Would it hurt to have leaf springs slightly off?

[KYJ10]

I think maybe I can make the super duty axle work. But would need to move the non diff perch into position, and outboard the drivers side leaf spring 2". So my left side would be normal, and drivers side spring would be moved outboard 2". Any problems with this? Dennis

[FSJeeper]

Go to the pirate board and do a search on outboard mounted springs. The consensus was that the ourboard spring mounts need to be exactly the same on both sides or the unequal leverage exerted on the axle during steering will cause unwanted and serious problems.

I am not an engineer, but I have thought about this one time before on another project. I can't see how on spring being mounted a few inches to the side can cause huge problems but there are guys at the pirate board who know there stuff and like I said, the consensus is that the springs need to be mouinted symetrically.

[Brown Bear]

Think of it this way:

Hold a pencil between your thumb and index finger, but to where 75% of the pencil is to the left, and 25% is to the right. Now take your other hand and push on the ends of the pencil with your pinky and your thumb. If you are holding the pencil loosely, the 75% end will push farther back, easier. If you are gripping it firmly, you will bend the pencil, but the 75% end will bend farther back than the 25% end. This is essentially what you are doing when to your drivetrain when the symmetry is off. Except that it is greatly exaggerated by the centrifugal forces of the tires, axles, and during turning.

[scotty]

i agree with FSJeeper. even if its only from a cosemtic standpoint,it would look real goofy to have 1 spring moved out 2" from the frame,and the other one where it should be. :eek:

you are a good welder/fabricator,just move both sides so that both mounts are in the same relation to the frame. we did it on a friends cj and i swear ints not that big a deal smile.gif

[Bob Barry]

Well, also that your wheels will also be shifted 2" to one side of the truck, and that the wheels in front will track offset relative to the rear wheels, you'll get some interesting effects on the steering.

Only solution would be to offset the rear axle 2" to the same side; then you can add a 180º exhaust setup, weight-jacks on each corner, and run'er in the late-model Modified feature at your local 1/2-mile dirt-track! :D

[greasyjeep]

It would kind of look like a dirt track sprint car.

Real good a making right turns at speed ;)

[ June 10, 2003, 07:14 AM: Message edited by: greasyjeep ]

[rockjeep44]

I outboarded both my front springs...definitely do both. Only doing one sounds like it could cause problems and definitely look funky.
-Andrew

[Stuka]

A while back at the exhaust shop there was a CJ7 they where building there that had wag axles installed on it. The front springs looked like this:

\ /
|-----|

It was pretty funny. One guy said it had handling problems and they couldent figure it out heh.

[KYJ10]

Andrew, have you lost any turning radius doing this? Or did you make it right back up because the WMS is much further out than the 44?

[scotty]

my impression was that the front wheels would still be centered. if he moves the one spring out far enuff,all he has to do is move the perch further over on the other axletube.

but i think it would still look funky to have one spring outside the frame...

stuka,im havin alittle prollem understanfing your pic. ya mean the front springs were spread out to meet the perches,from their original locations? :eek: or they had the one spring on the factory perch,and the other moved over,causing the driver side wheel to stick out? :eek: both of them options are pretty stupid :D wonder why it handles funky ...

[KYJ10]

I dont think anyone would notice. I mean it would sit about half on the frame and half on some type of mount. It really only needs to be moved like 1.5". and yes, the axle would still be centered. I moving the spring cause that side perch cant be moved, but the other perch can be. Axle would still sit centered. But I have decided just to move both of them just to be sure. So I think I have my 60 problem solved. I looked at a 1979 dana 60 and for the same price, I can get this never used super duty. And it has a bigger housing and webbing than the old ones. He has several of them. Dennis

[GreenMachine]

Hey man i also have another M715 frame if you want to go that route.. I would let you have it if you came and picked it up. It has the right width in the front for the super duty 60. You could torch off the spring mounts and weld them on yours or just use the whole frame...

[Stuka]

bah, stupid thing. It got rid of my spaces :mad:

ohwell, what I ment was the tops of the leafs where in farther then the bottoms of the leafs. You could see the force put on the bushings. It musta ben hell trying to bend the springs like that to get them onto the spring pads.

[ June 10, 2003, 10:45 PM: Message edited by: Stuka ]

[KYJ10]

Green, thanks, but swapping frames is way more work than I plan on doing! I will probably weld up some triangular type pieces, then sit them flush with the with the bottom of my frame(on the side). Should be able to get a bolt through them and weld around the four edges.

[scotty]

Originally posted by Stuka:
bah, stupid thing. It got rid of my spaces :mad:

ohwell, what I ment was the tops of the leafs where in farther then the bottoms of the leafs. You could see the force put on the bushings. It musta ben hell trying to bend the springs like that to get them onto the spring pads.yikes! :eek:

[rockjeep44]

Originally posted by KYJ10:
Andrew, have you lost any turning radius doing this? Or did you make it right back up because the WMS is much further out than the 44?Didn't loose anything cuz my frontend is so d*mn wide.
-Andrew

[KYJ10]

Im gonna try to get it close to my 14FF. It sticks out further than I like. Im gonna see if a 16" rim, with a 5.25" backspace will fit. If so, it will get me even with the rear. If it hits the tie rod end, I know a 17" rim will work. Dennis