The front springs weren't too troublesome. I guess it helps that the front suspension is hanging down nearly on the ground. A little wrestling and I worked them out no problem.



If you're wondering why the sway bar endlinks are still there, it's because I was working ahead at the time I took the pic while letting the Freeze-off (poor man's PB Blaster) penetrate.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the new vs. old springs:


At first I was kind of unimpressed by the difference. I dunno, I guess I expected more. Then I got to thinking. It's probably not so much the unloaded length of the spring that matters. More likely, it's the resistance to compression (and concomitant stiffness) that the new springs offer which provides the lift. This was kind of evident in retrospect after wrestling both new and old springs, the new ones are just were easier to maneuver.

 

bummer man! keep up the nice build pics and write up! we all love these! esp the picture part!

 

Pretty straightforward here. 2 bolts, a little impact action, done.




However, I did notice something during the wrenching process of the LCA removal. As I was pulling up on the LCA's axle mounting bolt I noticed a little grease spewing from the front driveshaft near where the driveshaft mates up the front differential. I didn't even know driveshafts were greased internally? I thought they were solid. Here's a pic of what I'm talking about:


Should I get this looked at? I guess it's possible that a seal or something was broken during all the movement the front axle has been experiencing during the install. Perhaps it put a little too much stress on the driveshaft.

 

Haha thanks. I guess this IS more of a write-up than a build thread... Maybe it'll end up being a compilation of my write-ups.

I like all the pics too and I'm def gonna keep them coming. I think they're especially helpful to us newbies out there who might be a little reluctant to take on a big build project (not that this is necessarily big to some of you professional mechanics out there). It's always nice to see what you're getting into before you dive in. I've already learned a lot in the past few days.

 

my driveshaft poops grease like that sometimes too

 

Build quality, fit and finish appear to be great. Welds look strong. Anxious to see how they perform.



They're adjustable and greaseable.

 

It did kind of remind me of diarrhea.

 

The front springs were a little difficult to set in place but I eventually worked them in with the help of some rented spring compressors from Autozone. I forgot to take pictures, but they're pretty self-explanatory. Put 'em on, screw them down to compress. It definitely took a lot more muscle with the stiffer, larger aftermarket upgrades. It helps to have the front axle fully dropped, but I could only go as far as the brake lines permitted and didn't feel like disconnecting them at the time.

Here they are, in all their glory:
Driver side


Passenger side

 

I had to deviate from the lift kit instructions a little here. Normally you would be installing the RC LCA's but since I'm also installing the control arm drop kit I decided to remove the UCA's at this time.

The axle mount bolts came off in a snap with the impact gun, but the frame bolts were annoying. The space was too small for a ratchet and some how, I didn't even own a 15mm wrench. Oh well, off to Lowe's where I bought a whole set of the nice ratcheting kind! The frame bolts were tough to break free, you dont get much leverage with a small wrench and tight spaces. I don't really own a breaker bar either, though sometimes I can rig up my jack handle for that use. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough room underneath the Jeep.

No more factory UCA's:



At this point, the only thing really keeping the axle in place is the steering system and driveshaft.

Uppers:

 

So far so good. Not bad for a novice mechanic with limited tools. Though I have recently added quite a bit to my tool arsenal. Take a look at some of the things I've bought in just the last couple days:



Every time I need something, I just go get it.

Tomorrow, hopefully I'll be finishing up the front end and heading towards the rear. Updates to follow.

 

good luck on the rear.. its a lot harder then the front end, at least mine was.

 

looking good..reminds me of my January..do the guys at the store know you by name yet.. i spent more time in the auto/hardware stores than i did under the jeep.. x2 on the rear being a super pain..when you start the rear get your self a good breaker bar and a piece of pipe to slip over it for a little extra persuassion to remove the bolts that connect the spring to the body and shackles. my impact snapped them off because they were rusted to the spring bushing. and to make a little more room a set of truck and suv jack stands worked great for me and were only 40 bucks. good luck and great work so far..cant wait to see it back in action

 

The rear spring to body bolts are such a pain. Doing my lift we had a 4 ft breaker bar with an extra foot of pipe on the end and couldnt budge it. Took 4 guys and 2 cans of PB blaster to get it to move finally.

 

DUDE!!! Your jeep looks exact ally like mine and we did ALOT of things EXACT ALLY similar. Like the impact gun, rims, tool, etc... This is SO weird...

 

Thanks, but that's not good news. I was under the impression it was "easier", basically because there are less components to deal with.

LOL, I think I went to Autozone LITERALLY 3 times yesterday. Not to mention a visit to Harbor Freight and even Lowes, all for items I needed while working on the Jeep.

I've had my eye on those truck/suv jack stands for a few days now. But everytime I go to the store I keep telling myself that I don't need them. It would be nice to have a few extra inches of work space though. I may try placing the stands I have on cinder blocks.

Wonder where I can get a big 'ole piece of pipe for something to use for a breaker.......

Deja vu!