 06/10/2001 07:03 PM

YJ Spring Over Axle with Old Man Emu Springs

Written by Al Bsharah on 2/27/2000 (project completed on 10/3/1999)
Yeah, I'm slow.

I arrived at Bud Boren’s (supervisor, garage provider, and plasma-cutter extraordinaire) place Saturday at about 8:30am.  Steve McKay (weld-o-matic-man) and he were waiting in the garage for me.  I cleared the boogers out of my eyes, shook hands and traded how-do-ya-do’s.  It was finally going to happen.  I had been talking about doing this Spring Over Axle (SOA) for quite some time now, probably close to 9 months and the day had finally come.  No more excuses…no backing out!  Brad Dokken (Dok - aka "When're you gonna clean this pig-pen?") showed quickly after I arrived and a simple attack plan was devised.  I think we were all anxious to get started, because an early pace was set that did not adhere to standard Dehesa-time!  Matt Osburn ("I've-got-an-SOA-too" and general "I-can-do-that" kinda guy) and Mark Alligood ("I look cool with a gas-mask on in 95 degree weather") showed a couple hours later and partook in the festivities.  Mike Simpkins showed for a brief bit, and Ms Vicky even made a custom cake for the event!

The first screw-up of the weekend (honestly, there weren't that many) had to do with my wheel-locks.  Go figure.  Being the forward-thinking individual I am, I cleaned everything out of my Jeep and the rear lock box.  Of course, my lug-nut key was in there and we ended up having to smash a socket over them to get them off as welding a nut to them proved to be futile.  Nice way to start things off, huh?

One of the biggest concerns of my project was the rust.  Every project I've ever done on my YJ has required a serious amount of elbow-grease or cutting/torching/grinding to get u-bolts and other nut/bolt combinations to break loose.  The Dehesa crew was instrumental in reminding me of this fact.  Because of this I was determined not to waste our time trying to pull things apart, so I soaked every nut and bolt in WD-40 and various other rust eaters for 3 days prior to the project.  Amazingly, this did the trick and every bolt came apart without a hitch...much to the surprise of just about everyone!

Another typical fiasco of any project I've even done on my Jeep has to do with not having the right parts.  I'm not a fan of having to rush around on a Sunday when nothing is open and you need a very specific part.  Well, I was posolutely determined NOT to have this problem.  Below is a list of parts and prices that I had acquired prior to the weekend.  My list of parts must have gone though about 15 iterations before it was on-the-money.  I owe a majority of this to the Dehesa crew (in particular Matt Osburn who's got one of the most stable SOA's out there) and a couple Kentucky boys who have been through similar experiences (Jason Head and Kerry Embry.)  Jason has done an SOA with the same OME springs as me, and Kerry is an SOA and 1/4-elliptical veteran.  I must have pelted these guys with questions for a month before a date was even set.  Thanks a ton, guys...I'd probably have an SOUA or something equally awkward without ya!

WHAT, HOW, AND WHY?

Some of the prices are estimated, as I couldn't find the receipts.  Those are denoted with a question mark (?).  I may have missed one or two things...but hey, nobody's perfect!

ANGLE OF THE DANGLE

I’m dedicating this procedure to Bud, since he probably coined that phrase and because his "angle" has "matured" much more than the rest of us.  This is in regard to determining the angles that your axles need to be at. 

FRONT AXLE:  The reason I followed the below step is because on a YJ D30, your front pinion points toward the t-case at a specific angle.  The axle is sitting at this angle for a couple reasons.  1)  Because this sets the caster of the wheels.  2)  Because the angle of the pinion should match the angle of the t-case output.  I was going to use shackles that were longer than stock, so I did not want to screw up my caster angle by putting them in.  It was important to me that this stayed the same so my handling was not affected.  I’ll explain the steps I took below.  Be forewarned that it didn't seem to make any difference on paper (as far as the final angles are concerned) but I definitely felt better tracking by the front end.  Haven't quite figured out why, yet...  None-the-less, the angle is important for the spring perches to be set correctly..  

I took my 2” lift shackles off of the Jeep and put on stock ones so that the caster was at the correct angle.  I then took a magnetic angle measurer and parked it on a flat spot on the axle going the length of the Jeep…I put it right below the pinion output.  There’s a nice flat spot there on the Dana 30.  Write this number down.  It was 10.5 degrees for me.  

REAR AXLE:  I don’t even know if it’s possible to stick with a single-joint driveshaft with this much lift.  I certainly would not recommend it.  For this reason, plan on getting yourself a CV driveshaft and a slip-yoke-eliminator (SYE) for your transfer case (there's an SYE write-up on this site.)  If you have a CV SYE in the plans, or done already, move on down to the next step.  Taking angle measurements won’t be necessary yet.  If you’re going to try and keep a regular shaft back there, prepare for a lot of vibrations and follow the same procedure as the front axle.  Again, I think it would be silly to try and make this work…you’ll be changing u-joints every two weeks and endangering yourself and those around you when the driveshaft or U-Joints decide to blow on you.

PULLING IT ALL APART

Jack up the front of the Jeep and set the frame down on some jack stands.  Do the same for the rear, and remove all four tires.  When placing on jack stands, be very careful that they are fully locked and that they are placed as far towards the front and rear of the vehicle as possible for stability.

At this point it’s probably a good idea to remove both driveshafts.  I left the front one in, so it can be done, however…later on I realized the front driveshaft was just too short for this lift and the slip had a good amount of play in it causing vibrations.  

FRONT AXLE:  Put a floor-jack underneath the front axle (somewhere in the center of it for balancing) and jack the axle up just to the point where the springs seem to be relaxed (not stressed upwards or downwards).  Place jack-stands underneath the ends of the axle for stability.  Remove the bolts and shackles from the spring eyes at both ends.  You might have to move the jack upwards or downwards a bit to relieve the stress on the bolts so they come out.  If not, hammer them out with a screwdriver or something.  When both springs are removed,  clean and paint them if necessary (see “Cleaning the Springs” below) while you have them out.

REAR AXLE:  Basically, do the same thing as you did for the front axle.  

STEERING COMPONENTS

I installed a dropped pitman arm, a curved drag-link, and a steering box brace.  The dropped pitman and the curved drag-link help keep the driving components as parallel as possible so that bump-steer and other steering quirks can be eliminated as much as possible.  As well, the curved drag-link won't collide with your passenger front spring like the straight one will.  The steering box brace was installed due to the extra strain it will be receiving from the increased angles of the steering components.

DROPPED PITMAN:  Do the bottom first!  I made the mistake of pulling the pitman off the Jeep while it was still connected to the drag link.  Bad idea, because you'll have a tough time getting those two separated without having them attached to something solid.  So, pull the cotter pin out of the bolt, undo the nut and get the pickle fork out.  Pound away, it's gonna take some work.  We had to take a major BFH to it on both sides (see picture).  Slap the new one on and crank it down as tight as you can.  If you're putting a dropped draglink in, don't put the pitman back on yet and read below.

DROPPED DRAGLINK:  Make sure the wheels and steering wheel are straight.  On the stock one, loosen the clamp bolts on each side.  One side is reverse threaded, so start turning the draglink and both rod ends will eventually exit.  Make sure the steering wheel is NOT locked when you're doing this!  When loosening the draglink, essentially the tires will want to go right and/or the steering wheel will want to go left.  It's much easier to force the steering wheel to turn than it is to get the wheels on the ground to turn!  Putting the curved one on is somewhat of a task, because you can't just turn it freely (it will collide with the spring).  So, put the wheel side on first, then screw in the steering box side while the pitman is disconnected.  Make sure the steering wheel is turned back to the straight position, and the wheels are straight.  Put the pitman back on the steering box.  Make sure the pitman is pointed towards the back of the vehicle, as close to perfectly straight as possible.  If not, you will strain your steering system unnecessarily.  Simply adjust each rod end equally until the pitman fits right, then pop it on and tighten it back down.

STEERING BOX BRACE:  I used the Currie brace, and it was the easiest thing I've ever assembled on my Jeep.  It's completely bolt on, and fit perfectly.  Stout as hell, too...  A write-up for it isn't really necessary.  The directions provided were more than adequate.

CLEANING THE SPRINGS (and things)

I most certainly need to thank Brad Dokken and Mark Alligood for taking the time to grind away at my rust-covered springs.  Through a couple of Detroit winters and San Diego beach-side salt-air, they had become quite nasty.  These guys went nuts with the grinders and (high-speed) sand blasters and had my springs polished up in record time while I and others were wrenching and grinding away at my Jeep.  They also chose to paint them...<ahem>...I'm sure you'll recognize them from the pictures.  The damn fluorescent paint is still oozing out from between the packs!  Funny guys.  Dok also spent a considerable amount of time underneath the front end with a wire-brush, some brake-cleaner and a few bottles of Hammerite.  My Jeep has never been so clean underneath!  Thanks a ton, guys...  I've since cleaned up the rear of the Jeep and had my way with the Hammerite.  It's amazing how much better things look when they're a nice dark black color as opposed to a flaky orange!  Can't wait to get her off-road so I can encounter my first scratches!  I have to say that Hammerite has got to be one of the toughest paints out there.  Essentially, you clean up the area so that there's not so many flakes, and the Hammerite will seal up any rust that's occurred.  Stuff sticks like glue!  Go visit your local Home Depot and become a regular customer with it.  It's well worth the $5 per rattle-can.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

SHOCK MOUNTS

One of the downfalls of the stock D30 and D35 is the fact that the shock mounts hang quite a bit below the axle, acting as nice grab-points for any rock you try to get over.  Thanks to Bud's plasma cutter and some grinding those were quickly removed.  As you can see in the pictures, 2"x2" square tubing is all you need to create your own shock mounts.  I designed them so that they wrapped around the axle tube and sat flat with the bottom of the axle so they wouldn't cause clearance issues.

I had an issue with my YJ shocks where the bleeder valve and caliper-end of the brake line would collide with the shock tube on full compression and an outside turn.  This pressure on the caliper would cause the power brakes to over-compensate which would cause the brake pedal to hit the floor and your Jeep to lose any braking power.  Caused quite a bit of pucker in my life until I figured out what the issue was.  After learning the problem, I spotted MANY other YJ's (even those that thought they didn't have a problem) with dented shock tubes from the same collision.   Essentially, it feels like you've blown a brake line and a desperate sinking feeling overwhelms you...especially when you're on a steep grade.  The best solution I found for this was to move the bottom shock mount rear-ward of the Jeep.  This will allow the shock tube to clear the caliper end upon an outside turn and compression.

Again, Bud's plasma cutter was a quick way to make the cuts and a grinder was used to smooth out the edges and help them look a little more professionally done.  Obviously the old shock mounts needed to be removed so my new ones could be put in.  You have a number of options for cutting metal...the most generic of which is a grinder.  Buy yourself a bunch of grinding wheels and have at it!  Not to sound like a mom, but always wear your safety goggles!  Haha.  Ok, enough of that.

You can also use a cutting torch or a plasma cutter if you have access to these types of tools.  Make sure you know what they hell you're doing with them or you'll end up cutting through your axle tubes!  That would be a bad thing.  None-the-less, with the torch or plasma cutter you're still gonna be left with some slag and leftover metal so the grinder will come into play to smooth things out.  Don't want those leftover brackets snagging rocks, now do we?  Simply eyeball the new brackets to be flat to the ground and tack them down with the welder until you're ready to do the full welds.

SPRING PERCHES

I decided that I was going to leave my stock spring perches intact.  Simply for the fact that I figured I'd sell these axles some day.  A buyer aving the option to use them as spring-under OR spring-over axles will be a bonus!  Before you are able to attach your springs to your axles, you will have to reverse the direction of the spring-locating-pin.  Either pop it out and swap it around, or buy new ones and put them in.

FRONT AXLE:
Placement of the perches is obviously a crucial aspect of the SOA.  If you get your perches welded at the wrong angles or in the wrong location, you could have a potentially dangerous-to-drive vehicle or simply a poor-performing one.  For the fronts, if you're still using the same stock shackles, and you left your original perches on, you could simply line up your perches based on the position of the old ones.

For me, this wasn't the way to do it.  I'm using boomerang shackles that are longer than stock, and I want to make sure the caster angle was the same as it would have been with stock shackles.  So, the best way to overcome this is by putting it all together prior to welding anything.  The side-to-side location of the perches was simple because of the fact that I left my stock perches on.  Simply line-up the spring pin holes and you're done.

For the angles, rest the spring perch on the axle and put the springs in place.  Use your u-bolts and spring plate and put it all back together.  Don't tighten it super tight, but just enough to keep things in place while leaving you the ability to twist your axle tubes to get the angle right.  Put your tires back on and set the Jeep back down.  Remember that angle measurement we took earlier of 10.5 degrees?  Make it happen again.  Twist the axle until you get that measurement on your dial.  Bounce on the Jeep a couple times to get the springs and everything to settle down.  Re-check the angle measurements and side-to-side location.  When satisfied with where the perches are, tack them with the welder.  You're going to have to remove your u-bolts to get good welds in there.

REAR AXLE:
This is the tricky one.  Put everything together like we did above, tightening things down so you can still twist the axle.  Put the tires on and set the Jeep down.  Install your driveshaft.  The general rule of thumb is this: The angle of your pinion output needs to be 1-2 degrees LESS than the angle of your driveshaft.  The reasoning is because upon acceleration, your pinion will pivot upwards (beyond the angle of your driveshaft.)  So, you want the pinion to sit just below the angle of your driveshaft so that when you're driving hopefully they'll be more even with each other.

Again, use the magnetic angle-measuring device to get these angles right.  This may take some time!  Getting a good measurement off the pinion output is sometimes difficult.  If I remember correctly, my driveshaft sits around 27 degrees.  This is pretty steep...I wouldn't want to go much steeper than that!  Again, when you're done...tack it with the welder and pull everything apart so you can lay a nice strong bead down.

EXTENDING YOUR BUMPSTOPS

Here's the before and after pictures of how Steve and I extended my bumpstops with some simple square tubing.  Somewhat of an experiment...not sure how well they'll hold up with the bolts going in at funny angles.

UP, UP, AND AWAY!

Here's the before and after shots.  I tried to write this with everyone in mind...hopefully it helped someone somewhere!

BEFORE

AFTER

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FURTHER VIEWING!

Check out Matt Osburn's SOA write-up

Click HERE to see every picture taken on this weekend...warning, these are NOT thumbnailed and there are a LOT of pictures!  FrontPage estimates 4176 seconds over a 28.8k connection!  That's 70 minutes to download!  Get a cable modem.  <grin>