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i hope this question isn't too dumb...

colbystephens

colbystephens

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so, my buddy's got this 89 wagoneer and he's on a tight modification budget of like $15/month or something like that. i gave him a set of 35" tires that he wants to put under there and he's trying to decide what is the best route to lift the thing.

actually, we know the best route - do spring over axle conversion, combined with a shackle flip in the rear and a couple inch lift spring back there. but, not only does he not have the $$$ to do this much, let alone the fact that a spring over requires full cross over and high steer. suckage.

so, i got to thinking about those spring mounts. i think with 3 or 4 inches of lift and some good trimming we can fit those tires under there.

why is it that no one builds drop spring mounts? seems like a reasonable way to get lift for cheap, assuming the drop mounts are properly fabricated and beefy. i know it would be dumb to do something like put a chunk of 4x4 tubing between the mount and the frame - but why not a beefy drop spring mount? with scrap steel at $0.60/lb right now - he'd have a nice 4 inch lift for no more than about 50 bux.
 
colbystephens said:
i know it would be dumb to do something like put a chunk of 4x4 tubing between the mount and the frame - but why not a beefy drop spring mount? with scrap steel at $0.60/lb right now - he'd have a nice 4 inch lift for no more than about 50 bux.
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thats how i and alot of people make their hangers for front leaf springs for a s10. just weld the heck out of it and gusset the heck out of it
 
I think i've seen 33s on a wagoneer that had no lift, obviously the sheetmetal was trimmed. I say if your bud is low on funds, throw a body lift on it and trim the wheelwells and go have some fun!
 
he considered the body lift thing, but i kind of steered him away from it because it looks like he'd only be able to fit a 1" body lift on it due to steering shaft/frame clearance. 1" won't do much good. Those rear wheel wells are TINY! it would still put the tires into the rear door, with all the sheet metal trimmed out. front wheel wells are GIGANTIC on those suckers, so no issue there. I think w/ 4" drop shackles, we'd be able to fit those 35's with some trimming and he'd be able to flex enough to do some decent wheeling.
 
i was thinking of turning his front springs around when we do this so that the swinging shackle is on the rear of the spring. the advantage of this would be that it would ride much better. i don't know if the spring pin is centered w/ respect to the length of the spring, so that's something to consider.

he doesn't drive it daily - so ride quality doesn't necessarily matter much. thing i like about the current front-of-the-spring shackle is that when it flexes, the tire would move forward, instead of into the fire wall. seems like this would hinder traction while flexing out tho - pushing away from the obstacle?

what do you think?
 
abig84 said:
thats how i and alot of people make their hangers for front leaf springs for a s10. just weld the heck out of it and gusset the heck out of it
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cool. i guess the wagoneer is the v8 jeep version of an s10 blazer...
 
KInd of spendy, but my buddy put 6" on his 87, with 33tsls...

That truck would walk ANYWHERE.... till he popped the motor. :)

We also did blocks/shackles and 31's it was still sweet then.
 
if he only has 15 a month extra to spend on his truck shouldnt he just save it or not spend it on a truck??? just my thoughts
 
A 3" body lift will fit and work on them HOWEVER the body will creek and groan and pop.

There is a front shackle reverse kit that gives ya like 2"
springover is the cheapest lift you will get.

You are correct the rear wheel wells are TINY. My 85 had 2" spring lift and 3" body and 33x9.5x15 tires and still had to trim the rears a bunch. wider tires I would have had to trim even more.

They are pretty capable rigs but getting a decent tire under a 4 door is a pain.
 
blackk5350 said:
if he only has 15 a month extra to spend on his truck shouldnt he just save it or not spend it on a truck??? just my thoughts
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X2. As inexpensive as this hobby can be to fix and modify our rigs it still seems like he doesn't even hav ethe fund to put fuel in his tank to go wheeling let alone having a mild repair or part replacement. $180 a year to wheel and work on the rig may be next to impossible. Not trying to sound like an a$$hat but, priorities son, priorities.
 
I would agree with the above.

He would be better off to sell the FSJ and get something like a tracker. The gas savings would give him more cash to work with. That jeep would be hard pressed to get more than 12-14 MPG, they are heavy and high geared and have thirsty V8. even if it has the I6 it would have to work that much more to push that tank around. Im not sure when they stopped putting the I6 in full size jeeps but im sure it was before 89.
 
i know his budget isn't much to work with - but it's what he's got, so i'm trying to find a decent solution. he has been saving, and he does have some money saved up - but it's not much.

the spring over conversion is not cheap - simply because you have to redo the entire steering system to make it work. the draglink attaches to the tie rod directly above the springs, thus, when you put the springs ontop of the axle, the tie rod would run right into them. this means flat top knuckle, high steer etc.

seems to me some properly engineered and fabricated drop hangars will work out real nice for him.
 
colbystephens said:
he considered the body lift thing, but i kind of steered him away from it because it looks like he'd only be able to fit a 1" body lift on it due to steering shaft/frame clearance. 1" won't do much good. Those rear wheel wells are TINY! it would still put the tires into the rear door, with all the sheet metal trimmed out. front wheel wells are GIGANTIC on those suckers, so no issue there. I think w/ 4" drop shackles, we'd be able to fit those 35's with some trimming and he'd be able to flex enough to do some decent wheeling.
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Oh yea its a 4door i was thinking it was a 2door. Ya know you can put the front fenders from a M-715 on the front and gain a ton of clearence without cutting

colbystephens said:
i was thinking of turning his front springs around when we do this so that the swinging shackle is on the rear of the spring. the advantage of this would be that it would ride much better. i don't know if the spring pin is centered w/ respect to the length of the spring, so that's something to consider.

he doesn't drive it daily - so ride quality doesn't necessarily matter much. thing i like about the current front-of-the-spring shackle is that when it flexes, the tire would move forward, instead of into the fire wall. seems like this would hinder traction while flexing out tho - pushing away from the obstacle?

what do you think?
Click to expand...
If your doing a shackle reversal you dont need to turn the springs around also.

I dont know what kinda wheeling you do, but having the shackle in the front is actually beneficial when climbing rock ledges. With the shackles in the back (like on our trucks) when you hit the ledge the axle will want to move back and will compress the springs at the same time. With the shackle forward (stock on the wagoneer) the axle can't move back and the truck will climb the ledge more easily. The downfall is that you now have a big shackle sticking out front and will be more prone to hanging up on stuff.

If your looking for wheels for those 35s, I'm pretty sure the wagoneer 6-lug pattern is the same as a chevy 1/2-ton 6-lug pattern. So you could source some 15X8s at the local junkyard
 
well, those tires i gave him are for a 16 inch wheel - so he's kinda screwed on that one if he wants to use those tires. i didn't want to deal with grinding calipers, so i went with a 16" wheel. wish i would've done a 15 and ground it now...
 
Not really a big deal, the 88+ pickups had 16in 6lugs on them.

Steal your lift where you can cheap first. Zero rates will give you an inch front and rear. You can use longer shackles and get another 3/4-1in on it without screwing up angles too much. The beauty of the shackles in the front of the truck is that when you add a longer shackle it tips the pinion up a little rather than down.

Do the 1in body lift homebrew, its really easy. Then start cutting. Something tells me that waggys are just like some of the other SUV's I've read about and need alot of lift to clear not much tire.

I do think the $15 a month to build a truck is a little unheard of though. I'd still be saving for my shackle flip...
 
thanks for the tip on the 16" wheels. the ones currently on his waggy are 15" - but I'll have him check into stock chevy 1/2 ton wheels. ;) thanks!
 
the stock 88 and up 16 inch wheel won't clear certain sized hubs . Not clear on a Jeep , but I know any solid front axle with 1/2 ton sized locking hubs won't unless you open the center hole . ( I own two IFS rigs now and have had aluminum and steel wheels factory )

is this a big Wagoneer with a solid front axle ?
 
Also The 88 and up GM 6 lug 16" wheels wont clear the tie rod because of the offset.

There are GM 6 lug 2wd 2500 1988+ trucks that if equipped with 16" steel wheels have a zero offset and will work but those trucks are not easy to find. The alloy wheels are just like all the rest, and wont clear.
 
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