rear spring install without compressor?

NOVARENE · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:06 am

I am getting ready to pop some OME HDs in the rear this afternoon. Will I be able to get them in without compressor? I dont want to break my face. I just put it on jack stands, put a jack under rear diff, remove the tires and let the diff droop down? will it droop enough to get the springs in without removing the sway bar? One of the sway bolts is pretty seized.

Thanks in advance

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:11 am

rear springs
30 minutes or less
Up on stands
remove tires
let down as far as possible
(after removing shocks)
now this is the way I do it by myself,others have other ideas :wink:

take the stock jack between the caliper mounting bracket and the frame and spread it to get the new spring in, easy to do.
Are you installing rear bumpstops ?

NOVARENE · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:14 am

so the bottom of the jack on the caliper (I have an 02, with rear drums)? Wont that hurt the brakes?
I am thinking about rear pucks but dont quite understand drilling into perch and how you can get the nut on through the bottom of the perch. I read that you can epoxy the pucks to the perch, sounds easy, but does it work?

Thanks Tommudd

devlish · **Joined:** Thu Sep 30, 2010 10:50 am **Posts:** 163

usually you can rent a spring compressor (tightened by hand/wrench) at autozone for a few bucks, i say it's worth it!! I did mine and this made it easy to move around while compressed without taking out extra parts on the jeep. just a thought maybe worth checking into.

NOVARENE · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:35 am

devlish wrote:

usually you can rent a spring compressor (tightened by hand/wrench) at autozone for a few bucks, i say it's worth it!! I did mine and this made it easy to move around while compressed without taking out extra parts on the jeep. just a thought maybe worth checking into.

I just read other places that it is very dangerous with those type of compressors with HD coils, I will probably glue pucks tp perch and use jack between axle and body to get springs in.

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:36 am

Using spring compressors ..... :roll:

The time it takes you to install the spring compressors on one side I can do both sides :ROTFL:

No "extra " parts to take out, unbolting the shock is like 2 minutes

for the bumpstops, drill a hole in the center of the spring perch, right angle makes it easier to do
drill through, put bolt down through and nut on the bottom.
epoxy works for a while but they will come loose

NOVARENE · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:37 am

tommudd wrote:

rear springs
30 minutes or less
Up on stands
remove tires
let down as far as possible
(after removing shocks)
now this is the way I do it by myself,others have other ideas :wink:

take the stock jack between the caliper mounting bracket and the frame and spread it to get the new spring in, easy to do.
Are you installing rear bumpstops ?

Tommudd, do you have a picture of the placement of the jack between the axle and body?

Thanks

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:38 am

NOVARENE wrote:

devlish wrote:

usually you can rent a spring compressor (tightened by hand/wrench) at autozone for a few bucks, i say it's worth it!! I did mine and this made it easy to move around while compressed without taking out extra parts on the jeep. just a thought maybe worth checking into.

I just read other places that it is very dangerous with those type of compressors with HD coils, I will probably glue pucks tp perch and use jack between axle and body to get springs in.

That is with the front, not rear. Rears are 200 lb weaker than the fronts almost so no problem
also drill and bolt, epoxy holds for a while but bolt on is much better

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:40 am

NOVARENE wrote:

tommudd wrote:

rear springs
30 minutes or less
Up on stands
remove tires
let down as far as possible
(after removing shocks)
now this is the way I do it by myself,others have other ideas :wink:

take the stock jack between the caliper mounting bracket and the frame and spread it to get the new spring in, easy to do.
Are you installing rear bumpstops ?

Tommudd, do you have a picture of the placement of the jack between the axle and body?

Thanks

no pics but just look, you'll see
I never have time for pics when I'm doing a lift, always trying to do it faster than the last time. but if you need some I can go out later and take a rear wheel off and take one

NOVARENE · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:41 am

tommudd wrote:

NOVARENE wrote:

tommudd wrote:

rear springs
30 minutes or less
Up on stands
remove tires
let down as far as possible
(after removing shocks)
now this is the way I do it by myself,others have other ideas :wink:

take the stock jack between the caliper mounting bracket and the frame and spread it to get the new spring in, easy to do.
Are you installing rear bumpstops ?

Tommudd, do you have a picture of the placement of the jack between the axle and body?

Thanks

no pics but just look, you'll see
I never have time for pics when I'm doing a lift, always trying to do it faster than the last time. but if you need some I can go out later and take a rear wheel off and take one

No no, you dont have to do that, I will be able to figure it out.

I just dont see how you can get a nut up inside/under the spring perch?

Megalos · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 12:17 pm

Here's a write up with pics...

http://www.jeepkj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43989&highlight=pucks

NOVARENE · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 6:41 pm

So I got the springs on in no time. I jacked up on side until the tire was off the ground and placed a jack stand in front of the lower control arm on the frame. Repeated on other side. took the tires off, took out the lower shock bolt. My dad then proceeded to stick a long 2x4 between the drum and gas tank skid and pushed down in order to get the axle to drop far enough down to take the spring out, then I stuck the OME and isolators back in and that side was done. On to the next side and we tried a bottle jack between the lower control arm and just towards the front side of the upper spring perch and slowlyh jacked the body away from the axle. Placed the spring and isolators in there and then hooked the shocks back up and put the tires back on. Raised the frame of on jack stand and lowered onto the tire, then did the other side. YOU DO NOT NEED A SPRING COMPRESSOR FOR THE REAR SPRINGS.

And I looked closer at the spring perch for pucks and it wont be as hard as I thought to bolt them on, I will do that when I switch to Ranchos in the rear when I get lighter tires in the spring.

DO NOT get LOAD E tires for your KJ, WAY to heavy, WAY to ruff of a ride. I have the General Tire AT2s 245/75/16 LOAD E, I am going to get the same tire but 265/70/16 and LOAD C I believe.

Also, I have the skyjacker Hydro 7000s and they fit terribly. Makes so much noise even though everything is tight. I hear the Ranchos fit better, so I will be going with them in the spring.

Question answered, thanks everyone for your imput.

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 7:29 pm

mmmm interesting.............. :ROTFL:

Glad you got them in

Uttles · **Posted:** Fri Nov 26, 2010 10:05 am

Load E Tires worked fine for me for 3 years, just need the right PSI.

Also used indiustrial adhesive for my pucks on the rear spring perch, and they are still rock solid. I installed them myself after a shop put my springs in. I live in a heavily salted area, and have the car Krown sprayed every year.

Congratulations on the springs!! Enjoy the ride!

Signcutter21 · **Posted:** Fri Nov 26, 2010 12:40 pm

yellocoyote wrote:

NOVARENE wrote:

DO NOT get LOAD E tires for your KJ, WAY to heavy, WAY to ruff of a ride. I have the General Tire AT2s 245/75/16 LOAD E, I am going to get the same tire but 265/70/16 and LOAD C I believe.

That's debatable, as it really depends on personal preference.

Glad you got the springs installed.

Was about to say the same thing. Yes they're a bit heavier, but the extra plys help hold up to lower psi and rocks punctures. I've had them on KJ for 7 plus years and work trucks for 13. Just eat your wheaties before changing the tires so you have that extra ummph needed.

Yeah if look under the perch you see that a nut will fit just fine. I wondered the same thing when i put mine on too. Thankfully the metal isn't that hard to drill through. A 90* would help greatly.

later, mike

bwtucker · **Posted:** Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:04 pm

Sorry for reviving an old post but I had a quick question. I'm installing an OME kit which is only 1.5" in the rear. I see that rule of thumb is 1" of extra bump stop for 1" of lift. I also like the idea of the hockey puck but I don't know how thick they are. Are they about 1.5"? If they are thinner, can I get away with only 1?

tommudd · **Posted:** Fri Dec 31, 2010 5:10 pm

First the 1.5 inch of lift is :ROTFL:

You'll get more lift
each hockey puck is 1 inch thick
I always install two per side on the ones I install and never have any problems
bolting them in is WAY better as I have seen and heard of ones glued in coming loose
plus you get to drill holes and whats more fun than that?

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Fri Dec 31, 2010 5:20 pm

it is a pain to drill without a 90 degree drill

and for rear coil installs, dont make it harder than ya have to

put jackstands under the jeep at the rear notches instead of the rear axle, put your jack under the center of the axle, remove the swaybar etc and put your KNEE on the drum/disc/hub/whatever, and put the coil in then repeat for the other side, if you have a second jack put that under the side you just put the coil in for and it'll help ya do it

just watch your brakelines, there's an anchor or two you can undo

if you are a featherweight and still need a few inches to get them in, throw a ratchet strap on them and give them a squeeze

bwtucker · **Posted:** Fri Dec 31, 2010 6:01 pm

tommudd wrote:

First the 1.5 inch of lift is :ROTFL:

You'll get more lift
each hockey puck is 1 inch thick
I always install two per side on the ones I install and never have any problems
bolting them in is WAY better as I have seen and heard of ones glued in coming loose
plus you get to drill holes and whats more fun than that?

Yeah, i figured it might be more but i was just going by what they said on the site selling them (http://www.rocky-road.com/kjome.html). How much lift do these typically give?
I read the write ups about the hockey puck install and agree that bolting them down is much better than epoxy. I have a right angle drill so it's no big deal.

tommudd · **Posted:** Fri Dec 31, 2010 7:36 pm

ooooo

Rocky Road
I said that I wouldn't say a negative word this year
so have a few hours to go :ROTFL:

rear spring install without compressor?

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