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by JeepFan
jeepfan@rcn.com
After a few trail rides with a
stock suspension, the underside starts showing too many scars that need not have been had.
I weeded through the sea of kits available for CJs and after hearing varying advice
I decided on Skyjacker. The kit came with 4 new springs, U bolts and bushings.
I also picked up a set of Skyjacker Hydro shocks. I started the job and about
6 hours later my CJ was on the road. It sure is nice having a Jeep that was not
driven on a daily basis and has been apart recently because all of the bolts came out with
little or no hammering. After installation the rear of the body was about 4"
higher and the front was almost 3". (I believe the large increase in the back is due
to the fact the original springs were shot and the back sagged, the fiberglass body helps
too I'm sure.)
The first ride showed an obvious
improvement. I had not installed the swaybar yet and the Jeep was like a wet noodle
and very flexy. I found all the bouncy roads and I was amazed at the
difference. I also added a new Skyjacker Nitro steering stabilizer and a set of
swaybar disconnects in the front.
I find the ride better in all
conditions, the biggest difference is that the bumps are not as jarring and the Jeep seems
to not wander as much.
You can see the difference in arch between the
old and the new.
With the springs in with the new bushings the
difference was evident. The original shocks did not even fit and my rear brake line
was stretched tight (time for a longer one) luckily I added new longer ones in the front a
while ago.
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