I've seen a lot of YJs and CJs with coil springs on all 4 corners.  From my experience with 6" lifts, the control arms angle down sharply.  The problem with this is on the front when you hit a bump hard.  As the coils compress the front wheels move up and forward sending a big shock through the vehicle.  However, leaf springs can be set up to move up and back for that same bump which should send less impact through the chasis.  

On the other end (that would be the rear) when vehicles with coils  hit a bump the axle moves up and rearward, thereby lessing the impact on the chasis.

So it seems that the best set up could be leaf springs on the front with coils on the back.  You might have to experiment with spring rates to get it right, but I think this idea has potential.  Has anyone tried anything this crazy?  Sounds like a great YJ project to me.  

hhhmmm..... not a bad idea  

im gonna stick a mustang 5.0l fuel injected with a np435 ford 4wd tranny is that a lil different enough?  

uhhh, have you ever been in a tj?

It's a caddilac compared to a YJ and a CJ. leafs stink to high heaven. for the sharp angle thing, thats what long arms eliminate, not to mention the superior flex.

for flex and stability reasons, some kits for YJ's and cj's have coil over fronts and rear leafs.  

Yea, I've got a TJ on a 6" lift riding on 35s.  Yes, TJs are great, but long arms do not eliminate that steep angle.  It justs reduces it and yes improves the ride, but long arms can't be parallel to the ground which means when they compress they still move up and forward, just not as much forward as with short arm systems.  Also, have you ever tried an 18+" log crossing with long arms? They will get a real stress test when the full weight of the Jeep drops over the log.  Also, I have seen some leafspring setups with good (not great) articulation.  

I just want to see a budget wheeler that is set up a little differently.  Some real out of the box thinking.  I still think this type of set up would be an interesting project.  Anyone can buy a TJ and put a good 6" lift system on it and have a great wheeler, but they are so common.  It's hard to find anything original these days without spending more money than God has or being a master fabricator.  

Sounds SWEET!!!  But I don't think it would meet the bumb height laws in most states.  Got a step latter to get in it? lol I bet you have a blast in it!  

the tall lift is the problem there not the long arms. and with some brackets they can be moved up to the top of the axle instead of using the stock locations, with a  3.5" radius arm they have little angle. same for the rear. this works especially well using the nth degree stinger.

37" tires fit well under a 2.5" lift and something comparable to aev's highline fenders.
I run 34's under a hd 2.5" rancho lift with competion crawler cast angled arms....nearly unbreakable and definately won't bend.

I also love to see the awesome YJ and CJ projects but theres not much that can be done that someone hasn't already done......

have you seen the "Low down" YJ featured by JP magazine? thats a interesting set up there..

on that log hopping thing......those long angled arms are what is going to allow the jeep to slide over the log without getting hung up.  

i started my long arm coil swap into the front of my yj this weekend. moved the front axle forward 12 inches and the rear back 2 inches. chopted the front bumper and fenders. how many people are willing to move their axle 12 inches?


 

sound like something I'd do!  

Looks good so far.  

jeepnut4life,

I think your user name says it all!!!  

mudb,

Yea, any lift 4+" causes angle problems on the front, but not everyone wants to cut the fenders off.  

As far as using those long arms as sliders, if you come down too hard you're gonna break something. From my experience, arched leaf springs withstand this type of abuse better.  I guess because of the way they are designed to flex?  

I've broken a few leafs and have yet to even bend a long arm myself, they flex a lot before they bend, It's hard to drive home with a broken leaf, they are actually quite brittle. rock crawler guarantees their arms not to bend.

you do not need to do any fender trimming to run 35's under a tj with 2.5" of lift..this myth is nothing new.
it is manufacturer recommended. the gain is about an 1" in up travel cause the four inch requires the same bump stop length as the 2.5 and 3.5" lifts...mostly for looks.

by adding a 1" body lift and high line fenders to a 2.5"(which look like stock/original fenders) 39" tall tires also do not rub...no cutting...no drive shaft problems...no wandering on the road....ect.

I call that different..low center of gravity without unnecessary lift.....here's a link.
<strong>barely lifted on 37's</strong>


 

Sounds interesting but I have to agree with mudb8 on this one. On a seperate note hey jeepnut post pics of your yj project every now and then that looks like a good project  

i would of posted some more pics of our project but i forgot my camera today. weve got the upper part of the y link in and the spring buckets in. so i will try to remember to take the camera out there tomorrow. check back. i also mounted the tires on the new rims by hand using tire spoons. what a work out.