I am doing a spring over axle conversion with YJ springs on an 86 CJ7. The shackles in the front are not up and down like I think they should be. I know that the YJ springs are a little longer than the CJ springs. Does anyone know what the distance should be between the center of the upper shackle mount and the center of the rear of the spring. I can't use the stock locations because the front of frame has been made out of tube. Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bryan

I believe yj springs are the same length front and rear,so could the eyes be spaced the same distance apart? Sorry to try to answer with a question.The write up I read on S.O.A. replaced the stock front shackle hangers with CJ rear shackle hangers and relocated them 1 inch further forward.

YJ springs are wider than CJ front springs.

There are supposed to be two bolts that hold each front shackle hanger and a rivet directly in front of the bolts. What I did (as seen on the web) was grind off the head of the rivet, knock it out, unbolt the hanger and move it forward using the rivet hole for one bolt and the existing front bolt hole for the other bolt. This moves the hanger forward about one inch and the holes line up fine. I used rear CJ hangers for the front as they are the right width for YJ springs and bolt right on the CJ's front. The article recommended welding the cross member to the frame before removing the rivets to prevent movement. It seems yours has already been modified so welding may be unnecessary. The rivets may already be gone also. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />