Believe me, the 30 shafts will be replaced on regear. My problem is I wouldn't want to use bypasses. A little more time. Spring '21' should see my gears and lockers installed.
JMT’s 91' XJ Build
- Thread starter JMT
- Start date
OP
Awesome, excited for you! That will be a huge upgrade. Your whole world is about to change.
OP
Zone 3" springs and leafs came in. Just a matter of time to get this stuff installed. I'm looking at next weekend. Removal will be the tough part since there is a lot of rust under there. @qslim pointed me to a MAPP torch that I'll use to heat up the notorious bolts in the rear that have a nut inside the unibody. I hope they come out. I'll hit them with the air impact lightly to try to break them loose. I've been putting Kroil on them as well.
The Plan
Day 1
Remove leaf springs, coil springs, and shocks
Clean up all the rust, self etch prime, top coat with Satin Enamel (this could end up being Day 2 if the removal is difficult)
Go pick up new hardware
Day 2
Install leaf springs, coil springs, new bumpstops, and shocks with new hardware
The Plan
Day 1
Remove leaf springs, coil springs, and shocks
Clean up all the rust, self etch prime, top coat with Satin Enamel (this could end up being Day 2 if the removal is difficult)
Go pick up new hardware
Day 2
Install leaf springs, coil springs, new bumpstops, and shocks with new hardware
OP
@PCO6, I'm getting worried about removing the bolts at both eyes of the leaf springs. I've read quite a bit on XJ forums about cutting the eye, bushing, and sleeve to get to the bolt so you can put heat on it. Others cut a small hole underneath and put PB blaster on it (I have Kroil), but several say that won't help a bit because there's red loctite on those from the factory, so you have to use heat. I'm worried if I put an impact on them that I'll break them and then be up a creek. Any suggestions or hints?
If there's nothing more, I'll probably put a light impact on them to see if they will break free, and if not, start cutting the eye, bushing, and sleeve off with an angle grinder and cut off wheel.
If there's nothing more, I'll probably put a light impact on them to see if they will break free, and if not, start cutting the eye, bushing, and sleeve off with an angle grinder and cut off wheel.
I haven't had to remove the front leaf spring bolts on my '89 XJ (yet) but they caused me some grief on my old '95 XJ. That whole Jeep did actually!
It was rough and I replaced all of the floor boards and fabricated my own 2"x6" sliders to replace the rusted out sills. That is a fairly common thing to do. While the floors were out I was able to heat the front spring mounts with my O/A torch just enough to back the bolts out. Fortunately they weren't seized in the metal sleeves of the bushings. I got lucky. I wasn't concerned about the bushings but I was happily surprised that the heat didn't destroy them. It would have been hard to access the threaded part of the frame with a torch from the bottom but it was quite easy from the top with the floors out.
The first pic below shows that area from the interior with the floor out. The centre of the pic shows the bolt and it was easy to get to the threaded boss with my torch. Disregard the new metal, that was one of the slider supports I made.
The second pic shows the same area with the new floor in. The "shiny" part in the middle is a 1/4" plate that I welded in to tie the original uni-body frame rails to the sliders and the above support. I also planned to use it as a base for a roll bar IF I ever put one in (... and I didn't). The key thing though is the small square hole in the middle. My thinking was that if I ever had to get at that bolt again, a "trap door" would make it easy. I made a small cover plate for it and attached it with screws. I don't know if anyone else has done this but it would be easy to do without hacking out your floors.
You're on the right course though. If you can get the bolt out with penetrating oil and brute strength that would be better. I've never used Kroil (never seen it here) but I've had better luck with Liquid Wrench vs. PB Blaster. Most of the problem will be that the bolt is likely seized in the in the metal sleeve of the eye bolt bushing. As you're putting in new springs, you might be just as well to cut the old ones so it's easier to get at the mounts.
Fun eh!?
OP
Oh my gosh, yeah, fun, right! Can't say I'm looking forward to this if they don't break free with a light impact. I have gotten the rear bumper off without much drama as well as the front swaybar. Maybe the bolts are not that bad. It's the red loctite that bothers me. I'll be happy if they break free. And if the bolt isn't seized to the sleeve I'll be even more happy. Makes me real antsy doing this. If I get it started in my garage and can't get it done, it's stuck in the garage till who knows when. I hate to leave my TJ outside. I might need to re-think doing this now. I ordered this stuff back in Summer and it just got here due to Covid. Thank you for the pics and explanation, very helpful. I might take a look at going through the floor.
Glad to see you got your rear bumper off. They can be fun too ... as are many things on 30+ yr. old vehicles.
I hear you on inside/outside work. I just made an appointment to get my LJ windshield replaced. It may have have to sit out in the weather for a few days with no glass (covered up ... but!). I'm painting the Jeep and installing a new w/s frame and I'll have to drive it to the glass shop without the glass. It's sunny and unusually warm today but I know damn well that the day next week when I drive it to the shop it will be cold and most likely snowing.
The lady at the glass shop is good though. When I gave her my address she immediately cautioned me that I'll have to drive right past the police station to get to the shop!
OP
I wish I could see that. I know you're right about the cold and snow that day!Glad to see you got your rear bumper off. They can be fun too ... as are many things on 30+ yr. old vehicles.
I hear you on inside/outside work. I just made an appointment to get my LJ windshield replaced. It may have have to sit out in the weather for a few days with no glass (covered up ... but!). I'm painting the Jeep and installing a new w/s frame and I'll have to drive it to the glass shop without the glass. It's sunny and unusually warm today but I know damn well that the day next week when I drive it to the shop it will be cold and most likely snowing.
The lady at the glass shop is good though. When I gave her my address she immediately cautioned me that I'll have to drive right past the police station to get to the shop!
I have a slightly different approach when it comes to rusty bolts. first, don't use the impact right off the bat. Sure way to break them. If you can, before even trying to loosen it, smack it with a hammer. You're trying to shock it and get the powdery iron oxide to clear the way for the threads to move. Then, try to tighten the bolt (or screw). Just a little...don't go all "Mongo SMASH" on it. Get it to move a little bit. Then back it up just a little. Work it back and forth, little by little and get the crap to clear the threads. Use patience not force.
OP
Went to work on the rear suspension yesterday. The hard part is getting it apart without breaking anything. 29 years is a long time. The 4 leaf eye bolts are the most dangerous. Break one of those and the rest of the bolt is stuck in a welded nut within the frame. I worked on the rear ones first with a lot of kroil, smacking with hammer, and heating with propane (lots). Couldn’t get an impact on it to slow bump it, but it moved and came on out. 
The front ones I took my time with. Drilled a small hole so I could get kroil on the nut. These have red loctite from the factory, so the kroil probably did nothing. Banged with a hammer a lot, heated with propane between the bushing and the frame Nut, the bushing caught on fire!
after 3 heat/cool cycles with banging and light impact in and out in between, I got them to move.
The rest came apart without much issue, except one bumpstop bolt I tried to rush and it broke off.
Got everything prepped and some primer and paint. Tomorrow I’ll install the leafs and be half done.
The front ones I took my time with. Drilled a small hole so I could get kroil on the nut. These have red loctite from the factory, so the kroil probably did nothing. Banged with a hammer a lot, heated with propane between the bushing and the frame Nut, the bushing caught on fire!
after 3 heat/cool cycles with banging and light impact in and out in between, I got them to move. The rest came apart without much issue, except one bumpstop bolt I tried to rush and it broke off.
Got everything prepped and some primer and paint. Tomorrow I’ll install the leafs and be half done.
Boy, that is the cleanest XJ I've ever seen the underneath of! Most of the ones I've worked on are more like swiss cheese! Nice work!
What are leaf springs? You're talking foreign language.
OP
When we just installed new lift springs on @tomtaylz truck we removed the ubolts, drooped the axle until the leaf was separated from the axle, installed the new leaf into the hangers, then lifted the axle back up in order to reattach the ubolts. I guess if it's too high at that point you could pull a leaf out of the pack.
OP
@Alex01, there’s no way I can get the rear eye to the hanger. This is a pic of the springs under pressure. The block of wood was to try to force the spring into the hanger That didn’t work! I don’t want to hurt myself or anyone else, so I guess I will remove the pressure from the leaf springs, by using a C-Clamp to hold the leaf pack together, then removing the leaf pack restrainer on one end to release the tension. Hope this not a high energy event.
Tom's had shackles so it was way easier to line up than that.
I stole this from a cherokee forum.
"Install the front eye first. Then loosely attach the axle. Use the weight of the vehicle by jacking the axle to compress the springs. You will likely need to let your shackles swing way forward to line up. Once the Jeep is on the ground you torque everything. Best of luck."
You should have a fixed end and a shackle end on the spring. If memory serves (and physics verifies) the shackle end should be in back. So, bolt the front of the spring in, then the back, than the axle. If I read your post correctly, you can get the shackle far enough forward to reach the spring?
In that case, bolt the axle to the spring and lower the vehicle down to help compress the spring. Might be a bit finicky to get the bolt holes to line up, but that is the safest way to do it, in my mind.
In that case, bolt the axle to the spring and lower the vehicle down to help compress the spring. Might be a bit finicky to get the bolt holes to line up, but that is the safest way to do it, in my mind.