Lift with cherokee springs

Soutthpaw · Post by **Soutthpaw** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 11:24 am

well I got the front done, will see if my daughter goes to sleep for a couple hours later I will finish the rear springs.
gained about 1+ inches and a much firmer spring on the front
pic of front end lifted

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 11:50 am

Holy beefy.....
So wait... Whats this?

coltarms · Post by **coltarms** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 2:24 pm

Is this the one that you modified/moved the spring perches on the MacPherson housing or are these just stock XJ coils squeezed into a stock Terc strut assy? I suppose if a spring was a hair too long or too tall it could easily be cut to fit. I imagine that it is where the ends sit (in their little cups) and the ID and OD that are most important....

Soutthpaw · Post by **Soutthpaw** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 2:33 pm

Well actuall they are stock XJ springs part 129AB (chrysler label on the springs) then cut the top about half a turn and the bottom a bit over one turn and then heated the larger end of the spring and bent it to fit into the perch. top spring was cut just right to fit the top perch without modification

Soutthpaw · Post by **Soutthpaw** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:01 am

here are some pics, will probably pick up another 1/2 to 1 inch in the back with new gas charged rear shocks.

eliminated rear sway bar

P.S. its still for sale for $2000

coltarms · Post by **coltarms** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:01 am

I say I say hold on just a minute there son (think FoghornLeghorn) We're a gonna need a bit more info on this here cawn-traption.

So these are factory tercel strut towers with XJ springs cut and bent to fit? Is there a reason you cut both ends? I mean, would the top of the spring be able to be rotated into position and then just cut off the bottom and bend to fit? How did you know how far down to cut the spring? Did you use the factory tercel spring to measure it and just leave 1 extra wind or is the XJ spring that much stiffer? I assume the you used 2 sets of front coils (as XJ's are leaf sprung in the rear.) Did you cut the front and rear springs equally? If so, perhaps that is why there are no rear springs to be found (they are the same as the fronts.)

PS, Wranglers (TJ's) use the same front coils as XJ's (Cherokee's.) In fact, the entire front axle can be swapped back and forth as they are an almost exact match. The only difference is that TJ's use a standard cut low pinion diff housing with crush sleeves and the hubs are non disconnect. The XJ uses a high pinion reverse cut R&P and some have a vacuum operated mid axle disconnect. But I digress....

Did you have any issues aligning it?

shogun · Post by **shogun** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:07 am

one question how stiff is the ride now, or better yet how much thicker are the coils ??

coltarms · Post by **coltarms** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 11:56 am

Oh yeah, any reason why the rear couldn't just take a slightly bigger lift than the front and not have to cut the springs as much if at all? It would really help when loading down with gear. There are no CV shafts to worry about. Just control arms and brake lines, and those can be lengthened or replaced fairly easily. And the brake lines shouldn't need anything anyway as they are drums. Also, you completely removed the rear swaybar, yes? how much of a PITA was it? Could quick disconnects be made up for this or is it that hard to get to? Would limiting straps be a good idea on the rear axle?

Soutthpaw · Post by **Soutthpaw** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 12:57 pm

Correct the springs are front cherokee and rear wrangler. We pulled them all the time at the 4x4 shop i worked at . the ride is stiffer but not at all uncomfortable. I like the ride better now than stock. dont need the sway bar cuz the springs are stiff enough and the rear is light anyway, 4 bolts and the sway bar is off in a few mins. The I cut the springs to match the old tercel springs. only one end was cut due to it spirals in to a smaller diameter. on the rears they are already the right length so heated the spiral and spread it out to fit. the other end had to be heated and made to sit flat on the strut mount. the rear had to be widened slightly on the bottom to fit the axle perch. The shocks limit the travel so dont need to have limiting straps. they are stock Tercel struts with springs made to fit and they are a bit thicker than Tercel springs and definitely and higher spring rate. would need to elevate the axle perch to get more hight in the rear or just put air shocks on for when u need to carry a load. will see if i can get a set of 14's cheap at junk yard for it

coltarms · Post by **coltarms** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 1:14 pm

Excellent! So basically all I would need is a full set of stock springs from a wrangler, and use the front wrangler coils on the front of the terc and the rear wrangler coils on the rear. All 4 coils will need to be modified slightly to match the perches, and cut to the same length as the Tercel springs. I think I can get 4 wrangler springs no problem. My bigger issue right now is getting the Badd Turkle running again......but that is a topic for another post......

Soutthpaw · Post by **Soutthpaw** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:39 pm

Nope you cant use front wrangler coils they are different size, rears from cherokee or wrangler 97' or newer .... leaf springs used prior to that ...
I have one extra set of those specific springs.

shogun · Post by **shogun** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 9:39 am

nice ill try using a set of those springs for my next mod

coltarms · Post by **coltarms** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 9:59 am

"Nope you cant use front wrangler coils they are different size, rears from cherokee or wrangler 97' or newer .... leaf springs used prior to that ... "

OK, now I'm getting confused, and I feel that I should not be. ALL Cherokee's have coils up front and leafs in the rear. Wranglers 97+ have coils all the way round, 95's and down were all leafs. XJ (cherokee) and TJ (wrangler) front coils are supposed to be the same coil, as the spring perches are the same and the Dana 30 from the XJ is the same one used on the TJ (is is a very common swap.) So you used the front XJ coils on the front of the Terc, and the Rear TJ coils on the rear of the Terc?[/quote]

Soutthpaw · Post by **Soutthpaw** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 10:09 am

its been a while since i took them off so yes front cherokee and wrangler front and rears are different coils only one end works ... the one that is the same as the cherokee all the coils have the label on them 129AB

coltarms · Post by **coltarms** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 12:00 pm

Excellent. And a friend of mine that I go 4wheeling with just gave me his old OME TJ coils for free! He's interested in seeing this beast..... Winter project this year, after the Jeep is done of course, is re-ringing the Badd Turkle and lifting it.

So were there any issues with aligning the front end? How do the CV's look?

Tercel4WD.com

Lift with cherokee springs

Lift with cherokee springs

Lift is Finished!!