need advice. leaf springs and early CJ content

I've had my eye on a really nice early CJ-6 (think l-o-n-g CJ5) from the West Coast. 5.0 stang motor, lockers, low gears, the works. I did some detective work this time and after sending a relative out to look it over I poked around the sellers FB page, found the forums he posts on, etc, etc....no I'm not a stalker just looking for all the info I can find on this CJ

what i found was this...

and this...

notice how the U-bolts don't "capture" the axle? They instead run perpendicular to it. Can this safely be done? I have never ever seen this.
Thoughts?

Looked odd to me too.

The only pick I could find showing something installed like that was on a Tacoma board:

Looks like that design "captures" the spring instead of the axle.

should be totally fine in all truth. and u could always change out the bolts if u wanted.

I'm not worried about the U bolts, but the piece of flat iron that is bending due to the nature of flat material bolted to a round item has me concerned.

is that welded on bolt for shock mounting?

It would be easy to fix. CJ6's are hard to find. My neighbor has one that is beautiful, it is the only one I routinely see and I live at the beach where you see CJ's and Wranglers constantly.

It's a Jeep thing.

My '67 Gladiator was that way from the factory.

The bolts wrap under the spring and then go up through the spring perch that is welded to the axle.

It keeps the ends of the u-bolts from snagging rocks and logs and whatnot because they're now pointing up instead of down. If you look at the bottom of the spring, there should be a plate that the u-bolts wrap around which has curved ends that keep the u-bolts from walking down the springs and ending up at an angle like this /o\ as the springs flex.

In his pic, he's swapped out the axle or something and not used correct spring plates, opting for a flat plate instead.

Shawn

Weird. It looks like he installed longer shackles for more lift (and possible a different axle, like Trans-maro stated), but didn't install the springs to the top of the axle tube for more lift.

RossD wrote: Weird. It looks like he installed longer shackles for more lift (and possible a different axle, like Trans-maro stated), but didn't install the springs to the top of the axle tube for more lift.

He has Boomerang shackles. Those give better flex as much as more height. The axle flip thing isn't that easy or cheap when it's all said and done. The rear is easy, but when you flip the front, the steering mods required and up costing as much as a proper suspension lift. Plus, spring flips cause serious axle wrap issues.

In reply to DrBoost:

I suppose that's true... Normally it's my Dad doing the work and paying for it, of course they're his vehicles too.

Shouldn't cause any problems. The U bolts cross in an area where the spring won't be able to flex.

Curmudgeon wrote: Shouldn't cause any problems. The U bolts cross in an area where the spring won't be able to flex.

Agree with this but I don't like the flat plate on the top in the second pic. Also the first pic appears to show some blocks stuck in between the spring and the axle. I've done something like that to lower cars but those don't look very well thought out or built.

Good ideas, poor execution.

The. Block between the spring and the axel is likely a saddle welded to the a el tube, my old scout came with onike that, it lets a locating stud on the spring pack set the axel I place, it also looks like the plate on topis welded tothe axel, the plate could always be reinforced. It is probably ok

hopefully that block is only there to set the steering caster