Wildman's TJ is getting a face lift

All the more reason to find out for yourself what those bags compress and extend to. Compare your findings to what Steve says and figure out why it is what it is. Or possibly understand why Steve isn't telling you the whole story because you are working outside the parameters of the kit.
Do the ORO bags have a bumstop built in? If so then @jjvw idea of putting it to bump yourself with a jack would be the best way.
 
Same reason I've stayed away from a SxS. They seem fun, until you want to use the heat or A/C :ROFLMAO:


I had a SXS for a short while but couldn't get into it and drive it very well after my amputation.
IMG_3330C_zpsawydhjqd.JPG


What happens when you let your 15 year old daughter drive the SXS in a barrel race. We both walked away with no injuries. It broke one of the rear axle shafts & bent one of the suspension links when it landed on the drivers rear wheel.
 
Do the ORO bags have a bumstop built in? If so then @jjvw idea of putting it to bump yourself with a jack would be the best way.

That is a fundamental question that I would have had answered a long time ago. If they don't have an internal bump, then I would want to figure out for myself how closely I could squeeze the internal bits together without causing damage. I would figure this out by squeezing and manipulating the bags myself. It's not much different than measuring shocks or coils. I don't need Fox or Currie to tell me what mine compress and extend to.
 
Makes me wish I hadn't thrown out the last air bag I ruined. I could cut one open and look inside to see what if anything could or couldn't be hitting or damage itself inside. I don't think that there is anything inside as the bags are made by Firestone but are used on European trucks which is part of why they are so expensive. When I first bought the kit I tried to source another supply for them.
 
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Makes me wish I hadn't thrown out the last air bag I ruined. I could cut one open and look inside to see what if anything could or couldn't be hitting or damage itself inside. I don't think that there is anything inside as the bags are made by Firestone but are used on European trucks which is part of why they are so expensive. When I first bought the kit I tried to source another supply for them.

Can't you tell what is going on inside the bags by manipulating them yourself? A while back, I was able to play with a huge pair of bags for a semi truck. I pretty well knew immediately what was going on inside just by messing with them on the loading dock. They had an internal rubber bump stop and I could have told you right there what the compressed height of first contact was.
 
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Makes me wish I hadn't thrown out the last air bag I ruined. I could cut one open and look inside to see what if anything could or couldn't be hitting or damage itself inside. I don't think that there is anything inside as the bags are made by Firestone but are used on European trucks which is part of why they are so expensive. When I first bought the kit I tried to source another supply for them.
What’s the Firestone assembly order number? It’ll be on a decal affixed to one end of the airbag.
 
Can't you tell what is going on inside the bags by manipulating them yourself? A while back, I was able to play with a huge pair of bags for a semi truck. I pretty well knew immediately what was going on inside just by messing with them on the loading dock.

Yes I can to a point. These aren't quite as large as the bags you are talking about on a semi. But there really isn't anything in the middle. What I'm trying to say is it would be nice to be able to measure the area where the bolt screws into the top and bottom of the bags to a more exact amount. I'm fairly certain this is the main limiting factor on how much they can be compressed. Those mounting areas recede into the bags a ways.


What’s the Firestone assembly number? It’ll be on a decal affixed to one end of the airbag.

IMG00474[1].jpg
 
Yes I can to a point. These aren't quite as large as the bags you are talking about on a semi. But there really isn't anything in the middle. What I'm trying to say is it would be nice to be able to measure the area where the bolt screws into the top and bottom of the bags to a more exact amount. I'm fairly certain this is the main limiting factor on how much they can be compressed. Those mounting areas recede into the bags a ways.




View attachment 166748
That is the bellows number. Look on the end plates and see what you can find.
 
Yes I can to a point. These aren't quite as large as the bags you are talking about on a semi. But there really isn't anything in the middle. What I'm trying to say is it would be nice to be able to measure the area where the bolt screws into the top and bottom of the bags to a more exact amount. I'm fairly certain this is the main limiting factor on how much they can be compressed. Those mounting areas recede into the bags a ways.

It seems like you could stick a bag into the spring seats right now, raise the axle and find out what the compressed height is. Why not do it and see what happens?

After you tie the frame to the ground. :)
 
The other thing I really see folks struggle with is making a line all the way around the frame and having them all line up so when you do actually cut on the line, the two ends are clean and square.

The problem is the radius at all the corners is pretty large. That means something like a Speed Square doesn't have enough width on the leg you put against the edge of the frame to ensure squareness since it doesn't reach down past the radius always.
One of these really helps.
View attachment 166179
I got to get me one of those.
 
Neither Currie nor Savvy tell us to outboard the rear shocks. Yet we do so to make their stuff work better than the basic kits will.

To be fair, we do so because the guy who designed their suspension showed us how to make it work more better by outboarding AND outboarding makes it so we can see the shiny shocks better.
 
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It seems like you could stick a bag into the spring seats right now, raise the axle and find out what the compressed height is. Why not do it and see what happens?

After you tie the frame to the ground. :)

I have taken them up to where I was having clearance issues with suspension parts so that was as far as I could go at the time.
Second thing is I was waiting to get a ball valve and regulator so I can apply some air to the bag as I cycle the suspension. I'm not sure how I am supposed to know it is or isn't damaging something inside the bag? Sure I can run it up to where the internal mounting bungs are almost touching but until I damage one of these bags how am I suppose to know if compressing them to 6" or 4" is okay?

The full stuff pic only tells a very small part of the story. You won't know how much more you need the axle to move up at full stuff until you articulate it.

Yes I know that until I cycle the suspension I won't see how the tire is going to sit in the wheel well. Once I get the Jeep tied down I will play with it some more.
 
How far can you compress the bags with your body weight?

7" is as much as I can compress them myself. Which is about how far I was able to compress them when cycling the suspension. Which goes along with what ORO stated to me also. Add in the 1" mounting plate for the rear and setting the distance between upper and lower spring pads @ 8" is a acceptable number IMHO.
 
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