coil spacer question?

[desertrandy]

A few months ago I installed a Rubicon Express 3.5" superflex lift kit on my 1992 cherokee. The kit came with new leaf springs, however, after hitting the california deserts fully loaded with two spares, gerry cans and all my camping supplies and tools the rear end started to sag. I installed 1" lift shackles in the rear and solved the problem. Since then I have installed a winch bumper and winch and my new problem is the front end in now much lower then the rear.
I would like to install 1" - 1.5" coil spring spacers in the front to compensate for ride height. My question is will I need to change out the lower control arms for longer ones and will I have to modify my trac bar with an adjustable one. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

 

[jeepnuts311]

your kit came with lower control arms?

if you are just adding a coil spacer to make up for the lost height due to the added weight of a bumper and winch you should be ok, but if you are going for about 4" or so, i would get upper control arms, and adjustable track bar.

-tim

 

[desertrandy]

Yes, my lift kit came with new lower control arms. My main worry is the traction bar. When I installed the lift kit I followed RE instructions and drilled out a new mounting hole about 3/4" from the stock hole on the axle. This has always worried me and I found out later I could have bought a relocation bracket or an adjustable trac bar. Now, if I install coil spring spacers I worry it is going to throw of the traction bar mount again.

 

[jeepnuts311]

yeah, the adjustable track bar would be the best way to go because it leaves you with adjustment room.

the drop bracket is a bad idea IMHO because it would increase the leverage on the unibody and cause extra stresses.

if you are worried that the axle bracket for the track bar is too flimsy (which it is) you can weld a reinforcement over it. what i did was cut a 1/4" plate steel in the exact shape of the bracket and weld it on top of it, and drill a new hole in the stock location this beefed it up quite a bit. similar to what jason did on jeepin.com.

-tim

 

[desertrandy]

I had a feeling I should go with an adjustable trac bar. Thanks.

 

[ricot83]

if you are using the spacers to get back to original lift height before adding the winch and bumper.. etc, then i see no problem coming from adding that lost inch back in with a spacer, it should put everything right back to where the lift originally was before the added weight.

 

[jeepnuts311]

the rubicon express springs have a rate of about 300 lb/in from what i can tell. if two or in my case 3 people stand on the front of the bumper it will lower about 1 inch. most bumpers are about 50-80 lbs and winches are about 100 so he is looking at 3/4" loss. if he goes with a 1.5" spacer it will give him a little more than he lost

-tim