ARGH!!!! Trying to remove rear leafs

[XJ91]

Day 3.

And nothing got done today... :banghead:

Went two Brafascos that are suppose to be open on Saturdays and both were closed. On the way back from one I drop over to the local jeep shop (Jeep Thrills) Use ta be open on Sat, find them closed too. Stop in my local CT and Napa, nobody's got the proper U-Bolts...

I'll have to wait till Monday and head over to my local Spring shop and see if they can make a set of U-Bolts for me...

Man what an ordeal and I've only begun the rear part of my lift.

For the RE 3.5" full leafs, do the U-Bolts have to be 9" long?

 

[Cherokee91Red]

9" is more than enough, Mine our only 8" and there's still plenty of room on top. I did the RE 3.5" spring pack so should be the same.

 

[XJ91]

Update Day 5....Lift from Hell....

Having a new set of U-Bolts made up today at my local spring shop.

Here is a pic of the bracket for the front of the rear leaf spring.
As you can see the sleave from the bushing is fused to the bolt and pushing the bracket out. This happend on both sides.

I was looking at the spring pearch and the original hole is nowhere big enough to allow the RE leaf pin to fit. I'll have to ream out the hole a bit. Also I'll have to grind down the pin on the new leaf's as it is way bigger than the original.

 

[Jeepster4wd]

wow yours is pretty rusted. Mine isnt rusted and was a pita im still trying to get the damn stock leafs out......
good luck with the rest of the install.

 

[DangerBoy]

I feel for you man! Only in Ontario with all that rust. I helped a buddy do his 4" lift and then swapped his springs into my truck... on his truck we cut upper and lower bolts on the rear and ended up butchering the shackles too so we replaced them with MJ's. We were able to get the front bolts clear of the frame but they wouldnt come through the bushings so we cut those too.... over 12 hours with 2 of us working on it.... front was a cake walk though... it only took about an hour to do both sides.

Install on my XJ went about the same way only I snapped the shock mount on the axle... cut, drill, weld.... my only salvation is that the previous owner installed a set of greasable daystar shackles so I only had to fight with the front bolts.

 

[XJ91]

Even though it's a pretty dull day, It's starting to brightenup...

The shop that I bought my lift kit from called me back, asked for the number of the local spring shop and called them up. I can pick up my new proper U-Bolts for nothing....Now that's what I call good business.

 

[Pmike]

This front leaf bolt seems to be a common problem.
When I tried to remove mine, the nut broke off inside the frame, and I had to cut down into the floorboards to grab it with a wrench.
Then, the bushing's sleeve had seized onto the bolt and the bracket bent out like yours did, when i tried to back the bolt out.
Finally, I cut the stubborn thing in two with a hacksaw and got a new bolt.
Here is a pic of bolt after I cut it out.
http://www.pmike.org/Jeep'n/images/p7240408.jpg

What a mess!

 

[Yucca-Man]

Looks like you still have the spacer on there - don't try to install it that way. Remove the spacer and install your degreed shims, or simply remove the spacer if you are running 0* shims (aka shimless)

 

[XJ91]

Looks like you still have the spacer on there - don't try to install it that way. Remove the spacer and install your degreed shims, or simply remove the spacer if you are running 0* shims (aka shimless)

What Spacer? I don't see a spacer on the spring pack..

I will be running 0*. Is that a good or bad thing?

I just figured that I would use my angle grinder and make it as short as the original.

 

[Yucca-Man]

I didn't see it on mine either at first; but there was a short spacer (maybe 1/4") between the lower spring and the actual head of the spring pin. It was the same diameter as the head, and on one pack the seam was almost invisible. On the other pack there was just enough of a deformation in the spacer that I realized it was there. The springpin would have hit the axle tube had I left the spacer in there. C-clamp the pack and remove the springpin and spacer, then replace only the pin.