BJ8 rear leaf springs

[Jeepster]

I am rebuilding the rear suspension on my BJ8 and have purchased new leaf springs from my usual parts supplier.

I would expect the new spring to be a slightly different shape to the original and that the new one would bed in to some degree when the cars weight is on it but I am amazed at how much difference there is.

I haven't as yet fitted the units but fear that if I did the rear of the car would be much raised. The height of the car on the old original springs was spot on.

Has anyone else had this problem?

 

[RAC68]

I know exactly what you mean.

A while back I purchased a set of new springs from Moss and installed them when completing my redo. The rear was so high in the air that I was afraid I was giving the wrong impression. After 5 or so years of driving the springs were where they should be and looked and performed well.

However, they continued to settle and it wasn’t long after that I attempted to arch the springs as I had no intension of purchasing another new set. Well, that didn’t last long and again my P1 was bouncing on the resonator.

One day I happened to come across my original leafs (I know, who keeps old springs for 15 or 20 years after replacing them) and I followed the suggestion of one of our listers who had added an additional leaf to his stack. I took the old leafs and added the second leaf from the newer springs to the stack. This additional leaf stiffened and raised the body to where it was originally. The stiffened stack does not seem to have changed the ride feel but has eliminated the occasional bottoming-out I used to experience on hard bumps.

Jeepster, I apologize if I am coming off negative but if you experience my sequence of events and remember what I said by then, I would eliminate trying to arch the springs and go right to adding the extra leaf to the stack. But, over the 15 or 20 years this may take, don’t forget to save the old springs and put them somewhere you can fall over them as they will probably have been stuffed away and forgotten.

Good Luck,
Ray (64BJ8P1)

 

[Jeepster]

I did consider getting the originals re conditioned. This would hopefully get springs that were near the correct height?

The parts supplier sell 2 qualities of spring. A normal one at about £60 and a British made unit at over double that. It makes me wonder how bad the normal quality unit must be?