71 cj5
#1
#2
Had a '70 SOA and have a '76 SOA on 1ton axles, yes they are under and it takes more work but doesn't cost as much as a lift. You will need to weld in new spring perches at the correct pinion angle, longer brake lines, drop pitman arm, new U bolts and other assorted hardware and probably new bushings because they don't always come out of a 40 year old jeep in one piece. The biggest concern is going to be drive shaft length, you'll most likely need to lower the T-case a little and still make sure the rear is long enough and has enough travel. The other one is with a SOA you'll be able to fit a 35" tire easily but the axles are not strong enough to handle a lot of abuse off road with them.
Last edited by DIESELDENT; 10-15-2010 at 06:47 AM.
#3
Stock they are sprung under the axle. Spring over conversions are great IF you do it right. Otherwise they become a death trap. Depending on what you are going to do with the Jeep, I would recommend keeping it sprung under and buying suspension from Holbrook Speciaties: Holbrook Specialties It may be a bit out of the box for most Jeepers but it works better than anything else I've wheeled with and is smooth and predictible on the street. HTH!
#5
#7
Yeah at least, that much lift would give you room for a big enough tire that they might almos touch in the middle like I said it will fit 35's easy with out any shackles or body lift, any bigger and a strong wind will blow it over without getting wider axles and stretching the wheel base. Also I would never recommend a body lift especially a 3" on something that old which could have questionable body mounts because of age and rust, I've seen a few rip the mounts out of the body from the body shifting and the extra leverage the 3" longer bolts have.