Hello. I'm replacing the rear leaf springs on my 1999 XJ. I do not do any off roading. Just drive around town and really just looking to replace what are probably the original springs (200,000 miles). I've narrowed down my search to using either Crown 52000707 or General SpringsKC SKU: 97-547. The Crown has a load rating of 605lbs ($130 each) and the General has a load rating of 755lbs ($160 each). The General's also come with bushings installed, whereas Crown does not. I was all set to order the Generals but have read some unflattering remarks (and also plenty of positive remarks). They also charge $80 for shipping whereas the Crowns ship free (from Quadratec). I'm asking if anyone has any input to help me decide on either of these 2. I've not done a leaf spring replacement before and any suggestions would be a help. Thank you.

 

Start soaking all the bolts with penetrating oil - repeat daily for as long as possible.

Make sure you have good jack stands or plenty of wood blocks.

Probably safer to break free the leaf bolts while all 4 tires are on the ground.

Sometimes they can be a dog and you have to get out the breaker bar and 4 foot pipe and turn them 1/6 of a rotation at a time and for the next 3 hours you'll be very unhappy. And then right before they come out, they will snap and then you'll have a bigger problem to deal with. If that doesn't happen, you're lucky. I have heard about the bolts getting seized to the collar inside the bushing and that preventing the bolts from coming out.

The Leaf bolts can be a real pain. But they might just come right out also. You won't know until you go to do it. Have some never seize handy when you put the bolts back. New bolts would be a bonus. Regionoffroad sells a nice set.

If the axle U-bolts are rusty and hateful - just replace them with new.

 

Thanks for the Region OffRoad referral. The Crown brand bolts I was going to order (the LeafBolts) are impossible to find anywhere. Nobody has them in stock (stock fulfillment issue). So the RegionOffRoad product will work fine. Thanks again.

 

Also, I forgot to mention. Do one side at a time. It makes everything a little easier if the axle stays put on the other side.

 

Just my personal experience:
I wanted to get the 97-547 springs for my Jeep because it had the UpCountry lift originally. These springs will give you about an inch of lift overstock. They work with the OEM shocks.

The 97-547 springs are made by Dayton. So wherever you buy those springs whether it be General Spring, or you buy Dorman from RockAuto or Ebay they're the same spring. I bought one Dorman spring from eBay and one from General spring since eBay didn't have two in stock.
The spring I received from General Spring was identical, except the nylon spring tip isolators were broken and needed to be replaced. General spring expected me to take the spring apart and replace them myself, and it took a couple months to finally get them to ship it back and a full refund. My personal experience with their customer service team was very bad though I remained kind and reasonable the whole time. Regardless, I would just buy a couple Dorman Springs since they are cheaper and the same thing.

Keep in mind this is just my personal experience, and may not reflect on their company as a whole.

 

Thanks for your thoughts, Jake. I did wind up ordering the 97-547 from General. I'll see how it goes. I liked that the bushings were already installed....... One thing on the positive note, about 15 minutes after I placed my order I received a notice the springs were shipped. Maybe just a shipping label was prepared, but still, fast ..... so far. Hopefully the springs will arrive fresh and good with no issues.

 

Just make sure you just thread the bolts in enough to be safe while the jeep is in the air but don't tighten them.
When both side are replaced lower the jeep so the weight is on the suspension. Bounce it up and down some to settle it then tighten everything on the ground. This will allow the suspension to be sitting in it's normal stance while tightening.
When I changed my springs, I torqued everything in the air, and when I lowered it one side was an inch higher than the other. Followed the correct procedure and it was good.