i have a 75 cj5 with the springs under the axel. id like to move them over the axel. is there any complications with this. it looks easy. is it safe? or can it just not be done at all?  

It has been done a thousands of times. You will need new spring perches, u bolts, brake lines, driveshafts, and steering parts. You may have problems with steering linkage, spring wrap, and your drive shafts being too steep for the ujoints.

I have done this about 7 to 8 times a couple of times on 4 wheel drive.  1st you need to drop the axles. Then you need to have the perches removed. This can be done with a cutting torch and a smallt cutting tip. Lincold makes a small angled tip that allows you to cut even with the axle tube. After removing the perches use a bench grinder and smooth out the torch cuts.  The most critical part of the conversion is the mounting and aligning of the perches.  Using jack stands place the axles under the vehicle under the springs.  Using a level and a protractor match the angle of the transfer case angle with the angle of the nose of the differential. The angkes must be the same.  Place the perches on the top of the axle tubes and using vise grips or C-Clamps secure the perches to the axle tubes.  remove the complete axle from under the vehicle and verify the alignment of the perches and the axle tubes. be sure that they are exactly the same. Right and Left side perchec must match exactly otherwise when mounted the springs on both sides of the axle will wrap differently causing alignment problems. Using an electric arc, tig or mig welder weld the perches to the axle tubes.  After reinstalling the axles measure the distance from the tranfer case center of output shaft to the nose of the differential, Compare this distance which you measure befor removing the axles while on top of the springs. Add the difference and have the drive shafts lengthened the same amount. A typical change from over to under is only about 3 to 4 inches and should not cause any problems with drive shaft angles. Since the drive shafts are now longer ypu will actually have more travel.  If you plan on installing longer shackles be sure to do them at the same time so that you do not have to have the drive shafts redone. another item to check is the length of the brake lines, make sure that they are long enough when the axle is fully extended and do not rub anything when the suspension is fully compressed.

Rick  

thanks bud.

however i found a shop that will do the work for me for 400.00$ so i wont have to worry about welding and alignment and all. thanks though

$400 sounds too cheap. i would research what you need for the conversion and what the shop is going to do. if you don't use a traction link in the rear, the spring wrap will probably lift your tires off the ground when you shift or accelerate. i think you should have $400 in the  steering parts you will need alone and that's not including labor. you may not get the performance you expect out of $400. i'm not saying it can't be done but research it first.  

good point, i was talking with another guy who quoted like 850.00 so for this one guy to say hell do it so cheap is kinda scary. i think im gonna just go ahead and get a 4 in lift and probably get the 2in body. only thing is i really hate how my headers run down the side of the body. thers already about a 2in gap between them and the frame, i dont really want to add an aditional 2 inches.