John's Pages
PROJECT EMU
Old Man EMU lift - xj - wagoneer
Contents |
the little wagoneer next to ARB-USA's Wrangler in Seattlenote that the little wagoneer is riding on P205R75-15's... |
Executive Summary
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The Old Man Emu (OME) lift is indubitably the finest lift system
that I've ever encounterd. (see comparisons)
The overall ride quality is SUPERIOR to the stock suspension. The most significant part of this suspension is the ride quality. It doesn't sway, bounce or transmit harsh road conditions to the seat of the occupants. There is even less road noise transmitted into the passenger compartment. It is truly better than stock. While the little wagoneer does have 167,000 miles on it, the ride quality prior to the lift was better than most of the XJ's that I've owned (at last count it was over a half dozen... with two xj wagoneers currently in the stable). The supple nature of the OME springs contribute to this quality and helps the suspension articulate well. Off road I find the feel of the vehicle much to my liking. Again, it felt more like an FSJ than an XJ. Prior to the lift the little wagoneer felt awkward and hard to drive off road. It tended to jostle around out of sync with the occupants. With the OME that feeling is gone and control has returned. I'm looking forward to the next phases of the little wagoneer project where he gets new shoes and his factory trac-lok repaired. Then I'll be able to get real serious about some off-roading... without having to be retrieved by Old Blue... The Old Man Emu system is something anyone who is dissatisfied with their XJ's ride, off-road manners or current "stiff" lift kit should seriously consider. While it's only a two inch kit, I believe that another two inches may be gained without sacrificing the ride or handling. (see the IDEAS section) |
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| On my little wagoneer I saw a total of 2" of lift in the front and 3" in the rear. (see measurements) It's hard to believe, but the little wagoneer seems to ride better than Old Blue! On the FSJ-List this may be considered a heretical statement, but it's what I'm experiencing! And Old Blue is one of the finest riding SJ's I've ever owned or ridden in! |
| I'm impressed. The quality of the components is far superior to the other brands I've used or seen. I have only one gripe, and that is that the "ars" end feels like it sits up higher than the front. To fix this I have some ideas for more lift. Wait, I have one other gripe, that they don't make this lift for an FSJ! I'm sure that with an OME set of springs and shocks that Old Blue could be made to ride and articulate better than the little wagoneer... | |
front bumper to rear bumper, before and after... | |
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| note: Old Blue rides on 235R75-15's, the little wagoneer on 205R75-15's | |
Parts Used
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| DESCRIPTION | PART NUMBER | QTY |
|---|---|---|
| Front Cherokee Coil | OME930 | 2 (1 box = 2 springs) |
| Cherokee Leaf Spring | OMEJC1B | 2 |
| Front Cherokee Shock LHT | N35C | 2 |
| Rear Cherokee Shock LHT | N36C | 2 |
| U Bolt Cherokee | OMEU57 | 4 |
| Isolator, Front Springs | OE - Jeep Dealer item | 2 |
| Bushing, (Front Eye) Leaf | OE - Jeep 52000503 | 2 |
| Bushing, (Rear Eye) Leaf | OE - Jeep 52000504 | 2 |
Tools Used
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You can see from the picture above that I used a little bit of
everything. Mostly standard Metric 3/8" and 1/2" sockets, both
standard and deep, with a few SAE sockets thrown in for good measure.
I made a trip to the store to pick up an 18mm
and 21mm deep socket to make it easier to do the rear shackles and
U-bolts. I had an air impact wrench but didn't use it very often.
Mainly because of accessability of the components. I used a couple of "special" tools that the average shade tree mechanic might not have readily available: a 4 foot section of schedule 40 pipe, a 5 foot breaker bar (for breaking concrete?) shown in the problems section and the ends of an Oldsmobile Diesel driveshaft for bushing installation. While these "john" helpers were useful, most self respecting mechanics would probably opt for more conventional items like a press, an air impact wrench or a real breaker bar. To display that I've actually had some training, I also included the picture below to show how to use two wrenches to gain leverage on a stubborn bolt. Place the combination wrench, or an open end wrench on the bolt and place another combination or box wrench in the open end side so that you are able to apply leverage to the bolt. In the picture below, I used this technique to remove the sway bar bolt (18mm) as I couldn't get my impact gun in there and the 4 foot section of pipe would have been a bit awkward to use. The section of pipe in conjuction with my 1/2" ratchet worked so well on a stubborn bolt that not only did I break the bolt loose, but I also broke the spot welds that held the nut in place creating another day's delay in finishing what should have been a 4 to 6 hour job. | ||
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Front Springs Installation
Father's Day 1997
| COIL SPRING REMOVAL | |
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| page J-11 M.R.244 1985 Jeep Cherokee/Wagoneer Workshop Manual
note: numbers added for clarity, editor comments in (). |
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COIL SPRING REMOVAL
1.) Raise the vehicle and support the axle.
2.) Remove the wheel and tire assembly.
3.) Mark and disconnect the front prop shaft at the axle.
4.) Disconnect the lower control arms at the axle.
5.) Disconnect the stabilizer bar links and the shock
absorbers at the axle.
6.) Disconnect the track bar at the sill bracket.
7.) Disconnect the center link at the pitman arm.
(NOTE: I did NOT have to do step 7! PTL!)
8.) Lower the axle assembly, loosen the spring
retainer and remove the spring.
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We found it easier to remove the front springs by first removing the bump stop. We used a pair of water pump pliers to unscrew them. |
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| The OME springs compared to the old springs. |
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The manual does not discuss the isolator. Replacing this rubber
component is highly recommended. Notice how the bump stop is loosened, we removed it to make spring removal and installation easier. There are spacers that may be added to increase the lift that would be inserted above the isolators. (see ideas). |
| COIL SPRING INSTALLATION | |
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page J-12 M.R.244 1985 Jeep Cherokee/Wagoneer Workshop Manual
note: numbers added for clarity, editor comments in (). |
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COIL SPRING INSTALLATION
1.) Install the replacement spring and
tighten the retainer.
(see torque settings),
2.) Raise the axle into position.
3.) Connect the lower control arms to the axle.
4.) Connect the center link to the pitman arm,
(see note on 7 above), the track bar to
the sill bracket, (see problems),
and the stablizer bar links and shocks
absorbers to the axle.
(NOTE: with the use of a breaker bar I was
able to get the track bar on)
5.) Connect the front prop shaft to the axle.
6.) Install the wheel and tire assembly.
7.) Remove the axle support and lower the vehicle.
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We found it easier to install the front springs by first removing the bump stop. We used a pair of water pump pliers to unscrew them. |
the driver's side top nut for the shock required moving the windshield washer reservoir. |
the passenger side shock top nut was easily accessible. |
The new coil and shock in the front.
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Rear Springs Installation
| LEAF SPRING BUSHINGS | |
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| page J-14 M.R.244 1985 Jeep Cherokee/Wagoneer Workshop Manual | |
| Since we are starting out with new springs, all we need to do is to insert the new bushings (see parts) into the springs. The Manual recommends using an arbor press and a suitable size socket or a section of pipe. I've successfully used a vise and various sockets or pipes to do u-joints and such, however, placing the leaf springs in the vise didn't work too well. Between my son and I we figured out how to spread the end of the spring eye enough to insert the bushing. We were then able to coax it the rest of the way with a section of driveshaft end from one of my dearly departed Oldsmobile Diesels. We made sure that it would go in easily by applying a light coat of AMSOIL Synthetic Grease into the spring eye and around the bushing. | |
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| REAR LEAF SPRING REMOVAL | |
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page J-13 M.R.244 1985 Jeep Cherokee/Wagoneer Workshop Manual
note: numbers added for clarity, editor comments in (). |
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REAR LEAF SPRING REMOVAL
1.) Raise the vehicle and support at the sills.
2.) Raise the axle assembly to relieve the weight.
3.) Disconnect the shock absorber at the axle.
4.) Remove the wheel.
5.) Disconnect both the stablilizer bar
links at the spring tie plate.
6.) Remove the spring tie plate U-bolts and
the spring tie plate.
7.) Remove the rear eye-to-spring shackle bolt
and the front eye-to-bolt.
8.) Lower the axle for clearance and
remove the spring.
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| REAR LEAF SPRING INSTALLATION | |
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page J-14 M.R.244 1985 Jeep Cherokee/Wagoneer Workshop Manual
note: numbers added for clarity, editor comments in (). |
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REAR LEAF SPRING INSTALLATION
1.) Position the spring in the front eye
bracket and the rear shackle, and
install the bolts, but do not
tighten completely.
2.) Position the spring on the axle
and raise the axle.
3.) Install the U-bolts and the spring
tie plate and tighten to specifications.
(see torque settings),
4.) Connect the stabilizer bar links to the plate.
5.) Connect the shock absorber to the axle and
tighten to specifications.
(see torque settings),
6.) Install the wheel.
7.) Tighten the front and rear eye
bolts to specifications.
(see torque settings),
8.) Remove the stands and jacks, and lower
the vehicle.
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Problems Encountered
The first problem encountered involved lining up the
track bar. At first I thought I would need to drill a new
hole. 
| But after moving the little wagoneer out of the rain
and into the carport I noticed that the distance wasn't as
great. So I grabbed my breaker bar and applied pressure
until I was able to insert the bolt.
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The trailer hitch represented the second "problem". The bolts could not be removed without dropping the trailer hitch. 
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Measurements
Torque Settings FRONT END
| Lower Control Arms to Axle | 133 ft-lbs |
| Front Shock Absorbers at Axle | 14 ft-lbs |
| Stablizer Bar Links to Axle | 70 ft-lbs |
| U-Joint Straps at Front Axle | !! 170 INCH-lbs !! |
| Center Link to Pitman Arms | 35 ft-lbs |
| Track Bar to Frame Rail Bracket | 35 ft-lbs |
Torque Settings REAR END
| Spring Front Eye Bolt | 111 ft-lbs |
| Rear Spring to Shackle | 111 ft-lbs |
| Rear Spring U-bolts | 52 ft-lbs |
| Rear Shock Absorber to Axle Nut | 44 ft-lbs |
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The actual measurements reveal a 2 inch gain in the front
and a 3 inch gain in the rear. For example, before the lift the driver's door handle height was 38 inches. After the OME lift was installed it went to 41 inches. The trailer hitch ball mount had been at 13 inches, after the lift it went to 16 inches. The front bumper went from 22-1/2 inches to 24-1/2 inches. |
Ideas for more lift
At this point in time I am considering using the 1.5 to 2 inch spacers in the front to raise the front end. However, this would provide a total of 4 inches in the front and three in the rear. IN order to balance things back out, I'm also considering using a 1" block in the rear.These modifications will provide a total lift of 4" and should not impact the superb ride quality of the OME lift. My only concerns at this point relate to the length of the slip yoke into the transfer case and the potential for driveline vibration. I spent months and large sums of money working a driveline vibration out of Old Blue. So far with 2" front and 3" rear the drivelines are vibration free well above 75 mph.
Comparison of other lifts
stock coil, OME 2" Light duty front coil, Rough Country 3" coil |
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I've done the cheap lift approach in the past and was never happy.
I found the Rancho system to ride rough and not really have that much flexibility
over the stock setup.(used this system on my 85 xj Cherokee Turbo Diesel)
A $99 mail order 3" lift does not include shocks, does not include new rear springs (it uses blocks and add-a-leafs), no shipping or labor, and will not provide the articulation, durability or ride that the OME will. And even if you buy the cheapest shocks available, you'll still have a sizeable chunk of change into the project, why not do it right the first time? (My wife has been preaching this sermon to me for almost 22 years, I'm finally starting to catch on...) Been there, done that, not going there again... Life is too short for those kind of shortcuts. In comparing the OME lift to other systems, I'm basing this on years of lifting, lowering, and modifying suspensions on pony cars, pickups, jeeps, trailers and so on. I've used add-a-leafs, clamp on half spring helpers, air bags, air shocks, rubber boosters, over the shock spring boosters, I've given coil springs wedgies, I've used clamps to lower, I've done spring over conversions on trailers and extended shackles. I've even created my own spring packs from an assortment of leftovers. I've even bought new springs (Rancho) and had them professionally installed. None of the methods, systems or products I've used have produced the results that the OME kit has in the ride quality. I find myself aiming for the rough stuff, especially if another 4x4 is behind me so I can watch how it takes it. So far, the OME system has smoothed it out much better than the guys in my rear view mirror... :-) Not exactly quantative data, but hey, how do you measure such things? Count loose fillings? Compressed vertebrae? | |
Conclusion
| To conclude the installation part of this process, I had to visit the alignment specialist in Everett, Washington to get all lined up. No, the front end on the little wagoneer was fine, it was the installer that needed to be aligned. Seems that wrestling Jeeps tends to rearrange things a bit. The chiropractor set everything back in place and now I'm ready to head for the hills and check out the articulation on Mt. Pilchuck. |
click for more information on Chiropractic |
| The OME system is well designed, ruggedly constructed and superbly matched to the xj Cherokee/Wagoneer. The components I recieved for testing were straight off the shelf. The functional aspects of the system are impressive: the greaseable antifriction pads, the spring clamps, the poly bushings for the shocks, they all speak of pragmatic functionality and quality. |
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I installed the kit myself. I found that it was not
that difficult. If cost is a limiting factor in your 4x4 budget, as it is in
mine, then you might consider saving the cost of labor and installing the OME
kit yourself, everything you need to know has been presented. Seriously, most of
the work was done or assisted by an untrained 14 year old.
The money you save in labor could go toward the purchase of
this kit. It will be money well spent. |
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a terrible craving to visit my local Outback Steakhouse... G'day Mate.