Buying a YJ, but noticed something..

[superlack]

I went to check out a 95 YJ in my area.. everything looks to be in good condition except on the drivers side, the leaf spring shackle is bent parallel inwards. If it's jacked, is it possible to remove and bend the shackle back to it's normal position without too much work? I'm sure this will become an issue if it's ignored, but then again, I don't know much about leaves or the removal of them.

Thanks in advance.

 

[HiHood]

My 3B had a right rear spring mount bent and I know the reason . . . .it was crunched. I took the leaf spring off,put a 24" pipe wrench on it and pulled until my voice got three octaves higher. Almost good as new. :twisted: but I am tough like that, well actually I USED to be tough like that.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

You can grind the welds off of the spring hanger and just replace it too. Welding required but no big deal. Spring work is easy, just bolting parts together.

More important, if the hanger is bent that bad then the frame may also be bent. On a flat surface measure from the ground to the bottom of the tub and bumper from side to side in the same spot (the dimension should be the same or close on each side) and sight down the side of the jeep from front to back looking to see if there is a bow in the middle or the front (or rear) dives off to the side. Also crawl under the jeep with a large carpenter square and see how things line up there as it is possible one side of the frame is pushed towards the back from the other side; much of this will be eyeball work but depending upon how bad things look you might want to pass or get the price down to pay for the frame work.

PS: Wranglers and CJ frames also tend to bend “up” at the front from hitting bumps too hard too. Look to see if the hood appears to be “bent up” at the front. The front of the hood will sight in higher than the back (hinge side) of the hood. The other telling sign will be the tub sheet metal “puckering” at the front of the door (low) or the gap between the fenders and the hood will be uneven with a larger gap towards the back than the front.

Good Hunting!

 

[HiHood]

My tub was off but you can do it from underneath. Find two equal points and measure for squareness. Mine was within factory specs. I went from crossmamber rivits and measured corner to corner then switched to the oposite corners like an X.

 

[superlack]

awesome, thanks guys. I'm looking and testing it tomorrow. He just mentioned to me that the e-brake cable needs to be replaced. I'm expecting the cable to be around 30 dollars but how much labor is involved. Obviously I have little mechanical knowledge. Is there much to be removed when replacing?

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

If the shackle is simply at a different angle than the one opposite it, likely a bent leaf spring. Can you describe it differently or post a pic?

 

[Saddle Tramp]

awesome, thanks guys. I'm looking and testing it tomorrow. He just mentioned to me that the e-brake cable needs to be replaced. I'm expecting the cable to be around 30 dollars but how much labor is involved. Obviously I have little mechanical knowledge. Is there much to be removed when replacing?

As Bounty said it could be more than just the cable. If the cable is visibly broken then that might be all you need but other things may be wrong too such as adjusting the brakes to a full rear brake job.

 

[wrangler76]

Where are you located? Maybe there's someone off the board that is somewhat local and could help you out checking the YJ for problems....