Houston, we have a problem.

[MattHamilton]

Total I gained 4” up front and 3” on the rear before any kind of settle,

Now I'm sad..... lol... Good work!

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[DTJB]

Being a child of the 70s, I think you're done Just chrome up the rear diff and put wide slicks on the rear.

that was just the rear end, gave it a pulling truck vibe ? excuse the mess.

 

[darkhorse13]

If you don't go the limit strap route, you can get the Teraflex coil retainers for the rear springs.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

If the shocks don’t limit the travel what does? On a stock JT once you unbolt the shocks you can lower the axle and remove it the springs. I haven’t tried it with the sway bar connected but I doubt that would prevent it.

I couldn't. When I swapped springs in 2020, I did everything I knew how to do. For kicks I even followed a couple of lists of what needed to be loosened or removed. I've done more suspension work in 50 years than I can remember, full rebuilds, restorations, repairs, spring and shock work, bushings, whatever - but the Gladiator is newer and a bit different so I checked in these forums to make sure I wasn't missing something or ending up breaking some little thing because I left out a detail.
I pulled the shocks clear out first as I was replacing those anyway. I loosened everything - my springs still had pressure on them!
I had to tweak the brake lines a bit, and I had to put a jack on the axle housing pad the bump stop contacts and push up through the middle of the bump stop to actually jack the axle down before I could shove the springs out.
The max tow springs slid right in because they are 1.5" shorter than my stock springs, but I could have run my Overland without shocks and not lost the spring.
I know, I know, we're talking modified Jeeps here, with lifts and after-market parts, but to say the shocks are the only limiting factor may be true in some cases, but sure wasn't in mine. My springs would not have fallen out except maybe under some specific circumstances. The Overland springs are longer (and softer) than others.
So I'd tweak that statement with "it may be the only limited factor in some cases".

 

[Mac]

I couldn't. When I swapped springs in 2020, I did everything I knew how to do. For kicks I even followed a couple of lists of what needed to be loosened or removed. I've done more suspension work in 50 years than I can remember, full rebuilds, restorations, repairs, spring and shock work, bushings, whatever - but the Gladiator is newer and a bit different so I checked in these forums to make sure I wasn't missing something or ending up breaking some little thing because I left out a detail.
I pulled the shocks clear out first as I was replacing those anyway. I loosened everything - my springs still had pressure on them!
I had to tweak the brake lines a bit, and I had to put a jack on the axle housing pad the bump stop contacts and push up through the middle of the bump stop to actually jack the axle down before I could shove the springs out.
The max tow springs slid right in because they are 1.5" shorter than my stock springs, but I could have run my Overland without shocks and not lost the spring.
I know, I know, we're talking modified Jeeps here, with lifts and after-market parts, but to say the shocks are the only limiting factor may be true in some cases, but sure wasn't in mine. My springs would not have fallen out except maybe under some specific circumstances. The Overland springs are longer (and softer) than others.
So I'd tweak that statement with "it may be the only limited factor in some cases".

I have had my JT suspension apart several times, I have done it where I lowered the entire axle doing both sides at the same time and also where I did it one corner at a time, with the one corner at a time, 3 wheels on the ground, it was easier to remove the spring, possibly how it would be if the JT were crossed up off road.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I have had my JT suspension apart several times, I have done it where I lowered the entire axle doing both sides at the same time and also where I did it one corner at a time, with the one corner at a time, 3 wheels on the ground, it was easier to remove the spring, possibly how it would be if the JT were crossed up off road.

I did mine one at a time. 3 tires on the floor, the side I was doing fully dropped. Even pushed up on the other side with a floor jack thinking it might help.
The max tow springs slid right in - the Overland springs had to be forced out using a jack to shove the axle down further. But then the Overland springs are a full 1.5" longer than max tow spring and longer than Mojave springs. (see another thread for comparisons)
For my Overland springs to be removed, I had to bend the brake line bracket and use a jack. To put the max tow springs in place I had to raise up the axle as the springs kept falling out on me when I tried to set things up and hold the top pad in place.
When I put the Daystar spacers in place, it was simple because the max tow springs were so much shorter it was easy to drop one end of the axle, lift the spring and slip the spacer in place.
There's no way I'd trust the shorter max tow springs to not fall out if the shocks didn't limit travel.
With the stock Overland, no way they'd have fallen out.
Anyway, I did mine one corner at a time because some said that was easier. I won't debate whether or not it was - just that removing those longer Overland springs was a pain in the butt, inserting the max tow springs was frustrating because they were so short they kept falling out of place.

 

[DTJB]

@ShadowsPapa @Mac

when I took mine apart the Max Tow springs had a slight tension on them when hanging, when I took the shocks out the axle came down far enough to just pop them out, the evo rear springs are a little longer in the rear than the max tow springs but the fox shocks are significantly longer than the stock rear shocks.

When I installed the rears, with everything loose but connected they will fall out, I’m hoping the spring tension from the other components is enough to keep them in, if I were using free motion bearings/bushings on my joints I would need shorter shocks and possibly limiting straps just to keep them in. Since I’m running factory joints in the rear, if there is sufficient spring tension in the rubber bushings I might not have a problem. As far as I see it shocks on a vehicle without limiting straps are the limiting factor. “IF” the suspension components have no way of supporting the axle weight alone... my front springs are much longer and when installed with the shocks the spring will not fall out at all (shocks are too short to let them come out), I had to compress them to get them in...

I’m not an off-road specialist nor a trophy truck or ultra4 builder this is just my view and opinion.

 

[RCKLNDR]

Thanks so much for the spring comparison you posted! I have the front Fox 2.0s in that travel range for the front sitting in my garage. I wasn’t concerned about the front springs because they are 3.5” JKS springs, among the other things that keep a front spring from falling out.

However, in the rear, I have base sport springs and a 2” AEV spacer so I had concerns whether I could run the same travel shocks in the rear. It seems based off your pic, between the spacer and the sport springs being 1.5” longer than max tow springs, I may actually have a touch more free length than the EVO springs.

Who knows; it sounds good in my head but I could be completely off. Guess there’s one way to find out…

 

[DTJB]

Thanks so much for the spring comparison you posted! I have the front Fox 2.0s in that travel range for the front sitting in my garage. I wasn’t concerned about the front springs because they are 3.5” JKS springs, among the other things that keep a front spring from falling out.

However, in the rear, I have base sport springs and a 2” AEV spacer so I had concerns whether I could run the same travel shocks in the rear. It seems based off your pic, between the spacer and the sport springs being 1.5” longer than max tow springs, I may actually have a touch more free length than the EVO springs.

Who knows; it sounds good in my head but I could be completely off. Guess there’s one way to find out…

I hope it works well for you. I still need to get mine on a lift. I had trouble finding a whole lot of info on the EVO kit, I’ve seen some JT’s on here with this lift and I was struggling to choose between this and Clayton. Ultimately I chose the evo springs on assumption they were a little softer than Claytons, but I bought Clayton overland control arms up front. Clayton holds high regard on this forum and I like their stuff, if this doesn’t turn out like I was hoping Clayton will be my next spring.

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