Spring wrap

[billyjoebob]

So the boy & I and are laying under the Sam looking at the bent springs, Im running a SOA YJ lift, saying Im gonna have to find some new ones and he says "Why dont you just turn them around and bend them the other way? Its not like you drive it on the street!"
Friggin 10 year old, I hate it when he does that to me but he has a point, anyone ever try that? The wrap is not too bad & it would buy me some time.
Naw, Im not a newb or anything, I know stuff. Flame away, Thanks.

[Orionn]

I have never done it, when I bend up a spring, its usaully toast.
As long as they are not bent too bad, it should not hurt to try it.

let us know what happens.

[SkyMfg]

Problem is, when springs fatiuge, its not long till they fail. I've had the same problem on every Wrangler sprung sami we have done, and I finally completed our bolt on traction bar last week, which so far on 3 hard deep snow runs has worked really well. You could trun them around, but size's are different, so if your not worried about it, try it and see what happens, also switch sides as one will generally sag more than the other.

[Nitromax]

Originally Posted by SkyMfg

I finally completed our bolt on traction bar last week, which so far on 3 hard deep snow runs has worked really well.

Yeah, rub it in, rub it in, I'd like your Traction Bar very much, but the shipping would kill me

[mudlite]

Originally Posted by Nitromax

Yeah, rub it in, rub it in, I'd like your Traction Bar very much, but the shipping would kill me

Not sure about yj springs, but most springs are not centered. the pin is usually forward so that you may end up needing a longer drive shaft. Also not sure abou the bushing widths ( measure to be sure).

[sj-x]

seeing as the problem is spring wrap... it's not the end of the world to make a trac bar when you get your new springs.

[GeoB]

Originally Posted by billyjoebob

So the boy & I and are laying under the Sam looking at the bent springs, Im running a SOA YJ lift, saying Im gonna have to find some new ones and he says "Why dont you just turn them around and bend them the other way? Its not like you drive it on the street!"

Nurture that boy! He's the one will select yer nursing home. At 10 yrs old he should be good for another few years of fetching wrenches and ice water 'n stuff too.

I wuz running Nationals spring-under. They are kinda light and flexy. I run the 4.16 t-case, 31's and a pumped up engine. I bent those poor springs ever which-a-way. I bought a press some time ago and it has really been worth it. I used it to straighten the springs, several times. I put a piece of RR iron on the 'table' of my press so that the work area would be deeper. I put a couple lil pieces of rounded 2x4 blocks on that, with the offending spring on top. When ya sit 'n think about it, particularly straightening them more'n oncet, it sounds bad! But in 'real life' tain't so. You are bending the springs to 'plastic deformation' [1] just a tiny tad in any one place. I think those springs are still fine. Were I you, I'd buy the heck outta a press. $125 or so. You will use it over and over. Straighten them springs. Build/buy a anti-wrap as soon as you can. Ya unnerstan, tools ALWAYS have a higher priority in the budget than simple gadgets. So its not like you are sacrificing the anti-wrap to get the press.

Before I had my press I had my heavy diesel F250 Ford. Amazing what you can straighten/bend between a floor jack and the frame of the truck. Maybe you also have something heavy? But provide for safety first, and also don't have anyone loitering near.

SkyMfg; I love my bolt-on anti-wrap. It may have a family resemblance to yers, not sure. I got it from Chris.

[1] I dunno what would happen if ya straightened them too much or too many times. What I imagine is that a small amount of 'work hardening' occurs when you straighten a spring. This happens in a small area of the spring. This should make the spring somewhat less flexible at that point, due to microscopic 'dislocations' introduced there. This should spread the stress to previously un-bent areas that are still more flexible. I DO NOT expect that this small amount of hardening would appreciably increase the likelyhood of cracks or breaks. There really is just a tiny bit of bending that happens at any one place, less than you would think. But what do I know?

[Goof]

Straightening a spring is going to make it weaker. The bend it has now alone is causing metal fatuige.

Just picture a leaf-spring snapping on the road...is it really worth it?

[cuban b]

If the springs aren't bent badly, I say go for it. Once their straight, build a traction bar. I built one by cutting up my sway bar. I used the rubber bushings on the axle end, added 1" tube and a swap meet heim ($2.50). The whole thing came in aroun seven bucks.

[Cap'n Ron]

Originally Posted by GeoB

SkyMfg; I love my bolt-on anti-wrap. It may have a family resemblance to yers, not sure. I got it from ...

You mean like this one?

[Cap'n Ron]

Side shot...

[flexmonger2]

That looks like SKY'S traction bar with a reworked link. It appears to have some heim joints and johnny joints finally to help with the twist. Kinda of like what I did to my Sky setup to gain more twist and less axle bind. The rear bolt on section to the 3rd member is easily installed. Will Sky be making a hybrid kick axle version also?

[zukibro]

[QUOTE=billyjoebob]"Why dont you just turn them around and bend them the other way? Its not like you drive it on the street!"

the yjs have a 9/16 bolt on the inner side and a 1/2 on the outer. but they are centered so would probably work. but i like the idea of straightening them with a press better. and yes tracktion bar.

[zc911]

wow thats looks great, best trackbar setup i have seen.
where can i get it?

[Cap'n Ron]

Originally Posted by zc911

wow thats looks great, best trackbar setup i have seen.
where can i get it?

Thanks! I made it in my garage.

I thought about producing them...even have all the CAD work done for the parts-cutter guys.

When I went to coils, I sold this setup to GeoB...so he's now running the original.

Sky, at one point, e-mailed me to buy the "design", but I never heard back from him. He's had a couple of years now...it'll be interesting to see what his version looks like.

Here it is installed back when I was still running OME leafs...

[Grumpy...]

Sky's trac bar is pretty. Good design too for the non weld people. See my signature for my design.

[billyjoebob]

Thanks for all the input, if Im gonna pull it then Ill just press it and start building a traction bar. Thanks. But now I have another non leaf spring Q.
new Q

[GeoB]

Originally Posted by Grumpy...

Sky's trac bar is pretty. Good design too for the non weld people. See my signature for my design.

I wanted a bolt-on because I had seen pics of sooo many axle housing torn open by a 1st-gen tract-bar. I don't think *mine* is going to do that!

I am speaking generally, I had not looked at your trac-bar design when I said that. If it stands up to 600 hp then it would stand up to me.

GeoB

[Grumpy...]

Originally Posted by GeoB

I wanted a bolt-on because I had seen pics of sooo many axle housing torn open by a 1st-gen tract-bar. I don't think *mine* is going to do that!

I am speaking generally, I had not looked at your trac-bar design when I said that. If it stands up to 600 hp then it would stand up to me.

GeoB

I make mine in various different mounting designs. Its all what the buyer wants, I make... I have 6.5:1 and 3.07 in the axels which is really bad numbers but I have never had any problems. Nor any that I have sold. Plus I am cheaper than anyone else that I am aware of. I do like the thought of a complete bolt on bar though.

[SkyMfg]

Here it is, fully bolt on, 360* capability, adjustable at all points to allow pinion angle and drivetrain changes. Ron had a lot of input in this as he was the original reason I started playing with bolt on, unfortunetly we never met up 2 years agon in Moab. This bar has a twist and stretch capability that allows it to not ever be noticed on the ramp, but when you slam you 2.0 to the floor with 37's, and Wangler springs, pun intended, its the sound your rear u-joing makes when it binds up, you'll notice the 20hp it feels like you gained under acceleration.
Too my knowledge there is no other traction bar out there even close to this type of ability. Fully laser cut and cnc formed 3/16ths plate for the rear mount, use's all the bolt holes from the diff plus a special wrap around 9/16ths u-bolt to secure the stress points to the axle. All bars are .250 wall dom tube, poly bushing and the upper mount is 3/16ths box tube with the upper mounts 3/16ths. Fully bolt on, available currently for the Samurai housing only.[IMG]tractionbarsami1[/IMG]

[SkyMfg]

lets try that with the star back up....

[azrocktrash]

Originally Posted by SkyMfg

Here it is, fully bolt on, 360* capability, adjustable at all points to allow pinion angle and drivetrain changes. Ron had a lot of input in this as he was the original reason I started playing with bolt on, unfortunetly we never met up 2 years agon in Moab. This bar has a twist and stretch capability that allows it to not ever be noticed on the ramp, but when you slam you 2.0 to the floor with 37's, and Wangler springs, pun intended, its the sound your rear u-joing makes when it binds up, you'll notice the 20hp it feels like you gained under acceleration.
Too my knowledge there is no other traction bar out there even close to this type of ability. Fully laser cut and cnc formed 3/16ths plate for the rear mount, use's all the bolt holes from the diff plus a special wrap around 9/16ths u-bolt to secure the stress points to the axle. All bars are .250 wall dom tube, poly bushing and the upper mount is 3/16ths box tube with the upper mounts 3/16ths. Fully bolt on, available currently for the Samurai housing only.[IMG]tractionbarsami1[/IMG]

looks good. are you going too be putting one together for the hybred housings soon?
AZ

[zukatude]

Sky, very nice. If you decide to also make it for those with toy axles, I'll take one.

With 126:1 at the rear toy axle and YJs, I know its only a matter of time before my springs are toast.