I backed the Jeep into my humble little garage and removed the rear wheels to get started on the back. The rear is considerably easier than the front and took about 1/4 of the time. The old springs and shackle mounts were removed (a). The rear springs were installed along with the new upper shackle mounts (b & c). The axle was then placed on the springs and the u-bolts and u-bolt plates were installed (d).
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After the rear was all assembled I pulled the Jeep out of the garage for a look. Here is a shot of the garage door clearance I have. Forget putting the top on for now!
It was immediately apparent that the Jeep was much higher than before. The measurements were now 25.5″ (+3″) in the front and 29.5 (+2.5″) in the rear. The Jeep seemed to sit level and looked pretty good. I must admit at first I was thinking that the Jeep was too high, but it grew on me.
Matt stopped by to check out what was going on and to lend a hand, I pulled my Jeep out next to his for a comparison. Matt’s Jeep has an Old Man Emu 2.5″ lift with 32″ BFG Mud-Terrains.
Soon after I was off to the back yard for a twist test on the rocks. I have an old stump that is good for driving on. I pulled up onto the stump and took some shock measurements. These measurements include ride height, collapsed length, and extended length.
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Here is a couple of pictures of the Jeep sitting on level ground. There is still a lot to do. The new shocks need to be installed, the sway bar need to be hooked up, the u-bolts need to be trimmed, and so on.
