willysmjeeps.com

Hello all,
I am currently working on my 52' M38A1 and I am at a crossroads with my Willys. I am trying my best by keeping it as stock as possible with some minor, "resto-mods". I am keeping the 134 engine and the 3 speed tranny with transfer case (getting those done up now at the shop). I was planning on getting the original leafsprings and using the original axles but I might have to get some newer (less expensive) leafsprings. I plan on using this Willys as a daily driver, mostly when the weather is nice, and there is almost no chance of it ever going offroad. I am not planning on lifting it any amount more than will fit a 31 inch tire.

All thoughts are welcome.

Willys is nothing but axles right now. Very exciting!

Mike

If the Willys jeep I was building had original springs that were really tired I and I was building a driver I would opt for some 1 1/2" to 2" lift aftermarket spring and shock sets. Save the old springs. Wrap them in grease and paper and mark them and if you ever sell the jeep to a guy who will whine about the springs throw them in the bed of the jeep.

When I first purchased one of mine it was converted to a yellow hunting rig. It had a 2'' lift springs and even this modest lift created small problems. For one, the tie rods would hit the spring. Another problem was the spring shackles were flimsy and the leafs where not strapped together like the stock springs and all this contributed to a death shimmy. Another problem was the bigger tires would rub when turning.

You could probably overcome these problems by trial and error but it's something to keep in mind.

Flimsy shackles would give away the quality of the spring kit.

Another though is going with later long leaf CJ springs that can still be found new. It requires moving the attach points on the frame but yields one heckuva nice ride.

Guidance and help for this type improvement is best found on the "Early CJ5 " Boards and the Willys Tech Boards.

Modern spring designs incorporate the technology that allows for less spring mass and more than adequate rate increase capability when the spring load is increased.