Correcting JLU Willys ride height after bumper upgrades

[omnitonic]

After I bolted all my goodies on the front of my rig, the sag is very noticeable from behind the wheel. I have been researching ways to lift the front back up.
There is almost endless debate here, and on all the 4WD forums for all the popular trucks and SUVs about whether to add spacers or add springs. I have decided to go with springs.

I only have one tag from my front springs, and I don't remember which side it came from. I could only find one tag, and I just had my head up my ass not making a note of which side it was. The spring is a 658. According to the chart floating around here, the choices for a 658 are 657/658 and 658/659. I can't prove it, but I'm assuming I have 658/659 on a Willys.

The lowest tier springs used on Rubicons are 659/660. It is not clear, but my gut says I will want to go one notch more than that. I decided to order a pair of 660/661 springs.

First of all, does this sound reasonable so far? I'm trying like hell to do my homework here, but all of this stuff is pretty far beyond my experience.

Second, I understand that I have Rubicon shocks, and that these are literally the same part numbers as a Rubicon. I expect, therefore, that if the shocks work with the rest of my suspension, then throwing in some beefier springs won't require me to make any further adjustments or swap any additional parts. The goal is to just get back to factory geometry, without screwing up the camber, or necessitating lower control arms or sway bar links.

In a nutshell, I'm just trying to do what the factory does when you order a metal vs. a plastic bumper, or a hard top vs. a soft top. They put beefier springs in to offset the weight. That's ALL I want to do. I just want to put it back like it was. Making it higher is an entirely separate project, and one for another day.

Much obliged.

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[blnewt]

After I bolted all my goodies on the front of my rig, the sag is very noticeable from behind the wheel. I have been researching ways to lift the front back up.
There is almost endless debate here, and on all the 4WD forums for all the popular trucks and SUVs about whether to add spacers or add springs. I have decided to go with springs.

I only have one tag from my front springs, and I don't remember which side it came from. I could only find one tag, and I just had my head up my ass not making a note of which side it was. The spring is a 658. According to the chart floating around here, the choices for a 658 are 657/658 and 658/659. I can't prove it, but I'm assuming I have 658/659 on a Willys.

The lowest tier springs used on Rubicons are 659/660. It is not clear, but my gut says I will want to go one notch more than that. I decided to order a pair of 660/661 springs.

First of all, does this sound reasonable so far? I'm trying like hell to do my homework here, but all of this stuff is pretty far beyond my experience.

Second, I understand that I have Rubicon shocks, and that these are literally the same part numbers as a Rubicon. I expect, therefore, that if the shocks work with the rest of my suspension, then throwing in some beefier springs won't require me to make any further adjustments or swap any additional parts. The goal is to just get back to factory geometry, without screwing up the camber, or necessitating lower control arms or sway bar links.

In a nutshell, I'm just trying to do what the factory does when you order a metal vs. a plastic bumper, or a hard top vs. a soft top. They put beefier springs in to offset the weight. That's ALL I want to do. I just want to put it back like it was. Making it higher is an entirely separate project, and one for another day.

Much obliged.

You're on the right path, those #s will net about 1.25" on a stock JLU, with your added front weight expect about a .75" rise. And with under an inch off added lift your caster should still be around 5 which isn't too bad, so longer Mopar lift LCAs shouldn't be needed (yet, lol)

 

[omnitonic]

You're on the right path, those #s will net about 1.25" on a stock JLU, with your added front weight expect about a .75" rise. And with under an inch off added lift your caster should still be around 5 which isn't too bad, so longer Mopar lift LCAs shouldn't be needed (yet, lol)

Thanks for checking my homework. My weight is only an estimate, so there's a chance I have less weight than I think, which would mean I get more lift than expected, but probably not enough to end up with a rake from front to back. Does that sound right? I'm slowly wrapping my head around this, having never messed with suspension before.

Now that I'm actually looking at it, if I did have to change LCAs and even add taller shocks, that would annoy me, but it wouldn't actually be hard, and I'm pretty sure Jeep comes from the Icelandic word for money pit.

 

[blnewt]

I added 180lbs worth of bumper & winch on top of my Rubicon swapped suspension, this was on our 2 door. The drop was roughly a 1/2", I added 3/4" front spacers and seemed to get it real close to level. Here's 4 shots, before the added bumper/winch, after the bumper/winch, then after the 3/4" spacer added, and finally w/ high fender kit so I can run my new 315/70s

 

[omnitonic]

Let the record reflect that when I went back to daily driving the thing after my vacation ended, I talked myself out of springs, spacers, and everything. It's a lot of expense and bother, and I've already tackled the most difficult terrain I could actually find since I made the mods. The only trails I know about that are worse are a lot worse, and I'm willing to accept the word of those who have told me not to attempt them until I have at least a 4" lift and 35s.

I mean if my wallet had no bottom, sure, but the reality is I hit bottom on my wallet awhile back, and I kept digging. Enough is enough. I have a hell of a Jeep just like it is. Plus I'm still getting 21 mpg. What if the lowered ride is improving the aerodynamics to compensate for all the crazy shaped stuff I bolted on the front? The fact is trying to wash this thing to pretty it up tells a big story about what the airflow must be like. It's TERRIBLE. I might as well have bolted a bulldozer blade covered with pinwheels to the front of this thing, and yet I'm still getting 21 mpg.

If it ain't broke......

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