Spring replacement, leveling springs

[TNDRIVER]

You can chain the jack to the frame to stop from lifting the chassis. The front is easier with the airlift hoops.

To add my 2 cents, been there done that. The axel on the floor jack can be chained to the top bolt for the shock to compress the lower control arm upward with the floor jack. I would not suggest this for anyone other than an experienced wrench spinner. Look at your fingernails, NO grease, don't try this. Screw this up and it can ruin your day!!!

 

[Action]

To add my 2 cents, been there done that. The axel on the floor jack can be chained to the top bolt for the shock to compress the lower control arm upward with the floor jack. I would not suggest this for anyone other than an experienced wrench spinner. Look at your fingernails, NO grease, don't try this. Screw this up and it can ruin your day!!!

On the fronts, I dropped a crowbar down thru the spring where the shock would be. just in case it wanted to come flying out. I don't recall what I did for the rears while the body was on.

 

[Glider]

Alright, I'm ready to order the same springs for the front. I haven't driven the humvee enough to tell if the rear should have been cut more to get a lower ride height but the rate is pretty good. The picture shows my fender to ground height both sides. I measured an inch higher after install and driving 45 minutes at 55mph in a different location that looked level. Can anyone tell me how long the factory rears were originally.

 

[Action]

Is it just me, or is that bowed way out?

 

[Glider]

Midwest pictures look simiar.

 

[Maxjeep1]

Is it just me, or is that bowed way out?View attachment 850381

This is my stock setup and it looks nothing like yours. Your spring is all over the place. Mine rides good and I would only change to get more hight.

 

[Action]

This is my stock setup and it looks nothing like yours. Your spring is all over the place. Mine rides good and I would only change to get more hight.View attachment 850565

The pic I posted was from Glider's post. It isn't mine. My rears look perfectly straight all the way up (original springs). And my fenders are almost 43" from the ground with 42 psi in Goodyear MT and weighing about 8,000#. And it rides smooth with the progressive rears in the 12k chassis.

 

[Maxjeep1]

The pic I posted was from Glider's post. It isn't mine. My rears look perfectly straight all the way up. And my fenders are almost 43" from the ground with 42 psi in Goodyear MT and weighing about 8,000#. And it rides smooth with the progressive rears in the 12k chassis.

I know Action, I just quoted your post because you said what I was thinking.
Way past your bedtime party animal. Lol

 

[Glider]

It took measurements of front and rear center of wheel to start of fender. and measured the distance from lower A-arm to beginning of upper spring perch. The rear springs are the Armada spring with one coil cut off. I also jacked the front up to approx 24 1/2 to fender and measured the coil length same as others. Last I jacked up the front until tire left the ground and measured center of wheel to fender(26 1/4). Did this on front only.

So it looks like the rear is riding in the higher part of suspension travel. As far a compressed spring distance I need to be 1/4 lower to get a 24 1/2 ride height in the front. One coil uncompressed is 1 3/4 thick.

I think im going to cut 1 coil off and put in the front. Specially if the front will settle and inch after use. I believe JRToffroad was way ahead of me when he suggested going with a similiar trim for the front. Im wondering if i might need to trim the rear spring to get the ride height more toward the middle of suspension travel to give best ride and droop/articulation when offroad.

Im open to scrutiny. The front springs are here. I'll probably install this week.

 

[Glider]

Just for a visual this is factory uncut armada and rear m998 springs. Plus the amount of coil I cut off for rear springs that are installed.

 

[Bill Nutting]

Could air bags be considered? It would require moving the shocks but with air bags you would adjustment to match the load… Probably a bad idea?

 

[jrtoffroad]

Glider, great work. What is your ideal ride height? Personally I like something around 24.5 front and 25.5 rear (center of hub to fender).

Just a couple comments:
-On the front I would start without cutting any coils. With the extra weight it will compress the springs much more. Although I'm currently using a slightly different spring, I have a 1.5 less coils in the rear.

-Make sure you put the cut side of the spring on the A-arm to keep the spring straight. Some spring bow is not big deal, but the top mount is intended for a square end and the a-arm is designed for a tangential end (which you create when you cut)

-The factory shocks really limit travel. If you want more droop and up travel I recommend looking into an aftermarket shock setup. With different shocks you'll have to set your droop and compression based on CV bind in droop and upper ball-joint bind in compression. You can easily increase the travel from the factory 9" (if I'm being generous) to 12+. Not at all necessary if you're mainly on the street, but really nice in the rough stuff off-road.

 

[jrtoffroad]

This is my stock setup and it looks nothing like yours. Your spring is all over the place. Mine rides good and I would only change to get more hight.View attachment 850565

Just curious, What model HMMWV do you have? Any idea what springs those are, or how heavy it is?

You're probably the only owner I know who is happy with the ride with stock springs. My M1123 felt like it had no suspension and would nearly pickup a tire driving on a big curb. Rough terrain at any kind of speed physically hurt.

 

[Glider]

Glider, great work. What is your ideal ride height? Personally I like something around 24.5 front and 25.5 rear (center of hub to fender).

Just a couple comments:
-On the front I would start without cutting any coils. With the extra weight it will compress the springs much more. Although I'm currently using a slightly different spring, I have a 1.5 less coils in the rear.

-Make sure you put the cut side of the spring on the A-arm to keep the spring straight. Some spring bow is not big deal, but the top mount is intended for a square end and the a-arm is designed for a tangential end (which you create when you cut)

Well... my rears are on upside down.. cut side is in the perch.

I envision in my mind a bushing with factory shock pin OD and typical civilian shock ID to make the plethora of stock pickup/suv shocks avaliable for use. I do understand the built in bumpstop and the shock being used as a limit strap could cause issues or damage from too much droop or bottoming out shock.

Out of curiosity. How much more heavy is the front than rear on m998 with soft top and soft doors. I'm concerned the extra coil will put the ride height too high and the preload would make it feel stiff

 

[Maxjeep1]

Just curious, What model HMMWV do you have? Any idea what springs those are, or how heavy it is?

You're probably the only owner I know who is happy with the ride with stock springs. My M1123 felt like it had no suspension and would nearly pickup a tire driving on a big curb. Rough terrain at any kind of speed physically hurt.

I have a 2002, M1123 no top, no doors and a C-Pillar. I will be adding that stuff and rear seats. I don’t mind the ride at all. I want to raise the front to make it level and that could make me feel differently. I have only put 300 miles on it so far with maybe 50 miles of Desert trails and it doesn’t ride any worse than my other vehicles. I also have real expectations how it should ride. It’s not a Cadillac or an ATC110. I’m all for trying stuff and it looks like you are onto something and rear springs are a little heavy unloaded for most.

 

[Glider]

I'm thinking there is no reason we couldn't get a humvee to ride the same as a pickup truck or large suv with the right spring and shock setup.

 

[jrtoffroad]

I'm thinking there is no reason we couldn't get a humvee to ride the same as a pickup truck or large suv with the right spring and shock setup.

I should get a video of mine over some washboard or whoops. It is like driving a Cadillac. Coming out of Rusty Nail in Moab my poor buddies in Jeeps didn't have a hope of keeping up.

 

[Maxjeep1]

I'm thinking there is no reason we couldn't get a humvee to ride the same as a pickup truck or large suv with the right spring and shock setup.

I agree with you. I don’t know if that’s necessary and shocks are expensive and if that’s your goal might as well do coil overs because that’s the only way to get it right.

 

[jrtoffroad]

Well... my rears are on upside down.. cut side is in the perch.

I envision in my mind a bushing with factory shock pin OD and typical civilian shock ID to make the plethora of stock pickup/suv shocks avaliable for use. I do understand the built in bumpstop and the shock being used as a limit strap could cause issues or damage from too much droop or bottoming out shock.

Out of curiosity. How much more heavy is the front than rear on m998 with soft top and soft doors. I'm concerned the extra coil will put the ride height too high and the preload would make it feel stiff

I don't know, but really want to throw mine on some corner scales to find out. It's definitely quite a bit heavier though. Pre-load won't make it ride stiffer, in fact, cutting the spring actually increases the spring rate so it will be softer with a longer spring.

I welded adapters to my shock mounts to allow installation of standard type shocks with a 1/2 mounting bolt. You do have to add a limit strap and bumpstop to do this right. On mine I installed bumpstops on the shock shafts and used a chain for the limit strap. Kind of silly, but I thought it looked appropriate for a HMMWV.

 

[Glider]

What type of adapter did you use? Then what type of shock? I might be mistaken but I think the shocks are the "limit strap" for most modern trucks. We would just need to get the right length shock.