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Q: Dave Rittiman wrote: I was wounding what you think about spring over for a 76 FJ40 Good or Bad ? I have a chance to buy a complete spring including Frame and both Diffs and all the needed stuff, all the work was done by Wardens in Placerville CA and was wondering what are the good traits verses the bad ones ?? A: This is kinda a tough question. The best answer is... It depends... In this case, since you are looking at buying the conversion already done, a lot of the potential negatives are resolved. You don't have to worry about the expense, any compromises in the methods used to lift it, and the quality of the job (Wardens knows what they are doing with this). You now need to look at the use of the rig. Most spring over conversions raise the rig by about 6-8 inches. Wardens has done at least a couple in which they have modified the spring mounts at the frame to reduce this lift. If this is one of that type, then some of the concerns will be a bit different than most conversions. Anyway, with a properly done conversion, the biggest thing you need to do is simply be aware of the raised center of gravity. The rig will sway more on the road, and will have a greater chance of roll over on an off camber trail. These tendancies can be addressed with the use of wider tires, and stiffer shocks. You will obviously have greater tire clearance, and/or greater articulation. This is the appeal of the conversion in the first place. Having the springs above the axles removes a lot of srtuff which can hang up and drag, as well as create resistance when plowing through deep mud. The extra height helps with both approach and departure angle, and breakover angle as well. A taller truck can handle deeper water crossings. The spring over configuration often results in spring wrap under power, due to the increased distance of the axle from the centerline between the spring mounting points. This can cause wheel hop. Sometines a traction bar arrangement is needed to solve this. Other times the proper shock choice and driving habit modifications are all that it takes. With the short (and narrow) wheelbase of the '40, the increased height really needs to be augmented by a wider wheel/tire combo for best stability. I would say that a spring over conversion is probably unneeeded by most of the folks on the trail. But done right, and with the proper complementary modifications and accessories, there are few downsides. Just stay out of parking garages. Send your questions to Mark at cruiser@rockcrawler.com |
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