I know there are kits out there for converting the CJ to coils but I was thinking about converting the front only and keeping the rear with leaf springs.

I was looking at how the TJ's are set-up and some online tech, articles (procomps' & black diamonds' kit), it really doesn't look all that complicated.

-2 coils springs
-2 upper control arms
-2 lower control arms
-1 track bar

Obviously the hardest part would be fabbing up the bracketry for the axle (caster angles & such). Anybody got any ideas or has anyone done this? I was thinking about just using the existing "eye" on the frame rail (where the rear bolt for the front leaf goes) for my control arms. Utilizing this "eye" for the upper and lower control arms that would come into a "Y" (one bar) and bolt on the old leaf spring eye.

I don't know what to do about the coil mounting other than cutting off the brackets from a TJ and welding them onto my frame. Also, what size coils would I use? OR any other things I should consider? Reason for doing this? (I DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' REASON FOR JEEP PROJECTS!)................for better flex and softer ride; and I'm out of projects to do.

Chris

perhaps it might be a good idea to find a front axle from a recked TJ and just build control arms to match? it won't be as good as custom job, but it will be an easy and probably well working first try. You can also get a TJ bracket kit that comes with all the mounts.

Some of the YJ coil conversion kits use the original spring hangers for the lower control arms, then use a skid plat for the uppers.

why the front?
Why tj style control arms?
Everyone with a Tj is wishing for long arms at the least.
Bolt/weld on kits won't work for using tj links on a cj frame, as they have different frame widths.A tj axle in a cj would make things worse.

I build custom long arm rear coil set ups at work, with a rear coil set up, all that is major to move is the fuel tank. This allows for a CJ7/yj to be stretched to 100" wheel base. With front coils, on a CJ, narrow axles (stock) are a disaster, no room, less stability, fabbing track bar and steering... On my own tube buggy (in process) I'm running front leafs, rear coils. Cj frames are not much to brag about, so adding anything that stresses an already POS frame could be no fun at all.

SD

The idea would be to use some sort of long arm kit with the TJ design in mind. I could use the coil & shock retainer found on the TJ's but still use a long arm system. I would think that a rig with rear leafs and front coils would be a lot better on the trail (flex) and allow for a better ride on the highway. Maybe I'm just stupid and so are all these guys who change out their rear coils in their TJ's for leafs?

I never said I would go to a wrangler axle, nor would I want to. That was someone else's reply. It would be a downgrade. I don't want to move the fuel tank and wouldn't have a lot of room to do so with the kilby skid plate. The idea is simplicity and inexpensive and extending the rear wheel base seems (to me) to be more fab work than I want to do to my rig. I just found that Shaffer Offraod offers a front kit for $700 which is a lot cheaper than what I could fab an extended rear end for.

No the CJ frame isn't a YJ or TJ frame, but it isn't a piece of string cheese either. If set-up properly I see no reason why the frame (in good condition; no dominant rust) wouldn't hold up to a front coil conversion.

Chris

i read a thread on pbb about front leafs and rear coils. it started with a guy wanting to put leafs on the front of his tj. it seems that is a very popular setup and i'm thinking about doing it myself. currently i have waggy front and yj rear in spring over config.

another option for front coils may be the ford radius arm/panhard bar setup. i looks pretty simple. you would just need long radius arms for lots of travel. probably not as good as a 4 link but it would be pretty cheap if you used junkyard parts. just an idea. i've never seen it on a jeep and don't know if the stuff would even fit but it's worth the research.

could you put together a kit with weld on link brackets, coil buckets for a dana 44, rod ends, and instructions for fabbing a bridge over the centersection to mount the links and have everything fit together nicely without a bunch of trial and error and wasting steel? how much?

What we build is damn near a kit as is, we have just perfected it and now have all the parts in stock, pm me for details. We don't use a bridge for links, we use towers and wwhd mounts for the frame side. The set ups we do are for Cj,tj,yj. and could be adapted to other models too.

As for Muddercj7, the reason for rear 4 link first is eliminating axle wrap. I forgot to mention that in the first one.

CJ frames are string cheese for mounting full width D60s under without heavy beefing up. I needed to clarify under what conditions they fall apart (on a daily basis).

In this day and age of hardcore wheeling, a wheel base stretch is high on the priority list for most. Some going as far as 120". But 100-105 is best.

That would have been funny, "superdave" except for one thing...............it wasn't.

I don't run Dana 60's, my CJ is not a full time rock buggy, I have to be able to drive this thing on the highway 5,000 miles a month, none of what you said addresses a front coil conversion or the benefits of it and why TJ's are converting the rear to leafs, never had any trouble with axle wrap since I went spring under, and have absolutely no interest in buying an incredibly expensive kit for the rear of my jeep (since I want to convert the front) from "experts" like you.

Chris

Hi Chris,
I thought about a coil spring set up for my 86 CJ7 also. But after price and the down time I went with the Rubicon 4.5" in lift,1" body lift and I'm running 35"BFGRMT's with 4:56 gears and ARB's on both front and rear. A fellow for a well know 4wheel drive supplier (Manager), has the same tires but a different 4" lift (sold by his company) on his CJ7 and asked to ride in mine. We drove across 2 railroad tracks at 50mph he looked at me and he smiled & said it was very smooth & he was going to change his lift. Everyone clams my CJ has the best ride they have ever rode in. Best Regards, Keith <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" />

Kiefer,

What shocks are you running and what did you do if anything with the rear driveshaft? I'm trying to figure out the added cost on top of that RE 4.5" lift.