SOA shocks

[james750]

Will 4-5" shocks work for an SOA setup, I am getting 4.5" front springs and want to know if I buy a full set of four shocks (package deal) rather than 2 4.5" for the front and 2 other shocks of a different length for the back.

[mjeff87]

depends on what you are planning for lower shock mounts. The stock mounts are a part of the spring pads....most folks weld on new mounts when they SOA. I retained the stock pads and am running a set of cheap short shocks with the pads on top of the springs.

 

I have a set of RE weld-on perches to eventually attach to the tubes and get proper shocks but for now my setup works decently (but not as good as it could).

 

Jeff

 

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[james750]

Does that mean that the rear shocks that I currently have will work when it is soa?

[Pete M]

Maybe. I kept the mounts in the same position relative to the leafs and the stock shocks weren't long enough to give me full articulation. I was short an inch or so both up and down. Was never really a problem though. But I do look forward to my next trip out now that I have the long MX6s. :D Make sure your bumpstops are stopping your uptravel, not your shocks.

 

 

 

[89eliminator]

i would weld new mounts on right off the bat.

 

i can't remember the exact measurements of my shocks, but they are in the neighborhood of 18" collapsed/30" extended.

 

my mounts

[Pete M]

While we're on the subject, this is my current setup:

 

[james750]

depends on what you are planning for lower shock mounts. The stock mounts are a part of the spring pads....most folks weld on new mounts when they SOA. I retained the stock pads and am running a set of cheap short shocks with the pads on top of the springs.

 

I have a set of RE weld-on perches to eventually attach to the tubes and get proper shocks but for now my setup works decently (but not as good as it could).

 

Jeff

 

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Are these the same length shocks you had when your setup was SUA? If not, how much bigger are they? smaller?

[pingpong]

I can tell you they are not the same shocks. I helped Jeff do the swap... I think those are from a yota or something. Jeff left my house with no shocks installed If I remember right

[mjeff87]

yeah, those are a set of Taco shocks (Monroe, cheeep) and they are much shorter than stock. Something like 11"/17" if I remember.

 

Driving 70 miles home from Pat's without any rear shocks......fun, to say the least ;)

 

Jeff

[CWLONGSHOT]

While we're on the subject, this is my current setup:

 

 

Mine too!!

 

 

Once I'm better, I want to rework the steep angle I have mine at. Since the addition of the new leafs. I am getting a bit of reverb after a bump. I'm thinking that the severe angle is negating some of the rebound in the shocks. When I made the upper mount, I drilled for multiple mounting points. But because my shocks are a bit long, I'll have to rework my lower mounts to compensate. Fun little project.

 

CW

[BLHTAZ]

While we're on the subject, this is my current setup:

 

Looks like you are one of the nearly extinct breed that still believe in boots on your shocks ;) .

Shock boots cause more damage than they do good so everyone I know has stopped using them and all the shops that I am associated with encourage people to stay away from them.

 

 

:hijack: Sorry...but, I just haven't seen boots on shocks in a long time and it surprised me to see them on a Jeep from up North.

[Pete M]

I put them on mostly because I knew the truck wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Plus, the boots are only a bad thing when people don't pull them off after playtime to do some simple maintenance and cleaning. :thumbsup:

[bigd44889]

hay pete how does that ride on the street mounted like that been thinking of setting mine up simaler to what u have

[james750]

Is there any way to calculate the size shocks I am going to need after I do the spring over. :huh???:

[Pete M]

hay pete how does that ride on the street mounted like that been thinking of setting mine up simaler to what u have

 

 

Don't know yet. All it's done is putter across the street to it's spot in the parking lot. There's more work to be done before it's street worthy again.

[89eliminator]

Is there any way to calculate the size shocks I am going to need after I do the spring over. :huh???:

 

its all relative to how you are going to mount them, length until you hit the bumpstop, and how far of down travel you need/want. figure out how your going to mount them first. them measure from bumpstop to top of axle. you want an uptravel that won't exceed that measurement.

[james750]

I want to mount them on the spring pads temporarily after I get the SOA and new axles installed (just for this coming wheeling season and getting home after).I would not know that measurement until I get the SOA done. Could I install the current shocks for just the road drive home?

[james750]

Looking some more into this, the axle that is going in for the SOA is an XJ 8.25, and it has the stock XJ shock mounts... Are the XJ shock mounts by chance at the same depth below the axle as are the MJ? If so maybe I can just use MJ 4.5-5.5" shocks on it and put them in the stock XJ location.

Also, a semi related question, are the spring perches on an XJ the same distance apart as on an MJ?

[Pete M]

The spring perches are different widths apart.

I don't think the stock XJ mounts are usable.

All I did for my 88 was trim the shock mounts a bit to clear the axle tube and mounted them right between the leafs and spring perch. Every picture you see of my 88 wheeling it is using the stock MJ shocks in the stock MJ shock orientation, just the leafs are SOA. Worked out great! (even though it was done spur-of-the-moment out of necessity rather than any "plan") :thumbsup:

[mvusse]

Gotta wait for the snow and ice to melt to look underneath my XJ to see how the axle end of the shocks are mounted, but if they fasten directly to the axle, you might be able to use the stock XJ shock mounts.

[CWLONGSHOT]

XJ shock set ups are totally different. You MIGHT be able to cut one off and re-weld it to work, but as they are no they are not useable.

 

They are stagered, one in front and one behind the axle.

 

CW

[Rokhound]

here is my set up there 2 wd drive rear ranger shocks :nuts:

 

i made my shock mounts out of some trailer spring perches and a bolt

 

[LEAD_NOT_FOLLOW]

I just reused the factory perch setup. Personally I'd rather sacrifice a small mount of ground clearance to run a longer travel shock. I've got 16" of travel with my current setup.

 

[mvusse]

Are you running square U-bolts parallel to the axle with that setup? If you can tell me how you did that, I think I just found how I want to do mine when I go SOA.

 

The longer the shock, the more travel they have, and a little less ground clearance that close to the tire will (or at least should) not matter.

[LEAD_NOT_FOLLOW]

Are you running square U-bolts parallel to the axle with that setup? If you can tell me how you did that, I think I just found how I want to do mine when I go SOA.

 

The longer the shock, the more travel they have, and a little less ground clearance that close to the tire will (or at least should) not matter.

I'm running Motion's bolt-on SOA kit. I just kept the shock mount plate on the bottom, ran 4 bolts up threw it, and used the new top plate provided in the kit. Works well and like you said, it's not much clearance loss and I'm able to run a longer travel shock that way. Everything was bolt-on and I didn't modify anything.