trouble staying cambered after jd stage two lift.

cerberusaardvark · 07-18-2012, 01:14 PM

hey guys, so ive been driving on my james duff stage two lift here for about 6 months, or about 4- 5000 miles. not a lot, i know. after the initial alignment upon completion, i got it re- cambered about two months later at about 600 miles in. then the other day i was walking up to my truck and i noticed the front tires had sagged inwards again. during the lift installation i removed and restored all drivetrain components- u joints, all bearings, all seals, ball joints, everything. im wondering if i need new camber bushings. im still using the off center two and a half degree ones. the shop i take it to said they can re camber them, ( and they did), but im wondering if they are the culprit here. any suggestions? im taking the truck back today at two pm for another free re camber, but i think i need to find something a little more permanent. is this hurting my ball joints? all my miles are freeway so far.

cerberusaardvark · 07-18-2012, 06:23 PM

problems found:
1. ive been wondering for awhile if its normal for the jd progressive rates coil springs to be so collapsed at the top. the top three coils are resting on each other, on both sides. apparently, this is not normal and indicates that the springs were not made properly. at least, thats what the mechanic said. my ride height has dropped almost two inches from when i installed the lift.
2. when putting the ttbs back together, i lost one of the bolts for the front sway bar brackets, the bolts that screw into the ttb directly behind where the swaybar endlink is. so the bracket was secured only by the stud bolts and by one single bolt off center instead of two splitting the job. i think this caused the bottom of the coil spring to shift slightly as the swaybar bracket rotated and caused the coil spring to bend in toward the top instead of being perfectly straight.

i think that those two things combined are what caused my alignment to be so off and what made the camber so tough to neutralize.

possible solutitons- short term, take off the driver side coil spring and find a bolt to mate up to the ttb through the open hole, to stop the swaybar bracket from moving., this will hopefully make th coil site straighter. id like to find another brand coil spring to put in there that will be more rigid than the jd coils. even the passenger side, which was perfectly straight lost about an inch and three quarters due to compression. i am now thinking superlift. any suggestions from the community?

*4x4junkie* · 07-18-2012, 08:06 PM

It's not uncommon to see the wheels cambered a little funny if you're observing them while parked right after a turn (say you've just swung it into a parking space). After letting the truck roll freely in a straight line for 30 feet or more, the wheels should then sit completely straight with little difference after going forward or backward.

I doubt the missing bolt on your swaybar bracket is affecting anything. The only purpose those bolts serve is to keep the bracket from flexing and fatiguing at the top & bottom where it attaches over the radius arms (which is still good enough reason to replace that bolt if you're continuing to run the swaybar).

As for the coils, I don't see the upper turns being fully compressed causing any issues beyond a stiffer ride maybe. If you're looking to replace them though, I'd probably suggest Skyjacker's coils. These are linear rate, and barely stiffer than JD's coils at their softer rate, but much softer than at JD's stiffer rate, which should smooth it out some.

cerberusaardvark · 07-18-2012, 09:42 PM

this is what i thought as well when i lost that little bolt. but as i was looking at that coil on the drivers side, it looks as though the bottom of it has slipped of the top of the swaybar bracket, causing some weird flex. instead of being straight like the passenger side coil, it looks kinda like a slinky. i was thinking moving from a "2.5" inch lift in the front to a four inch lift with linear rate coils. i was doing some looking and it seems that many people have had the same issues with the jd spring compressing. one guy said his 5.5 inch lift turned into a 3.5 inch lift. in my opinion, thats just bad advertising. i looked all over the place and i thought about the superlift linear rate 4 inch lift springs. i was looking through skyjacker and didnt see the one you were talking about. ill look again though...

cerberusaardvark · 07-18-2012, 09:46 PM

http://broncograveyard.com/bronco/i-...gs-4-lift.html

cerberusaardvark · 07-18-2012, 09:51 PM

or this

http://www.stylintrucks.com/parts/co...134front.aspx#

*4x4junkie* · 07-19-2012, 11:46 PM

The Skyjacker #134 coils are good for about 3-3.5" lift on 4-door Explorers and 4.0L Rangers (the 6" #136 coils, about 4.5-5" lift).

I'd need to see a pic of your coil mount slipped or whatever.. Perhaps the coil just needs to be repositioned on it or something.

cerberusaardvark · 07-20-2012, 02:17 AM

thats what i thought afterwards. it seemed as though the coil insulator slipped.. but i dont know how to fix that besides tightening down the coil spring nut extra hard. i do think i need better coils... just bought the skyjacker 4 inch lift linear coils. i plan on putting some extra weight up there so i might as well ditch the jd springs as they will just compress back down to the stock height. ill get some pics up soon.

07-18-2012, 08:06 PM	#3
4x4junkie Elite Explorer So.Calif.(San Fernando Valley) '94 Ranger, '90 Bronco II Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,190 Vehicle Specs	It's not uncommon to see the wheels cambered a little funny if you're observing them while parked right after a turn (say you've just swung it into a parking space). After letting the truck roll freely in a straight line for 30 feet or more, the wheels should then sit completely straight with little difference after going forward or backward. I doubt the missing bolt on your swaybar bracket is affecting anything. The only purpose those bolts serve is to keep the bracket from flexing and fatiguing at the top & bottom where it attaches over the radius arms (which is still good enough reason to replace that bolt if you're continuing to run the swaybar). As for the coils, I don't see the upper turns being fully compressed causing any issues beyond a stiffer ride maybe. If you're looking to replace them though, I'd probably suggest Skyjacker's coils. These are linear rate, and barely stiffer than JD's coils at their softer rate, but much softer than at JD's stiffer rate, which should smooth it out some. __________________ '90 Bronco II XLT 5" lift (Skyjacker jeep coils), locked D35 & 8.8", 5.13s, double T-case, 35x12.50s & cut fenders '94 Ranger XLT 6" Skyjacker, ARB D44 front, Detroit 8.8" rear, Atlas 4.3, 33s

07-19-2012, 11:46 PM	#7
4x4junkie Elite Explorer So.Calif.(San Fernando Valley) '94 Ranger, '90 Bronco II Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,190 Vehicle Specs	The Skyjacker #134 coils are good for about 3-3.5" lift on 4-door Explorers and 4.0L Rangers (the 6" #136 coils, about 4.5-5" lift). I'd need to see a pic of your coil mount slipped or whatever.. Perhaps the coil just needs to be repositioned on it or something. __________________ '90 Bronco II XLT 5" lift (Skyjacker jeep coils), locked D35 & 8.8", 5.13s, double T-case, 35x12.50s & cut fenders '94 Ranger XLT 6" Skyjacker, ARB D44 front, Detroit 8.8" rear, Atlas 4.3, 33s

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07-18-2012, 01:14 PM	#1
cerberusaardvark Wannabe Elite Explorer San Diego 1994 Explorer xlt Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 170 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	trouble staying cambered after jd stage two lift. hey guys, so ive been driving on my james duff stage two lift here for about 6 months, or about 4- 5000 miles. not a lot, i know. after the initial alignment upon completion, i got it re- cambered about two months later at about 600 miles in. then the other day i was walking up to my truck and i noticed the front tires had sagged inwards again. during the lift installation i removed and restored all drivetrain components- u joints, all bearings, all seals, ball joints, everything. im wondering if i need new camber bushings. im still using the off center two and a half degree ones. the shop i take it to said they can re camber them, ( and they did), but im wondering if they are the culprit here. any suggestions? im taking the truck back today at two pm for another free re camber, but i think i need to find something a little more permanent. is this hurting my ball joints? all my miles are freeway so far.

07-18-2012, 06:23 PM	#2
cerberusaardvark Wannabe Elite Explorer San Diego 1994 Explorer xlt Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 170 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	problems found: 1. ive been wondering for awhile if its normal for the jd progressive rates coil springs to be so collapsed at the top. the top three coils are resting on each other, on both sides. apparently, this is not normal and indicates that the springs were not made properly. at least, thats what the mechanic said. my ride height has dropped almost two inches from when i installed the lift. 2. when putting the ttbs back together, i lost one of the bolts for the front sway bar brackets, the bolts that screw into the ttb directly behind where the swaybar endlink is. so the bracket was secured only by the stud bolts and by one single bolt off center instead of two splitting the job. i think this caused the bottom of the coil spring to shift slightly as the swaybar bracket rotated and caused the coil spring to bend in toward the top instead of being perfectly straight. i think that those two things combined are what caused my alignment to be so off and what made the camber so tough to neutralize. possible solutitons- short term, take off the driver side coil spring and find a bolt to mate up to the ttb through the open hole, to stop the swaybar bracket from moving., this will hopefully make th coil site straighter. id like to find another brand coil spring to put in there that will be more rigid than the jd coils. even the passenger side, which was perfectly straight lost about an inch and three quarters due to compression. i am now thinking superlift. any suggestions from the community?

07-18-2012, 09:42 PM	#4
cerberusaardvark Wannabe Elite Explorer San Diego 1994 Explorer xlt Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 170 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	this is what i thought as well when i lost that little bolt. but as i was looking at that coil on the drivers side, it looks as though the bottom of it has slipped of the top of the swaybar bracket, causing some weird flex. instead of being straight like the passenger side coil, it looks kinda like a slinky. i was thinking moving from a "2.5" inch lift in the front to a four inch lift with linear rate coils. i was doing some looking and it seems that many people have had the same issues with the jd spring compressing. one guy said his 5.5 inch lift turned into a 3.5 inch lift. in my opinion, thats just bad advertising. i looked all over the place and i thought about the superlift linear rate 4 inch lift springs. i was looking through skyjacker and didnt see the one you were talking about. ill look again though...

07-18-2012, 09:46 PM	#5
cerberusaardvark Wannabe Elite Explorer San Diego 1994 Explorer xlt Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 170 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	http://broncograveyard.com/bronco/i-...gs-4-lift.html

07-18-2012, 09:51 PM	#6
cerberusaardvark Wannabe Elite Explorer San Diego 1994 Explorer xlt Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 170 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	or this http://www.stylintrucks.com/parts/co...134front.aspx#

07-20-2012, 02:17 AM	#8
cerberusaardvark Wannabe Elite Explorer San Diego 1994 Explorer xlt Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 170 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	thats what i thought afterwards. it seemed as though the coil insulator slipped.. but i dont know how to fix that besides tightening down the coil spring nut extra hard. i do think i need better coils... just bought the skyjacker 4 inch lift linear coils. i plan on putting some extra weight up there so i might as well ditch the jd springs as they will just compress back down to the stock height. ill get some pics up soon.