Suspension modifications
This will never come to an end!
The attempts I have made over the years to make my Wagoneer a trail-worthy rig have resulted in a very long story filled with trial and errors. However, I feel now I have a suspension setup that gives me the best compromise between spent cash and axle articulation while still using a leaf-spring concept.My first suspension modification was a Trailmaster 4" lift kit with new springs up front and add-a-leafs and 2" block in the rear. I also had Trailmaster shocks front and rear. This setup would just clear my 33" mud-terrains when I drove on-highway, but it rubbed like hell in the woods. To help this I put a 3" body lift on the Wag. |
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This setup worked quite alright with the 33's but it would still rub in the rear so I made new wheelwell's. After a while the drawbacks of add-a-leafs and blocks in the back began to roar it's ugly head. The ride was stiff both on- and off-road, and the fact that the add-a-leafs was about half the length of the stock springs soon made the springs turn into s-shape. Another bad thing with this setup was very uncontrolled ride resulting in very heavy spring wrap upon acceleration. Something had to be done..
Front suspension
After the front Trailmaster springs loosened up their initial stiffness, they delivered a very pleasant and soft ride. The con where really the shock which was to short for the spring articulation. I decided to keep the front springs and instead install the longest affordable shock I could find, Rancho's RS 9012. This shock has a stroke of about 13" in comparison to the Trailmasters smallish 8,7" stroke. It was obvious that they could not be installed using the original mounts, so new ones had to be fabricated.
Because the frame is narrower at the front I could use the same design as the dual shock hoop kits you can buy for Toyotas and others. Of course no one make such a thing for the Wag, so I made a hoop using 1 1/4 inch thick-walled tubing.This goes all the way up the the inner fender. The mount are welded onto a 1/4 inch steel plate using the original bolts against the frame. I did add one bolt on the front of the plate. To add stability I tied the left and right hoop together with a tube across the engine. This is attached with 12mm bolts and bushings.
The engine oil pan limits the upwards travel of the axle and I did not want them to become close so I designed the mounts to have a little more drop than compression. This will further aid articulation if/when I switch to a coil-spring suspension instead of leafs. The new mount have room for a second RS 9012 if I find that's being necessary. However, the driving I have done so far have proved one 9012 necessary more than enough.
Rear Suspension
This was a bit more complicated than the front. The add-a-leaf/block setup that came with the Trailmaster lift soon destroyed the original rear springs and had a way too stiff ride. I got myself a new set of rear leafs from a 79 Cherokee and flipped the rear shackles. This gave me around 2 inch of lift and a much better ride. However, the rear was still about 2 inches lower than the front so I fabricated a pair of 2 inch blocks as well. When you flip the shackles your drive line angle will be destroyed, so to correct this I took of the spring mounts on the axle and set the Jeep down on the axles with the pinion pointing way to much down. I then measured the drive line angle out of the transfer case and used a bottle jack to raise the pinion to achieve the proper angle. When this was set I tack-welded the pads in place and double-checked the angles, before I removed the axle to make a proper weld.
Another problem occurred when it was time to install the RS 9012's. I didn't want the shocks to poke through the floor and there were not enough room between the frame and the wheel to mount them in a similar way as the front. The solution was a bar going from the left frame rail to the right. Because of the 3 inch body-lift there were more room between the frame and the body, but I still had to move the upper attachment a bit to the rear. I also rotated the lower shock mount to keep them from hanging lower than the axle tubes.
Did it work??
The articulation are still somewhat limited by the leaf spring, but I think I have come as far as I can without altering the leaf thickness or lengths. The Wagoneer flexes very well and it is usually no problem keeping the wheels on the ground. I have not had a change to measure RTI so I don't have exact number but I suspect around 700-800. Another very pleasant thing about the Rancho's are their adjustability. I can have a stiff ride on the road so the Wag don't act like a boat in rough sea, and a soft, smooth ride in the terrain. I usually run the front at 4 and the rear at 3 on the highway and both at 1-2 off-road. This is opposite of what Rancho recommences, but it works for me..
Old and new shock compared
This is my old Trailmaster shocks pictured side by side with my new Ranchos. There may not seems to be much difference in the works, but mounted on the Wag it really makes a new world !
Questions ?
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