SOA done but man it rides rough...

[rielly]

I did an SOA on my 84 CJ7. I used new 6 leaf wrangler springs front and rear and new shocks. Also new steering stabilizer up front. It rides like a tank. I did this 10 yrs ago the same way and I recall it being much smoother ride. Any thoughts as to why that would be? Maybe I'm just older and notice it more....

Can I tighten up the steering box some how? Doesn't it have an adjustment?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[rielly]

pic of my jeep before soa

 

[SteelHeadz]

The Steering Gear box can be tightened by loosening the nut on top of the gear box. use an allen wrench to counter the center stud where the nut is threaded to. turn the center stud a 1/4 at a time and check the steering wheel play each time . once you think it's tight enough. start the engine and keep it at idle, turn the steering wheel and watch the wheels response in relation to the steering wheel input side to side. if it's responding with a minute steering input, tighten the nut and take the Jeep for a spin.

 

[currupt4130]

Did you crank the bolts super tight on your shackles? That'll do it.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

The rough ride could be a couple things. Some gas-charged shocks tend to ride rough, what brand did you get?

The springs could be stiff until broken in. I'd make sure the shackle bolts aren't overly tight and flex the suspension, making sure the springs flex well in each direction.

 

[Crazy4diesels]

What a nice looking Jeep!! I had a 78 CJ7 almost that same color. About the rough ride... Is there enough room for the shackles to move as the springs try to compress? If the shackles can't move enough to accomodate the spring elongation you'll get a pretty bouncy ride. Did you add any leaves? Nice Jeep - I miss my old CJ7. Best of luck - John

 

[rielly]

Thanks for the replies. I definitely tightened the shackles a lot. I have a tendency to do that with every nut/bolt I come across. The shocks are Skyjacker hydro's... 5000's I think. The leafs are stock crown automotive 6 leaf YJ springs. Not sure if that's too many leafs... but that's the way they came, i didn't add any.

 

[rielly]

So here attached is my old gray Jeep I built in college and sold shortly after. With my jeep now I tried to lift it exactly the same way because I was so impressed with the gray Jeeps ride. Really different though.

 

[rielly]

One last thing about the steering.... think I pitched the front axle too much. There's no bend at all where the drive shaft meets the pinnon yolk. Think a 3 degree shim will fix that?? Probably why I have bump steer???

Thanks again,
Tom

 

[rielly]

Loosened up shackles a bit but not too much of a difference. Shocks are Skyjacker Hydro 7000.... are they known to be stiff??

Thanks,
Tom

 

[currupt4130]

Skyjackers can have a tendency to be stiff shocks, yes. I had great luck with Doestech 3000's when I was still on the road and SOA.

 

[rielly]

cool thanks. I hooked my sway bar back up and greased the fittings on shackle hangers. That made a big difference. Had to shorten the sway bar links by half as they were too long and hitting my my brake line causing it to snap. Lost my breaks twice!

 

[TJ_Jeep]

Heres a tip for a smoother ride, lower your tire pressure, My tires called for 50 psi, man did it ride rough, i let them down to 23 psi and its MUCH smoother

 

[currupt4130]

Heres a tip for a smoother ride, lower your tire pressure, My tires called for 50 psi, man did it ride rough, i let them down to 23 psi and its MUCH smoother

Lesson of the day, the pressure you fill your tires to is not dependent on what the sidewall says. The sidewall gives MAX PSI. You need to fill your tires to what supports your vehicle correctly. A larger tire will use less air pressure because it has more area supporting the weight of the vehicle than a skinny tire. Think of it like filling up a tire on a road bike and filling up a tire on a mountain bike. The tires on my roadbike hold 120 and I need every bit of it. Most mountain bike tires are good for around 60 or 70psi.