Coil spring spacers question

[TheGaginator]

I have some 2 inch coil spring spacers that i want to put on my 1992 4x4 explorer today. Do i have to use a coil spring compressor tool? id like to not use one if i can

 

[tweakedlogic]

YOu don't have to. disconnect the sway bar and take the nut off of your radius arms and push down. You may have to use a long pry bar to get them in. keep an eye on your stretching brake lines, you may have to remove those too.

 

[acschilling]

Disconnecting those shocks are helpful too yo! When I put my springs in I was standing/jumping on the hubs making room. Any luck?

 

[TheGaginator]

AWESOME thanks guys. I rented a spring compressor anyway cause i didnt see these posts. Used the compressor on the Passenger side and then tried it withouth the compressor on the drivers side and it was a piece of cake. i used 2 inch coil spacers up front and its WAY more than 2 inches of lift..... closer to 3 1/2 or 4 inches. I used spacers for a 1989 bronco II. I used lift shackles in the rear and now i have to also put some 2 inch or 3 inch blocks in the rear just to make it even with the front!!

 

[tweakedlogic]

You are going to have to get some different spacers then. It will never align with that much lift.

Have you driven it yet? maybe the coils just need to settle back in. If so, then you need to get new spacers. Your steering will be awful and you will scrub your tires bald quick.

 

[Bruces expo]

you also can not put blocks under your axle unless you want a lowered rear explorer , I suggest you remove those coil spacers and buy a 2" skyjacker lift coils and shocks up front , you will be able to align it afterwords unlike those goofy coil spacers , for the rear you will need the shackels and a Add A Leaf to stiffen up the rear springs

 

[TheGaginator]

you also can not put blocks under your axle unless you want a lowered rear explorer ,

oh yeah i forgot the axle is under the springs... hmm. well i already have lift shackles on so ill add a leaf i guess and go from there. if i cant get it aligned then ill go with skyjacker springs and shocks i guess.

 

[tweakedlogic]

I'm telling you, you can't get it aligned

 

[Naasau]

I'm telling you, you can't get it aligned

x2

Our front ends are a fickle mistress. To have any hope of getting a proper caster/camber alignment, you have to have the beam pivot bolts horizontally in line (or damned close) to the lower spring mounting position. If you add length to the spring, i.e. longer springs or spacers, without lengthening the beam pivot points, then you're messing with the architecture of the TTB axle, which is bad. Very, very bad. In a very small percent of the cases, dual alignment bushings can help, and can correct up to 3* of camber/caster, but it is a near thing.

I would suggest that you read this article by 4x4junkie, it goes over how to do an alignment on a ttb, and discusses the basic geometry of our front axle.
http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/winter2008/steering_tech.htm

And here's some other info on the TTB:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/front_suspension.html

 

[acschilling]

The alignment will be tough for sure..and sadly never perfect. After my 2 inch springs left the wheels visibly \ / I needed 4°
bushings and it still pulls right. Okay with me though

 

[Naasau]

mine pulled to the right as well, until i figured out that I had too much - aster on it, and had to get the dual camber/caster adjustment critters. They're pretty inexpensive if you grab em from rockauto.

But the pics are better from Summit:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/IEC-59400/

As far as I can tell, there are a bunch of different brands selling these guys, but they're all cast at the same manufacturing facility.

 

[Maniak]

The problem with adjusting caster and camber at the same time using the cam that goes around the balljoint is that it cuts down on how much adjustment you can get. You can also use a normal camber/caster cam (not the 2 piece) and adjust camber and caster but it requires you to know how far out both are and then some math to figure out which is the right cam to get.

Another way to adjust the caster is to use those special RA bushings that can adjust caster. They are somewhat hard plastic and are sold individually. They do work BUT I did manage to shatter one out at Glamis sand dunes while going through the whoops.

They are around $11 at Rockauto..

Then you can use the camber/caster cam to adjust camber only and get more adjustment.

~Mark

 

[Naasau]

Whoah. I've never seen those before. I wonder if they would work on my Skyjacker RA's?

 

[Maniak]

Whoah. I've never seen those before. I wonder if they would work on my Skyjacker RA's?

As long as it uses the stock RA bushings, yes, it should.

~Mark