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I've done a lot of searching today and have found so many different opinions I don't know what to think. I can't decide what route to go. At this time I'm running 2" lift but I'm switching to long arm so I have to go 4" at the least. Going the SOA route seems like the thing to do but what all do I need to make this work? Every write up I found the person was doing an axle swap at the same time. I'm sticking with the d35. What spring perches do I need to buy to weld on? What do I need to do for the shocks? Is SOA the route to go? Or should I buy the rusty's 4" leaf packs and stay spring under? Thanks for any advice.

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SOA is the easiest and cheapest way to get 5 or 6 inches of lift. You need perches for 2.5" wide springs and a 2.75" axle tube. I bought mine from amazon. You will also need shock mounts to weld on, you can reuse your original mounts, but it takes some work, and probably some really short shocks.

 

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SOA is NOT the way to go if you're looking for 4 inches of lift. SOA is going to net you a minimum of about 5-1/2 inches.

 

 

Ya I think I've decided not to go that route, but now I have to decide how I'm going to get 4-4.5" of lift in the rear. I can't find any reviews on Rusty's 4" leaf packs. I already have 2" shackles but really don't like the idea of an add a leaf

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I have soa on two trucks.  On the comanche with flush spring perches and stock old leafs on an 8.8 ford rear it took 5.5 springs up front with 1 3/4 spacers on top to be slightly nose down.  And took 35 inch tires to make it look ok, 33s were too small.   Don't ever invest money on a dana 35 including putting new springs on it.  They are junk.  Just put an 8 1/4 rear in if you want to do it cheap.

 

Buy the correct width perches mentioned above then cut them, the c section,  so they sit right on top of the axle to minimize lift.

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Ya I think I've decided not to go that route, but now I have to decide how I'm going to get 4-4.5" of lift in the rear. I can't find any reviews on Rusty's 4" leaf packs. I already have 2" shackles but really don't like the idea of an add a leaf

 

 

I think you would do well with a bastard pack. Get some junkyard springs out of a Dakota or S10 -- one of the years that were spring under -- and make your own AALs. There's nothing wrong with a full-length AAL. After all, one of the factory versions of the Metric Ton suspension was a 4-leaf pack with the overload. How is that different from a 3-leaf pack with an AAL?

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I recently went SOA on a D35 to match long arms in the front. It netted me roughly 5 1/4" in the rear & with 4.5" coils upfront the rake is not much different than stock. In hindsight I wish I would've searched harder for a D40 and D44/8.8 as you're already doing most of the work for swapping axles (especially if you're installing long arms upfront). Hope this helps!

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I recently went SOA on a D35 to match long arms in the front. It netted me roughly 5 1/4" in the rear & with 4.5" coils upfront the rake is not much different than stock. In hindsight I wish I would've searched harder for a D40 and D44/8.8 as you're already doing most of the work for swapping axles (especially if you're installing long arms upfront). Hope this helps!

 

I'm trying to research the same rear axle set up...I want a D44 or Ford 8.8 to make it cheap, but I don't want a HUGE lift in the rear.... I just ordered JKS adjustable LCA and UCA...and 4.5" springs, drop pitman, extended brake lines, etc. for the front.

 

Could you post a side pic or two and more about your set up? Did you use the stock (saggy :)) rear leaf springs? Is there another way to reduce the amount of lift when going SOA..? So it doesn't look all raked out?

 

Thanks!

 

Could you post

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Today I decided I should probably do the SOA. I have been under the impression this whole time I had a D35 rear. We'll today I realized I have a D44. I didn't want to lift it too tall before because I didn't want to run too big of tires on a d35. Now that I know I have a D44 I plan on running 33's, so the SOA conversion plus my shackles that gave me about 1.75" lift, what do you think I will end up with having to match the front? The shackles are adjustable. I can drop them down to where they would probably give .75-1".

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Probably a 6.5" or 7" lift spring for the front.  It's going to vary a bit but I'm guessing you would be able to get it level with your shackles using a spring in that range.  Also, not all lift springs are advertised height, they vary a bit, and may or may not settle a bit.

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@Comanche Aficianado I stuck with the factory leaf springs in the back. I considered swapping in a pair of XJ shackles depending on how the rake looked but opted not to after finishing the lift. The XJ shackles are an inch shorter I believe (maybe .5) but I'm not positive if this works the best with suspension performance. 

 

I haven't posted a pic in a comment before so bear with me if it doesnt work.

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  • 9 months later...
7 hours ago, Pete M said:

I flipped mine, but I was also replacing them anyways since I added a leaf in tot he pack.  I used grade 8 cap screws from Lowes.  

How did you pull out the rounded stud on top?

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1 hour ago, Pete M said:

rounded stud?  it's been a minute (or a decade) since I did it and I'm not sure what you mean.

The centering pin on my leaf packs have the pin that goes though the middle, since it was sua originally, the pin has a nut on the bottom and the part that sticks out is round and has no where to grab it by to undo the nut. Like no allen or flat spots

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3 hours ago, Swampy said:

The centering pin on my leaf packs have the pin that goes though the middle, since it was sua originally, the pin has a nut on the bottom and the part that sticks out is round and has no where to grab it by to undo the nut. Like no allen or flat spots

 

They're one time use.  Cut it off and get a new one.  Any decent parts store has them.  Leaf spring center pin is the correct term.

 

Normally the head has a slot in it though...  It's just to hold it to tighten it though.

 

 

Edit - Often you don't have to put a new center pin in when doing a SOA, as the diameter of the nut is normally the same as the pin head.  But it would be more correct to change it out.  I honestly couldn't tell you if I did or not when I did the SOA on my current MJ though. :laugh:

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I just file off the corners of the centering pin nut and stick it in the centering hole of the spring pad if the spring packs stay the same. I’m going to be making new weld on spring pads with a shock mount hole built in (they will be slightly longer towards the back so the shock goes into OEM position like SUA and stock shocks are used)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

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Just grab the round head of the centering pin (bolt) with ViseGrips. Be sure to put a BIG C-clamp or two on the spring near the pin and clamp it/them down tight to take the tension off the bolt as you unscrew the nut. Once the nut is off, release the C-clamp(s) slowly.

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20 minutes ago, Eagle said:

Just grab the round head of the centering pin (bolt) with ViseGrips. Be sure to put a BIG C-clamp or two on the spring near the pin and clamp it/them down tight to take the tension off the bolt as you unscrew the nut. Once the nut is off, release the C-clamp(s) slowly.

 

I second this method, but I wouldn't let off the c-clamp until you put in a new centering pin... 

 

I ordered new centering pins from Rubicon Express (via Amazon) but take note of the head size versus your perches. I had to drill out my MORE perches to match the new head.

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5 hours ago, Skorpyo said:

 

I second this method, but I wouldn't let off the c-clamp until you put in a new centering pin... 

 

 

True, if you're only flipping the pins top-to-bottom. Any time I've taken the pins out of leaf springs I've been putting together bastard packs, so I open up the packs, scrape, wire brush and de-rust each leaf, paint, and then reassemble. I confess that it never occurred to me that anyone might NOT de-rust and paint the leaves when presented with the opportunity.

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5 hours ago, Swampy said:

Dang so they are one time use only... i have to take them back out now. And get some bolts or something

 

No, they are not one-time-only. If they aren't damaged or badly rusted, reuse them all you want.

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