My Willys 3A and 3B Community
TECH FAQ SECTIONS => Chassis, brakes and suspension. => Topic started by: Willybob on June 12, 2022, 01:43:22 AM
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My ‘64 B has aftermarket leaf springs which provide about a 2” lift. Original shocks type/size won’t fit. Any recommendations for brand and which size will fit? Don’t need fancy Rauncho etc. stuff… KYB etc would be fine:-))
Thanks!!!
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My ‘64 B has aftermarket leaf springs which provide about a 2†lift. Original shocks type/size won’t fit. Any recommendations for brand and which size will fit? Don’t need fancy Rauncho etc. stuff… KYB etc would be fine:-))
Thanks!!!
Willybob,
This maybe your first post? Welcome and thanks for posting some images of your 3B! That's a nice looking project!
On my '54 3B, I replaced the original springs with aftermarket "stock" from Walck's. I got a 1"-1.5" lift and found the original shocks would just barely fit - with some effort - on three out of four. The last shock needed about a 1/4" to fit.
This was with full extension so there would be zero travel on the shock and a hard termination whenever the springs would extend.
I thought having longer shocks than the stock would be a better idea. You can get the stock dimensions of the shock from the Service Manual.
Table S-9. SHOCK ABSORBER SPECIFICATIONS
There it lists the compressed and extended lengths.
I chose to increase the travel to get a higher "extended" limit. That also increased the "compressed" value but I rationalized that I wouldn't need full compression as I didn't intend to push the suspension that hard. I just wanted a little extra travel that would allow the shock to do its job without hitting a hard limit.
There are some cross reference sites that can help with finding what you need. I went off on a tangent and used an online comparison chart to pick mine out, but here's one by a jeeper specifically addressing the jeep vehicles.
http://www.willystech.com/faqs/Breakout/Shocks/shockref.htm
The original shocks were only hydraulic. Most modern shocks are gas boosted.
I can imagine a gas shock would help original tired springs but would have preferred getting just hydraulic for mine. I'll be looking into that down the road, possibly.
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Thanks very much. Good info.!!!
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I used Rancho 5000's on my 3B with the 2 1/2" Rancho lift springs. I may have those numbers someplace. The best way to determine shock lengths is to jack one wheel up until it lifts the entire end of the Willys up and measure for the compressed length. The opposite drooping side will be close to full extension at that point.
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i just got the monroe shocks from kasier willys was plenty long enough from my 1" lift an has the rite ends for a stock 3b mounts, pretty cheap too. order 4 and free shipping ;D