CJ8 JEEP LIFT

Q

I have a stock 1983 cj8 jeep. I’m wanting to put different leaf springs under it, along with shackles. I want to know what jeep years would interchange. I once was told that the newer jeep leafs will fit and lift. I don’t know what make and model or how hard it would be to switch out? Also will cj7 shackles work?

A

’76-’86 leaf springs are the same, but none of these (stock ones anyway) will lift your Jeep higher than it is now, unless your current springs are completely shot/sagging. All CJ shackles (again from ’76-’86) are interchangeable between CJ-5, CJ-7 and CJ-8.

The only Scrambler specific items are things that are affected by the wheelbase difference between a 7 and an 8 like the rear driveshaft. Because of the extra wheelbase length, you can typically keep your stock rear shaft and not run a t-case drop or switch to a CV shaft with a 4″ suspension lift. I’d suggest reading the driveshaft tech articles at 4xshaft.com so that you can gain an understanding.

Q

The leaf springs are shot. I’m just looking for 2-3 lift from stock height. Will I need any other hardware if I put stock leafs and 2″-2″1/4 shackles (lengthen brake lines etc)?
What would be a good low cost suspension lift say, 4″-5″? What would be other hardware that would be needed? (pitman arm, lines. etc)?

A

So it sounds like you want to replace worn out springs and also do a lift. Why not get a set of lift springs? Doing a 2 1/2″ lift with just shackles requires shackles that are 4″ longer than stock shackles.
Check with Quadratec or 4wd Hardware catalogs, lots of options in there.

Amount & type of lift will determine what else you need to do. Typically, if you stick with a 2 1/2″ suspension lift you don’t have to mess with much else. Tall shackle lifts are a bad idea, throws the front end geometry (caster) out of whack, detracts from lateral stability, can affect ride quality, and flat out looks goofy.

Now, exactly how much lift are you after? Also what size tires are you planning to run with that lift? Larger tires often lead to needing to do other things like re-gearing and installing 1-piece axle shafts in the AMC 20 rear.

Q

I want to run 33′s or 35′s. I want good ground clearance but still be very road functional.

A

At 35′s, you’re definitely drifting into more modifications & money. You’ll need 4″+ of lift which means you’ll definitely need to look over that driveshaft tech info, install longer brake hoses, address the steering, beef up the AMC 20 rear, re-gear, and depending on usage beef up the Dana 30 front as well.
You’re probably going to want to stick with 33′s…the stock axles can safely handle that without beefing them up (though you may still want to do the 1-piece shafts in the rear), unless you’ve got 2.73′s you’ll be on the border of whether or not you’ll want/need to re-gear, and you can use a 2.5″ lift and maybe supplement it with some heavy duty greaseable shackles.

Another option is a spring over. It will give you an additional three inches to any new spring installation, Procomp and Skyjacker are two both good installations for the same lift. Procomp will give you a stiffer ride. Skyjacker is some what softer. Just remember to install longer shocks, brake lines (Mid 80,s chevy trucks will work), pitman arm (4″ offset), correct stabilizer linkage, rear angle block (6 deg), etc. Look at my two scramblers on www.raysjeeps,net, one street and one off road.

Another note about bigger tires. I recommend not putting the maximum air pressure in them.

Lower the air pressure by 5-7 lbs. You may not get the best gas milage but will have a softer ride. Jeeps do not get very good milage anyway.

CJ JEEP BED REPAIRS

I’m looking for someone who may have pieces of rear bed panel that they are
willing to part with to make repair from what looks to be fertilizer spill. Or can you do the repairs yourself?  In particular the left rear 10″ between the rear floor support/rollbar brace and tailgate end support. Bed is in good condition otherwise and do not want to replace the entire bed. Any help or advice would be most appreciated.

You can get replacement panels at http://www.classicent.com/jeep.php

I have a picture of the bed.

Thanks for the pic, more or less I could use any section to make repairs needed as the profile of the ribs should align. I feel that finding exactly the same area that is rotted out is slim due to being welded into the tailgate support. A much larger area would have to be cut out to get to weldable metal. I have used replacement pieces (corners, floor supports, and foot boards) from Classicent before however the ribs on the bed panel have a different profile than OEM.

Very interested and will cover cost of goods and your service, within reason of course.

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