MJ rear coils

ive been thinking about it and it really seems like a good idea to me. i recall a blazer that was on all coils and it was a beast. has anyone on here had it done or has anyone seen an MJ with it done? how much work would it really be and would the end results be worth it? I'm thinking yes

I'm sure it's been done. gotta dump the gas tank so you can fit in a 4link. gotta design a 4link so it works properly and doesn't tear itself out of the uniframe. you could then hack off the back of the bed for 90* departure angle. and I'm sure you could get more flex.

but my leafs work so dang well, I have a hard time seeing how much more benefit I'd get. :dunno: but then, I guess I don't tackle rocks at all.

oh, okay, so not much work at all. :D

if its been done id like to see pics for sure. overall though i think it'd be a good upgrade for a serious trail rig. sure leafs work fine too but coils just go the distance. couldnt you just make a crossmember (or something) that fits the rear, fab up the mounts on the axle and your in business

and if you went that far i believe the bed would be long gone by that point

Only problem I see is you were just asking about off the shelf longarms so I'm gonna guess you have no experience building something like that.

I figure if you could pull this off why not make the front arms too.

I put my 91 SWB on air bags using home made arms mounted to the spring perch in front and used a stinger from the rear axle to a mount on the body near the transfer case. it is not a bolt in you do have to fab up the arms,mounts, stinger and axle mounts. It rides great and has nice manners on and off road. I see if I can get some pictures up.

J B Cuz

 

Only problem I see is you were just asking about off the shelf longarms so I'm gonna guess you have no experience building something like that.

 

I figure if you could pull this off why not make the front arms too.

that pic right there is why coils front and rear make the world go round .

yup i have no experience other then welding random tractor equipment at work but i do know a few guys that like to fab up stuff. just thought id see if anyone has done it already for a point of reference. I'm still very interested in doing it and if i do start in you better believe ill make my own front arms too

My biggest complaint about coils is that they don't take a lot of extra weight very good. My TJ squats like a dog when loaded up with crap. You would loose much of the MJs payload capacity with coils, unless you wanted to bag it and install a swaybar.

On a trail rig a properly set up 4link performs nothing like leaf springs. I suspect you could adapt a weld on TJ long arm kit (such as Clayton) to work on the MJ.

Instead of dealing coil buckets, why not consider coilovers?

if you want an RTI ramp champ then i could maybe see why you would switch to links in the back. for me, i could never outweigh the benefits to the cost to linking the back of my truck. maybe it depends on what region you are wheeling, but in the midwest, i don't have any complaints.

you also have to do some engineering to get it to work properly. i have seen a LOT of homebuilt link setups work like garbage.

I'm sure it's been done. gotta dump the gas tank so you can fit in a 4link. gotta design a 4link so it works properly and doesn't tear itself out of the uniframe. you could then hack off the back of the bed for 90* departure angle. and I'm sure you could get more flex.

 

but my leafs work so dang well, I have a hard time seeing how much more benefit I'd get. :dunno: but then, I guess I don't tackle rocks at all.

 

pete, this thing rules.....

was going to do this to my last XJ, now got a MJ again and I'm converting to leafs up front, something about this pic says I'll be ok...

but if you want to look into coil in the rear, read through this thread, give you good idea about how to set it up, and one plus is MJ as a removable bed so easier to work on. :yes:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthre ... p=10045183

that thing rules too!

haha and i was just thinking about a "post your flex" thread :popcorn:

i don't know, it was just a thought. a lot of work but I'm sure itd be well worth it. don't get me wrong i don't have anything against leafs, it just seems coils are more,, adsorbent,, i guess is the word. for the way i drive the leafs just don't seem to cut it. in most situations yes but not in the sticky ones where I'm sitting looking at the front, ready to go, more flex in it and the back totally flexed out doing the one wheel thing. a locker prolly would help but thats not the point now is it. :roll:

There is a flex thread on here somewhere.

IMO you need to get your current suspension set up right before worrying about rear coils,what you have now can't possably flex very well. The RC 4.5" is a good kit for the money but it doesn't perform like a higher end kit.

You might get everything right and find that the leaf springs flex better then you think.

A couple of pictures of my air suspension.

by using air I can change to pressure to compensate for any load I can get in the bed, or on the trailer. The heaviest was aroud 2800# of oak for the fire place at the farm.

J B Cuz

http://www.jeeptech.com/susp/elliptical.html

Cheap, easy, effective and will probably give you what you are looking for.

A couple of pictures of my air suspension.

 

by using air I can change to pressure to compensate for any load I can get in the bed, or on the trailer. The heaviest was aroud 2800# of oak for the fire place at the farm.

 

J B Cuz

That is beautiful! Any parts lists, links to build, or other pictures? Seems like a wonderful way to have a nice ride and load capacity at the same time.

It is all a custom build. I used RE builder parts for the arms and bought 2.5" wall DOM. For the stinger I used 1.25x.125 Dom and .250 flat stock. The part around the carrier is .250x6" flat stock cut and welded into shape. I used a whole saw to get the axle tube radius.

Does this help you out. Let me know if you need more pics.

J B Cuz

JB, do you have a project thread yet?

I plan on it this spring. Just have to make time.

J B Cuz

i have the rustys rear link for mine and its great, its for a cherokee but it worked with minimal mods

i have the rustys rear link for mine and its great, its for a cherokee but it worked with minimal mods

What were the mods?

i had to modify the cross member

Are you running air bags up front too?

But I think if it were me I'd probably retain the leafs (albeit with a one or two removed) to locate the axle and mount the airbags up above the leafs for weight capacity. Might have problems with axle wrap though.

First....you will hate 3/4 elip if you go that route.

I would consider keeping the leafs. One of the reason Cherokee's and Comanches do so well is the coil front leaf rear setup. You get to keep stability in the rear with the leafs while getting good flex out of the front. Ideally for climbing etc this is a great setup. It allows the front to conform and the rear to be stable and keep the rig from unloading, twisting under tourqe. Unless you have a great (perfect) link geometry and great fab skills, the time and money involved will not create a advantage to your rig.

Just my two cents.

Cheers, Jason

A couple of pictures of my air suspension.

 

by using air I can change to pressure to compensate for any load I can get in the bed, or on the trailer. The heaviest was aroud 2800# of oak for the fire place at the farm.

 

J B Cuz