Is this part necessary (pic attached)?

[mjtjnj]

Just got my new MT leaf springs from Hell Creek, going to button them up in the next couple of days.  I've swapped the rear on this truck, and put it together the way I found it, which I assume was stock, but who knows?

 

Anyway, there's a part between the spring plate and axle that the U bolts go through, and a friend of mine who was in the yard saw it and said "don't use that, it's LOWERING your rear."  I think it's a stock piece and should be there.  Can anyone confirm or deny?
 

In the pic, it is the thing sitting on top of the brake drum

 

Thanks--

Tom

 

 

[Jeep Driver]

Re-enforcing plate that goes under spring plate, does not effect height.

[HOrnbrod]

[mjtjnj]

Thanks!

[MJCARENA]

Sounds like it was in the wrong place. Should be under the spring plate like the diagram shows.

[HOrnbrod]

This is weird. I just looked under my rig - these plates are missing. Looked them up in the parts manual:

 

52002892, Standard Duty and 52002893, Heavy Duty. And of course neither is available anymore. Either I forgot to put them back on when installing MT springs a few years ago, or my truck never had them. Does everyone have these reinforcement plates under the shock mount plates?

[Strokermjcomanche]

Yes there under both of mine .I think I have an extra set if you want them .

[MJCARENA]

My MJ has them, and also the axle and springs I got from the junk yard has them.

[Jeep Driver]

I have spring plates and re-enforcing plates for sale if anyone wants them.

[HOrnbrod]

Then I must have lost them in the shuffle either when I installed the MT springs or the D44 axle. Two separate evolutions.  :wall:   I must be losing it.....................

 

Been running for over three years w/o them, so they are probably not absolutely mandatory. But it will bug the hell out of me now that I know they are missing.

[Bobolink]

They're on my '90 heavy ton (or big ton or metric ton or whatever it was called that year).

[shelbyluvv]

I don't know if the 89 has them. I'll check tomorrow. I know the 86 doesn't because of the SOA.

[HOrnbrod]

They're on my '90 heavy ton (or big ton or metric ton or whatever it was called that year).

 

A member sent me a pair (thanks Adam), but these were for a Dana 35, and will not fit the D44 axle due to the larger u-bolts and wider hole spacing. And there is not enough metal on them to enlarge the holes to make them fit. There were two separate reinforcement plates available for the MJ throughout the years; one for the D35 axle, and one for the D44; standard and heavy duty. And of course, there are no more available in either flavor. Anyone go SOA with a D44 axle and have these plates left over by any chance or have a clue where they might be available? The HD plate for the D44 is p/n 52002893.