shocked by shock and spring replacement cost

[Alabama Mud Machine]

Silly question - Rubicon Fox shocks, the stock JTR shocks, the plastic sleeve has a cutout or opening - on the rear shocks, does that face to the front of the truck or to the rear?
I see no clearance issues either way, it would fit either way and not rub, but I assume that cutout is there for a reason?
Anyone have a pic of the Rubicon JT rear shock - or can say which way that opening or cutout should face - forward or to the back?

This was taken I was putting the spacer lift on... It looks like it faces the tire/wheel side, and not towards the inside of the truck.

If you need a specific front or back picture, let me know, I can go take one real quick.

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[ShadowsPapa]

This was taken I was putting the spacer lift on... It looks like it faces the tire/wheel side, and not towards the inside of the truck.

If you need a specific front or back picture, let me know, I can go take one real quick.

Thanks - I never thought of that upper part of the plastic.
I guess I was thinking of the opening at the very bottom of the plastic, next to where the bolt goes through. On the set I have, there's a side that's open, sort of a notch next to the mounting "loop" or "eye" so you can see the piston of the shock. Not sure the purpose of that or which way it should face.
Do you have a shot of the bottom end of the shock showing that opening in the sleeve?

 

[Alabama Mud Machine]

Thanks - I never thought of that upper part of the plastic.
I guess I was thinking of the opening at the very bottom of the plastic, next to where the bolt goes through. On the set I have, there's a side that's open, sort of a notch next to the mounting "loop" or "eye" so you can see the piston of the shock. Not sure the purpose of that or which way it should face.
Do you have a shot of the bottom end of the shock showing that opening in the sleeve?

I will try to get you a pick of that tomorrow when I get to the jobsite. It's dark outside now.

 

[Deleted member 30519]

I paid 400 labor for all around coils and shocks along with an adjustable control arm. I thought that was pretty reasonable.

 

[Alabama Mud Machine]

Thanks - I never thought of that upper part of the plastic.
I guess I was thinking of the opening at the very bottom of the plastic, next to where the bolt goes through. On the set I have, there's a side that's open, sort of a notch next to the mounting "loop" or "eye" so you can see the piston of the shock. Not sure the purpose of that or which way it should face.
Do you have a shot of the bottom end of the shock showing that opening in the sleeve?

This is from the back of the rear axle, looking towards the front of the truck...

The opening faces rearward towards the shock mounting bracket on the rear axle.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

This is from the back of the rear axle, looking towards the front of the truck...

The opening faces rearward towards the shock mounting bracket on the rear axle.

PERFECT! THANK YOU!! That's a great picture.
I don't need to take the bottoms of the shocks loose. (I suppose if I was wrong, looks like the plastic sleeve can be unbolted, turned, and put back. )

The fronts appeared to have the "cutout" as if to clear the brake sensor lines. The shocks weren't REAL close to them, but it made total sense to face the opening to the rear on the front shocks for that line.
I did the rear the same. I wasn't sure at first, it seemed that facing at that angle like that that water or stuff may build in there but there are holes in the bottom facing the front for drainage.
I got it right using logic.

The original Overland shocks are very different, more like standard truck shocks, with the upper part being a really light flexible plastic so there was no way to compare to what I was taking off. The "take-offs" I bought were not marked in any way. All I knew for sure was which end was up.

Thanks again - that's a big help.

 

[RealMcCoy]

I did my JKS lift myself.
Cost me 42 dollars to rent a work bay and tools for 7 hours at the on base hobby shop. I'd have loved to use a lift bay and probably would've had it done in Half the time but I was stuck with jackstands and a half working floor jack.

Haha, sounds just like on-base self-help garage.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I found the front spring swap was easier with two floor jacks. I had one under the pumpkin, and the other under the lower control arm bracket. I could tilt or level the axle as needed to get the clearances I needed and tweak things right back into place to button things up.

I nearly forgot to add or mention - the Rubicon front springs gave me a STRONG 1" lift up front - so now my steering wheels is off by several degrees, something like maybe 10 degrees. When I am going straight on a level flat straight road, the wheel is to the left several degrees.
So now I need to adjust that.
Alignment should not be needed since the link between the left and right would not change.
Since the only change was springs and shocks, moving the axle down, the toe would not have changed, in fact, it could not have changed since on these the left and right wheels are connected directly by a link that is never removed. I suppose the front axle sits a bit further left now since the track bar swings down and left as the axle moves down away from the truck.
The ideal would be to have a longer track bar. Man, 1", I wonder what a 2" lift would have done.

 

[Blade1668]

ShadowsPapa
Late response so a question now, did you just lift up to full suspension droop and then compress one side then change out spring on other side? In past I have been able to swap out coil springs on Jeep's that way with out un-bolting control arms just swaybar disconnected. Then just pushing down on other side of axle and pulling out coil spring.

Haha, sounds just like on-base self-help garage.

Now that the MWR Auto Craft Shop near me is open again, I'll use it for their lift. I have some work to do on few Jeep's. If I can get there in time to do a few little projects it's a 50 plus mile drive to go there. So it's got to be a good reason for me..... shade, A.C. and flat concrete work areas.

 

[Alabama Mud Machine]

ShadowsPapa
Late response so a question now, did you just lift up to full suspension droop and then compress one side then change out spring on other side? In past I have been able to swap out coil springs on Jeep's that way with out un-bolting control arms just swaybar disconnected. Then just pushing down on other side of axle and pulling out coil spring.

Now that the MWR Auto Craft Shop near me is open again, I'll use it for their lift. I have some work to do on few Jeep's. If I can get there in time to do a few little projects it's a 50 plus mile drive to go there. So it's got to be a good reason for me..... shade, A.C. and flat concrete work areas.

That's how I did mine on my JTR when I put on the 2.5" spacer lift... Worked great.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

ShadowsPapa
Late response so a question now, did you just lift up to full suspension droop and then compress one side then change out spring on other side? In past I have been able to swap out coil springs on Jeep's that way with out un-bolting control arms just swaybar disconnected. Then just pushing down on other side of axle and pulling out coil spring.

Now that the MWR Auto Craft Shop near me is open again, I'll use it for their lift. I have some work to do on few Jeep's. If I can get there in time to do a few little projects it's a 50 plus mile drive to go there. So it's got to be a good reason for me..... shade, A.C. and flat concrete work areas.

One end at a time -
I raised up using jack under axle, put stands under frame. I let jack down most of the way, disconnected shocks, axle end of sway bar links and track bar axle end.
I didn't compress the other end. On the front I simply pushed down a bit and was able to work the originals out and the replacements in. I did "push down" and I did use two jacks, but can't say I compressed the other end in either case, front or rear axles.
On the rear, I did the same but used a bottle jack - I put a piece of pipe in the bump stop, and used a bottle jack on the axle up to the pipe and pushed the axle down that way.

I didn't take the control arms loose at all.
Just axle end of track bar, axle end of sway bar links, and shocks. (on the front, I took loose the brake hose brackets from the lower control arms - just a nut to take off)

After doing this I think I have decided my lift will be a two post and not a 4 post. Too often I need the axles to drop or wheels to be off.
I did this in my garage but it would have been a lot nicer in my shop with finished floor, lots of LED lighting, AC and all of my tools right there instead of hauling my jacks, stands and tools back and forth. But my shop was full, two cars taken apart in there. Need to get the Javelin back together so I can use that spot.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

That's how I did mine on my JTR when I put on the 2.5" spacer lift... Worked great.

With that much lift, either springs or spacers, yeah, that could help a bunch. In my case the front springs were only about an inch or so taller and the rears weren't even quite as tall. If I get some spacers to bring the back end back up to snuff, I can see doing it that way.

 

[Mightytalldude]

I should've charged myself for the swap, I do too much for free =P
Started at 4:30p and finished at 8:30p. Checked everything over the following day and re-torqued the bolts I touched. Re-centering the steering wheel took maybe 10 minutes on the following day, 5 minutes if I would have adjusted the right way the first attempt.

 

[Blade1668]

ShadowsPapa..
After I pecked in my response and posted it I seen it. that's how I did my LJ (3in) and XJ front axle (first lift of 3 or 4 in) and a few other TJ's.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I should've charged myself for the swap, I do too much for free =P
Started at 4:30p and finished at 8:30p. Checked everything over the following day and re-torqued the bolts I touched. Re-centering the steering wheel took maybe 10 minutes on the following day, 5 minutes if I would have adjusted the right way the first attempt.

That reminds me - I still need to center the wheel as it's off to the left a few degrees!
Makes sense since the springs raised the front about an inch. I guess I have another few minutes of work to do on it.

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