I just figured out why you guys like a longer wheelbase with large tires. My 40" boggers work well but on steep uphill climbs it really likes to pick up the front tires, something I don't care for.

I am looking for 3-4" or so in the back and 6" up front on my CJ-7 with a Shackle reversal. Heres the deal, moving the shackle mount in the rear will not be a problem it can be moved easily and mounted to my bumper but the spring hanger side will require a ton of work just to move so is there a spring I can use that will give me 4-5" of lift and extend my wheelbase back 3-4 inches, the waggy springs will not give me the length I want.

Up front the same thing happens the rear shackle goes thru the frame so moving would all but require pulling the engine to gain access to the back side. But the front hanger can be moved, up here is there a longer spring I can use to get more length?

Thanks :D

52" chevys in the rear would give you about 3.5" keeping the spring hanger in stock spot.F-150(86-96) would give you I think 9" if you kept the shackle in the same spot.This is running the long side towards the rear.You would really be adding to the frame in front to use these though.And it is more than you were looking for but I don't know of any others that would give as much or close.Blazin:D

Just thought of one more.I think the 56" chevy rears are a center pin so this would give you 5 1/2" up front.All of this is assuming you have stock length CJ springs now.Blazin:D

Don't forget that when extending the front axle out, you have the drag link to watch for. You may have to move the steering box.

Originally posted by JeepinIan
Don't forget that when extending the front axle out, you have the drag link to watch for. You may have to move the steering box.


I run a high steer setup now, I will move the tie rod to the rear of the knuckle and leave the drag on the front. Thanks for the heads up.

What is the eye to eye on a stock CJ spring and what off set do they have. My CJ springs have way to much arch for me to get a good measurment.

Thanks everybody! :beer:

So you are looking for longer springs than Waggy? Try Cherokee they are longer by a few inches more than the waggy.

Hey, in the front of my YJ i entended the frame about 9 inches giving me approx. 5.5 to 6 inches of wheel base. I just boxed in the an extension on the frame horn, braced it and added a shackle reversal. It works well and i have a 100 inch wheel base now. As far as the rear, the chevy springs sound good. I would also like about 3 more inches of wheel base out back, but I will attempt to doing the same to the frame though. If you would like to see pics of the work in progress and the after shots drop me a line and i will send them to you.

Originally posted by 66CJdean
So you are looking for longer springs than Waggy? Try Cherokee they are longer by a few inches more than the waggy.

Yeah, they are about 53" with about 6" offset.

Why not build a shackle mount under the frame instead of through it and move it all forward?

I'm in ht eprocess of building my jeep but I just finished the suspension. I opted for F-150 springs front and rear. I used a YJ chassis and extended the frame by 3 inches in front and in the rear with some 3x4 square stock welded to the frame. I moved the stock front shackle hanger foreward 5-6 inches and moved the hanger back. In the rear I moved the shackle mount to the rear about 6-7 inches and moved the hanger foreward. As it sits now without and weight on it I have between 104 and 105 inch wheel base. The is what I was aming for.
http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/jmacdonald/big/jonM%20010.jpg http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/jmacdonald/big/jonM%20012.jpg http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/jmacdonald/big/jonM%20011.jpg
These are the best pics I have...

The easiest way to get the desired wheelbase is coils, but if you stick to srpings you could use dakota leaves like Dean which are offset 22/32 i think. i think cj leaves are 22/22. if you extend in the front, and you have highsteer, then you should easily be able to reverse the steering behind the axle, on my 60 i can move the front forward 8 inches, and the steering will still be stock when i reverse the highsteer.

Originally posted by JEEPerCREEPer
The easiest way to get the desired wheelbase is coils.

I would love to run coils, I saw the advantages on every Jeep I wheeled with this weekend and I was so jealous. I have fabricating ability but don't have a clue how to start on a coil set up. I have searched thru the posts but there are to many conflicting methods of doing a link system. I would love to be in the 104 range maybe more but the things I don't want to do is swap to a fuel cell, I need my cargo room for my tools now and the little one on the way in a few years :D

Are there any shops in the North Louisiana area that are knowledgable in a link setup, this is one of those things I would like to be on the sidelines watching during the design stage...

Man decisions decisions, all I know before I bring my wife back out this thing has got to be longer since most of the wheeling around here involves a few rocks and hill climbs. After doing a series of wheelstands last weekend and on just about every other hill I climbed in the past I have to do something.. :cool:

How long are the dakota leaves and has any one gotten an exact measurement on the cj leaves? What we should do is start a chart on leaf springs like the chart on 44 shatfs I think that would be a valuable rescource for a lot of people.

Originally posted by Bgcj5
How long are the dakota leaves and has any one gotten an exact measurement on the cj leaves? What we should do is start a chart on leaf springs like the chart on 44 shatfs I think that would be a valuable rescource for a lot of people.

Dakota's are 56" 10" offset 23/33
CJ's are 46"

Originally posted by TPIJeep
After doing a series of wheelstands last weekend and on just about every other hill I climbed in the past I have to do something.. :cool:

Start lowering that thing!! :) Seriously I think your Jeep has much more lift than necesary, I have 2.5" YJ leafs and its a bit tall IMHO.

What about coilovers and a set of extended radius arms like the EB's ? that seems like the easiest way to do it. With a CV up front (wich you already have) seems like a cake to do.

Sort of like this from Campbells ENt:

http://www.campbellent.com/full%20size%20pics/shop%20pics0005.jpg

Im on the same boat, except that my rear end at compression has less than 1" of clearence between the cover an the TrailQuest 23 gal gas tank. So moving the rear is a no go for now...