That is quite a bit a play in the splines. Did you take the shaft a part and measure the wear? I would guess that you could hear it load/unload.
How did the springs feel?
FOR 3.5" lift install
- Thread starter NorCalSam
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How did the springs feel?
- Thread starter
- #122
Vibrations
So I ordered a new rear drive shaft today and I have talked to Christo and will be sending the front DC shaft back ASAP.
With a little luck and time the vibration thing may just be a thing of the past for us.
The setup so far
Now although the truck feels better on and off road and even the front end sokes up bumbs like never before but, I do not like the bump stops on the front that came with the kit. They are like hocky pucks 3" thick that extend the stops that are already inside the coil. They are touching the coils at times making noise also I think they are reducing fix. I want to put in a custom set up maybe a mini shock system using the frame bump stops. I wil pull the coils to see what drop I need I am thinking 2.5"
Also like I said before, becuase of the way that the Frankie springs come to a point instead of being flat I don't think that the Packers in the rear are going to hold up in fact I think they will be cut in two over time. I will have to keep a close eye on this. I can take a photo later if you don't understand.
So I ordered a new rear drive shaft today and I have talked to Christo and will be sending the front DC shaft back ASAP.
With a little luck and time the vibration thing may just be a thing of the past for us.
The setup so far
Now although the truck feels better on and off road and even the front end sokes up bumbs like never before but, I do not like the bump stops on the front that came with the kit. They are like hocky pucks 3" thick that extend the stops that are already inside the coil. They are touching the coils at times making noise also I think they are reducing fix. I want to put in a custom set up maybe a mini shock system using the frame bump stops. I wil pull the coils to see what drop I need I am thinking 2.5"
Also like I said before, becuase of the way that the Frankie springs come to a point instead of being flat I don't think that the Packers in the rear are going to hold up in fact I think they will be cut in two over time. I will have to keep a close eye on this. I can take a photo later if you don't understand.
Sam,
while flexing the front we noticed that extending the bumpstop inside the coil would be useless as it would just hit the coil, not the axle. We found that a front bumpstop is not necessary, and Christo also mentioned this. Just make sure your shocks are good at full compression but I have a feeling it will be.
You could take a grinder to the coil and flatten that end and spray painit. would be quick work.
If you do 2 air bumpstops, I would spend the money at the rear. With the most axle travel & weight (w/ your loaded rig) I think that would be the most bang for the buck and give you the most body control and dampening. JMO
I am guessing you need about 4-5" of bumpstop at the rear, and it would be easy to fab a mount for air bumps at or very close to the stock location.
while flexing the front we noticed that extending the bumpstop inside the coil would be useless as it would just hit the coil, not the axle. We found that a front bumpstop is not necessary, and Christo also mentioned this. Just make sure your shocks are good at full compression but I have a feeling it will be.
You could take a grinder to the coil and flatten that end and spray painit. would be quick work.
If you do 2 air bumpstops, I would spend the money at the rear. With the most axle travel & weight (w/ your loaded rig) I think that would be the most bang for the buck and give you the most body control and dampening. JMO
I am guessing you need about 4-5" of bumpstop at the rear, and it would be easy to fab a mount for air bumps at or very close to the stock location.
I've only seen one other person who had an issue of bumpstops hitting coils, IIRC, that was a MAF set up (a search will find it). Slee's are the same style and so are MAF's. The construction varies, Slee's apear to be solid, don't know what material, but I'm sure someone knows or he'll post up - almost looks like UHMW, as solid steel or alluminum would be heavy and overkill. MAF's are actually a tube with disks welded top and bottom and a hole for the bolt to go through (I have these). The photo on FOR's site looks almost like a body lift block. Construction is different, but the effect is exactly the same - a cylinder spacer. Are they really 3"? That would be the only odd duck thing, my MAF's are 2" and that's what's listed on Slee's site.
Unfortunately I don't recall if there ever was a solution found to the other guy's problem - though most suspected damage to the vehicle from a previous accident had altered the alignment. Again, that's if I'm remembering right. Don't know if any of this helps...
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
My Slee coil bumpstops caused rubbing on the front of the spring, so I took them out. There are OEM bumstops that bolt up to the frame for the 80-Cruiserdan can get those for you.
BTW_Slee's are machined Aluminum. I think they would work great if you used his new peading arms, since they push the axle forward a bit. I'm going to try them again once I order the arms and install.
Interesting that MAF, FOR, and Slee all use the method of extending the bumpstop inside the coil that you say is worthless. Mine certainly doesn't hit the coil. It hits pretty much where is should. - Search for "flexed till springs popped out" - I have some pretty close up photos of the front bumpstops and how close they are to touching, and you can see where the would touch - the photos don't have an oppinion
How do you figure a front bumpstop is not necessary? I can see from flexing that it's difficult to get to the point of compressing the front bumpstops, but it's not that hard to do going over a bump at any good rate of speed. I slamed mine pretty hard when I was running 2" bumpstop extensions, J' springs, and L shocks. Slee says the 2" bumpstops are there to protect the L shocks from over compressing. I'd guess (and a quick call to Frankie would give you a for sure answer), that without the bumpstop extensions, you're going to trash the shocks pretty quickly, and I'd lay money that it has more to do with the shock travel you get on bumps rather than shock travel flexing.
Hmm, I didn't modify the oem bumpstops in the front when I went to J's and 35's. I did modify the rear ones. Didn't look like the fronts needed any.
Guess I'll be searching mud tonight with the words "front bump stop"
Guess I'll be searching mud tonight with the words "front bump stop"
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
Don't I remember a thread about a guy who put his axle into the oilpan? That would be the best reason to get the amount of uptravel right!
i used the frame bunpstops from a FJ62. They bolt right up to the existing holes in the frame however do to the construction of the axle the DS needs a spacer that is 1/2" thinker than the PS.
I personally prefer these over the stops inside the spring.
I personally prefer these over the stops inside the spring.
My stock bump stops were rubbing the front of my springs, but that was because i had slee's caster plates on and not enough lift causing nearly 6 degrees of caster. Once i took the plates off and put the blue bushings in, no rubbing.
- Thread starter
- #132
Without getting James to draw a picture let me try to explain this. I think the Slee Kit etc. use a 2" bump stop becuase they are using a longer shock I think it is about 12" of travel (the L shock). It probably only needs about 1" but the extra 1" is just for the safty factor.
The FOR system uses a 10 shock not an L shock the same that is on a 2.5" lift for there 3.5" kit. But instead of having 70% up travel and 30% down travel the FOR kit is more like 50/50. The eye adapters that are used to run better shocks are also compresing the shocks about 2" they are also lengthening the shock so the travel is not lost it is just spaced down or turned into down travel. So this is why it is different and more important to run at least at high speeds a bump stop of at least 1.5" to 2" to protect the shocks. And yes they are 3" stops that I have Frankie also has 2" pucks. Nay does not run any.
I will be using the frame bump stops with a custom drop 1.5"- 2" most likely.
The FOR system uses a 10 shock not an L shock the same that is on a 2.5" lift for there 3.5" kit. But instead of having 70% up travel and 30% down travel the FOR kit is more like 50/50. The eye adapters that are used to run better shocks are also compresing the shocks about 2" they are also lengthening the shock so the travel is not lost it is just spaced down or turned into down travel. So this is why it is different and more important to run at least at high speeds a bump stop of at least 1.5" to 2" to protect the shocks. And yes they are 3" stops that I have Frankie also has 2" pucks. Nay does not run any.
I will be using the frame bump stops with a custom drop 1.5"- 2" most likely.
Some of the 80's do get spring contact and some dont with the front bump extensions depends on the frame squarnes axle mount squarenes and caster angle...
We are reducing ours down to 2" and have the 3"` for guys pushing the limit on tire size.
Its the metal reatiner lip that hits the spring when it happens..
We are reducing ours down to 2" and have the 3"` for guys pushing the limit on tire size.
Its the metal reatiner lip that hits the spring when it happens..
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Did you change the angle of the internal nut to mach the angle on your extension or is the bolt bending when tight ?
I like it BTW..
J springs, 2" MAF bumpstop spacer, MAF 3" drop brackets, 14" RS9000XL's, and about as much compression as I could get out of flexing up a rock. The bumpstop is touching the spring perch / axle, but it isn't really compressed much. It's kinda hard to get a photo of it fully compressed from hitting a bump hard
When messing around with the new shocks, I did pop my front springs out and let it come all the way down on the bumbstops, and they were ahead of center - toward the front of the axle - but still just on the spring perch. I can shoot another shot with springs out if anyone is really interested. Pretty easy to pop them out with 14" travel shocks, just jack the front end up and pop them out!
L shocks are around 11" of travel, with the extra factor of safety with 2" bumpstops, you end up around 10" of usable travel with L's. Somewhere out there that was what was finally agreed uppon.
Double checked, 26.2 extended on the front L's, 14.9 compressed, so 11.3" travel, .75" required bumpstop, 2" is what is most used, so 10.05" is what you end up with usable.
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