FJ62 - Old Man Emu Installation - Detailed Steps

[AdventureYeti]

Thanks for the write-up! How long does the whole project take? Mine comes in today

No worries! It probably could be done in about 1-2hrs per axle if you're taking you've done this work before. The biggest components that will delay you are frozen hardware realistically. It's very important to make sure you lubricate all the components being removed a week or so prior to really help things loosen up. Heat is your friend as well, but be aware of your surroundings when using a torch as these are gas powered machines after all! Make sure you have a way to put out a fire.

 

[Skniper]

@pumbaatx I installed my full Emu set up completely alone. I was pretty good with a wrench but had never broken down a leaf spring suspension. It took me about 2 1/2 days working slowly and very carefully. Being alone, I was hyper aware of the safety factor.
I was lucky on disassembly, my original spring pins took about three good smacks with a BFH to pop out. I’ve since dropped the springs out of it for various reasons over the years so very familiar with it now. I could knock out a full suspension install now within a few hours, 3/4 day.

Just be safe! Do one end at a time, and double stack your tires under the jacked up bumper.

 

[pumbaatx]

Mid install... How do you get the bowtie shaped rubber grommet into the base of the OME shock? The ones that came off were two pieces.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Mid install... How do you get the bowtie shaped rubber grommet into the base of the OME shock? The ones that came off were two pieces.

Lick them (seriously, or put a bit of soap on them) and pop them in with a strong pair of hands, a rubber mallet or a vise.

 

[AdventureYeti]

Mid install... How do you get the bowtie shaped rubber grommet into the base of the OME shock? The ones that came off were two pieces.

I sprayed mine with a little grease, used a shop towel and a table vise to press them in. Doesn’t take a lot of force, they’ll pop in. Then tap with a mallet to make sure they’re plumb inside the eyelet. Good luck!

 

[AdventureYeti]

Trucks sitting fairly square and level now. It’s an absolute blast to drive, the new suspension and wheels really made a massive difference!

 

[pumbaatx]

Lick them (seriously, or put a bit of soap on them) and pop them in with a strong pair of hands, a rubber mallet or a vise.

We ended up sandwiching the shock and grommet between the floor jack and the tow hitch. They're surprisingly stout. Half way through!

 

[pezmaker]

How do you get the bowtie shaped rubber grommet into the base of the OME shock?

Ordered my kit a few weeks ago, I'm doing it this weekend, and I ran into this problem. You're long done by now, but for future readers without a vise, I went to the hardware store, grabbed a 5" long half inch diameter bolt and nut, and a 2" washer and a 1.25" washer (since the 2" washer inner diameter was too big) and made a mini-vise out of it. in probably 10 minutes I had all 6 bushings that required it in. Then just a little love tap with a mallet at the end to finish the seating.

-- edit -- those may not be exact dimensions on the hardware, but with the pic, you get the idea.

 

[Paul DiNapoli]

i just did my shocks and steering stabilizer last week and the shocks took all of an hour.

I put some grease on the bushings - placed the bushing over the opening, (resting the steel ring part on a block of wood) then with a small piece of 2x4 and a mallet - one good whack on the block of wood pushes the bushing into the hole. worked perfectly and took just a few minutes to get them all pressed into place. just keep it all generally flat/level so that the pressure is applied evenly around the bushing and it doesn't try to slide out on you.

question i have about the steering stabilizer orientation:

1

or 2?

photo from the rig above (which is damn pretty by the way) shows it as #2.

my OEM stabilizer was installed as #1 - so I put my OME one the same as factory. I tried google image searches of FJ60/62 + OME and found it both ways on many installs.

any issues? should i swap mine to match yours @AdventureYeti

 

[N919HJ]

i just did my shocks and steering stabilizer last week and the shocks took all of an hour.

I put some grease on the bushings - placed the bushing over the opening, (resting the steel ring part on a block of wood) then with a small piece of 2x4 and a mallet - one good whack on the block of wood pushes the bushing into the hole. worked perfectly and took just a few minutes to get them all pressed into place. just keep it all generally flat/level so that the pressure is applied evenly around the bushing and it doesn't try to slide out on you.

question i have about the steering stabilizer orientation:

1
View attachment 2031532
or 2?
View attachment 2031533

photo from the rig above (which is damn pretty by the way) shows it as #2.

my OEM stabilizer was installed as #1 - so I put my OME one the same as factory. I tried google image searches of FJ60/62 + OME and found it both ways on many installs.

any issues? should i swap mine to match yours @AdventureYeti

I don’t know the correct answer. But I would put the stabilizer on so water can’t run down the tube and sit by the shaft.

 

[ONealFJ60]

Putting a 2” OME on the rig today. Thread’s been insanely helpful. Was going smoothly until I tried to remove hanger pin on front leaf. Won’t budge. I’ve soaked it and beaten the hell out of it. Any thoughts?

 

[Gretsch]

Here is how I got mine out:

This was after banging on it with no effect. I soaked it up and got this tie rod tool on it and had it out in about 4 minutes. I put bolt that fit the ID of the bushing once I got the pin all the way into the bushing where it wouldn't push anymore. Most folks just take a torch to it to melt the bushing away to get the pin loose. Makes a mess so opted for this route. I got lucky with mine as this was the only one that wouldn't come out. The rest came out with 2-3 blows with a sledge. GL and HTH.

 

[ONealFJ60]

Here is how I got mine out:

View attachment 2324326

This was after banging on it with no effect. I soaked it up and got this tie rod tool on it and had it out in about 4 minutes. I put bolt that fit the ID of the bushing once I got the pin all the way into the bushing where it wouldn't push anymore. Most folks just take a torch to it to melt the bushing away to get the pin loose. Makes a mess so opted for this route. I got lucky with mine as this was the only one that wouldn't come out. The rest came out with 2-3 blows with a sledge. GL and HTH.

Thanks!! I ended up taking a torch to it after trying a few other less messy ways. Def like your method. Spent way more time on that one shackle than I should’ve.

 

[ONealFJ60]

Thanks!! I ended up taking a torch to it after trying a few other less messy ways. Def like your method. Spent way more time on that one shackle than I should’ve.

Gonna add a few more tips and comments from my experience this weekend doing the front end.
-no lie about soaking parts in PB blaster. Just be sure to get all of them (oops)
-don’t be afraid to use the torch. I had to burn all the bushing to get hanger pin and front shackle out
-getting the u bolt plate to line up properly was a bit of a pain. I got it close and got the u bolts started. Able to get it to seat properly with a little determination.
-said some words I don’t even know the meaning to

planning to do rear end next weekend. Gotta go get more PB Blaster first.

 

[Super77]

No mention here of the rubber spring dampers, aka the rubber “taco shells” that fit between the spring pack and the saddle in which the spring pack sits. When I did my OME light/medium install, I reused them since the spring pack dimensions were the same. Now I’m about to add an extra leaf, so not sure whether reuse them again. I seem to recall both pro and con for reusing them.

I think the main con was that if the saddle rubber disintegrates, you’re left with a loose spring pack...

 

[Gretsch]

No mention here of the rubber spring dampers, aka the rubber “taco shells” that fit between the spring pack and the saddle in which the spring pack sits. When I did my OME light/medium install, I reused them since the spring pack dimensions were the same. Now I’m about to add an extra leaf, so not sure whether reuse them again. I seem to recall both pro and con for reusing them.

I think the main con was that if the saddle rubber disintegrates, you’re left with a loose spring pack...

What were the pros? They serve little purpose and could be potentially unsafe over time as you point out depending on the spring pack they are used with.

 

[Spook50]

No mention here of the rubber spring dampers, aka the rubber “taco shells” that fit between the spring pack and the saddle in which the spring pack sits. When I did my OME light/medium install, I reused them since the spring pack dimensions were the same. Now I’m about to add an extra leaf, so not sure whether reuse them again. I seem to recall both pro and con for reusing them.

I think the main con was that if the saddle rubber disintegrates, you’re left with a loose spring pack...

When going OME you don't want to use them. Cruiser Outfitters (who I got my OME kit from) sells a spacer ring that goes over the head of the center pin in the rear springs to keep them centered on the perch without moving around. It's tall enough that it doesn't come out either. Give them a holler. IIRC they're about $20 per pair (you only need one pair).

 

[Gretsch]

When going OME you don't want to use them. Cruiser Outfitters (who I got my OME kit from) sells a spacer ring that goes over the head of the center pin in the rear springs to keep them centered on the perch without moving around. It's tall enough that it doesn't come out either. Give them a holler. IIRC they're about $20 per pair (you only need one pair).

Agreed here. Still puzzled as to why folks still think using the stocker dampers/channel hat on aftermarket springs makes any sense. I see folks do it but without reasons as to why. They did little on the stock setup and new springs are a perfect reason to ditch them. So anyone who has used these on after market springs, why did you do that? What are the pros to using these at all. Asking for a friend.

Also recently in a different post, a guy tried to purchase the bushings from CO after having purchased his lift kit from somewhere else. He was told they couldn't sell him just the bushings and he had to get them from OME direct. Not sure the reasoning there. FYI.

 

[pawnthatdude]

So I just did this. Here are my observations:

- Take some time getting your jack stands perfect. You want the wheels to barely be touching the ground. It will minimize the tension in the springs for removal and install. It also lets you move the axle if you need to (to align the center pin on the leaf pack with the axle).

- I didn't take any wheels off, much safer IMO.

- Heat is very good. I used a MAPP Pro torch from Home Depot. You're not really trying to burn the bushings away (that would take hours). Rather just make them malleable enough for the pin to slide through when you hammer it. On the fixed end of the spring I just heated both ends of the pin for a couple minutes. Then I pounded it out a quarter inch. Then I pried it the rest of the way. Use penetrating fluid as you make progress.

- The shackle end generally came off without heat, just pounding with a 4 pound hammer. I hammered both pins on the shackles out, alternating to keep the shackle coming out straight.

- All my pins had a surprising variety of condition. The shackles were all pitted and nasty. The fixed ends were all perfectly clean.

- My stock springs were disgusting, and borderline dangerous. The main spring on the front right was cracked clean through at the eyelet! Then one pack on the rear had destroyed the center pin and the whole thing fell apart after I removed the ubolts. This is all on a pretty rust free Cruiser.

- The ubolts in the rear were kind of a pain to get aligned into the spring seat, because you have to jack the spring up or else the ubolts aren't long enough. EDIT: on my 70 I just put the floor jack just behind the ubolt seat plate and jacked the spring up into position. It was pretty easy this way.

- When you're jacking the spring up and the center pin won't go in the hole on the axle:
-- If it's a little bit out of alignment front to back, I just grab the wheel spokes and yanked it in the direction it needed to go with the pin barely pressed with a floor jack against the axle and it would sink into place.
--If that doesn't work, do a ratchet strap around the axle and a frame crossmember to inch it forward or backwards.
--If it's out of alignment side to side, use a ratchet strap between the two leaf springs to bring them closer together. If the spring is too far inboard, whack the side of the leaf pack with a big hammer.

- Nobody seems to mention the FJ62 exhaust is completely in the way on the rear left. There is no room for hammering! I took the back half of the exhaust out. This will depend on how frozen your shackles are.

- The ubolts are very long. I had to cut them to be able to tighten them, because a deep well socket is not deep enough. Seems to depend on the brand of ubolt and your leaf pack.

- I didn't reuse the rubber isolator or c-channel. I removed a leaf from mine to bring it close to stock height. With that, the leaf pack is too thin to use with the c-channel. The spacer from Cruiser Outfitters is key here.

Edit: added some tips from doing this on my 70 series which is basically the same procedure.

 

[cps432]

So I just did this. Here are my observations:

- Heat is very good. I used a MAPP torch from Home Depot. You're not really trying to burn the bushings away (that would take hours). Rather just make them malleable enough for the pin to slide through when you hammer it. On the fixed end of the spring I just heated both ends of the pin for a couple minutes. Then I pounded it out a quarter inch. Then I pried it the rest of the way.

- The shackle end generally came off without heat, just pounding with a 4 pound hammer. I hammered both pins on the shackles out, alternating to keep the shackle coming out straight.

- All my pins had a surprising variety of condition. The shackles were all pitted and nasty. The fixed ends were all perfectly clean.

- My stock springs were disgusting, and borderline dangerous. The main spring on the front right was cracked clean through at the eyelet! Then one pack on the rear had destroyed the center pin and the whole thing fell apart after I removed the ubolts. This is all on a pretty rust free Cruiser.

- The ubolts in the rear were kind of a pain to get aligned into the spring seat, because you have to jack the spring up or else the ubolts aren't long enough.

- On the front the axle got a little out of alignment and the spring pin wouldn't go in the hole. I ran a ratchet strap around the axle and a frame crossmember to move the axle a bit at a time. Just like the 80 series control arms but at least this is just one dimension.

- Nobody seems to mention the FJ62 exhaust is completely in the way on the rear left. There is no room for hammering! I took the back half of the exhaust out.

- The ubolts are very long. I had to cut them to be able to tighten them, because a deep well socket is not deep enough.

- I didn't reuse the rubber isolator or c-channel. I removed a leaf from mine to bring it close to stock height. With that, the leaf pack is too thin to use with the c-channel. The spacer from Cruiser Outfitters is key here.

I want to see where that eyelet cracked through. How was it still holding?