What's involved in an SOA? Why do one?

[Oman Jeep]

Well it's starting to look like I may actually get my hands on a YJ Wrangler in the next 2-3 months. TJ is simply out of budget.

What's involved in an SOA? What needs to be done, anything need to be purchased or is it simply a matter or turning the bracket upside down? If I do need to purchase anything, what's it going to cost?

What effective lift do you get from it on a stock YJ, and what size tires will it fit stock?

Does it improve the flex in any way?

Any pics of the procedure as well as the outcome would be appreciated...

I'm basically looking for the cheapest way to get big tires on there so I can play in the desert and beaches. I want wide tires (12" or more) in the 33-35 range.

Thanks in advance...

[LeadFoot]

SOA flexs better, rides better, and with stock springs, gives you about 5-6" of lift. Youll need a CV D-shaft/sye (roughly $600), and a welder to mount the new shock locations. You'll be able to fit 33's nicely under full flex. Add a 1"bl/tj flares, and you can go to 35's. You'll also need to regear for powers sake. Regearing f/r and labor will be around $1200.




http://www.jedi.com/obiwan/jeep/soa.html

[slander]

i have never done an SOA but i have been researching it since its on the agenda. It is a fairly involved process, you need to have a welder or a freind with a welder, you need to cut off the old brackets and weld them on top of the axle, you are going to need an SYE out back because of the new driveshaft angles. No need for the trac or sway bars so you can rip those off. You will get about 5 inchs of lift so you could easily run 33-35's. Its cheap if you have a welder, it will cost ya tho if you need a shop to do it. Its about 450bucks for a SYE with driveshaft, i dont know how much it would be over in Oman. Once you do an SOA it WILL flex like a mad man, there are alot of people running this on here and all over the web, an SOA is a very common lift and there is alot out there on it, its not easy but there is alot of help out there. GOOD luck. I am planning on doing an SOA with waggy springs because it increases wheelbase, but that is along way off.

[Oman Jeep]

What kind of welding skills are needed? There are plenty of options for it here as the country is full of cheap labourers, Third Country Nationals that work for rates you couldn't feed yourself off of... however they're more into making gates and fences than axle mounts... Is this going to be beyond their ability and should I look for something more upmarket, i.e. go to Dubai or find someone with a great reputation...

I'm tempted to just have the whole thing done by a shop in Dubai. I would rather do it myself and learn how, but I'm hopefully getting it in December and then in August / September I'm off to University, so I want to spend time with the Jeep in the desert than on the drive way, plus working in 100°F + temperatures is not appealing. And that's Winter...

It WILL be a 4.0L YJ, as 2.5L's are VERY rare in the Middle East, is power still going to be an issue? Will it be drivable until I can afford to regear?

If it's going to require a SYE kit anyway, would it be advisable to go with a shackle lift at the same time getting about 7-8 inches of lift (2 inches from shackle right?) and running 35's. I would rather shackle lift than body lift because I intend to spend a lot of time in sand. The definition of "stuck" is when you're sitting on the frame rails, so the higher they are, the better :D - a body lift means the rails are hanging lower...

So I'm looking at roughly $450-600 for the drive train modifications, $1,200 for gearing depending on labour (it pretty sure it'll be cheaper here... and Jeep Service garage can manage this can't they?) and whatever it costs in labour to reverse the brackets? Is there a simple bolt on bracket to make this easier or does it have to be a welding job?

Thanks for the quick responses too!

[IDMO]

There's TONS of info available here (http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/search.php?s=) ;) :D

[LeadFoot]

Originally posted by idrinkmotoroil
There's TONS of info available here (http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/search.php?s=) ;) :D Yea, when it works!:rolleyes: :D

[Oman Jeep]

Originally posted by LeadFoot
Yea, when it works!:rolleyes: :D

So true... had 3 failures already... trying again now...

[Oman Jeep]

MORE Leaf Spring Mounts (http://www.mountainoffroad.com/catalog/Mounting%20Hardware-Axle/Mounting%20Hardware.htm)

Could I not just take these Leaf Spring mounts and weld them to the top of the axle, and 'forget' about the lower ones, if for one reason or another (maybe passing inspection if I take it to the UK) I needed to reverse the operation...???

I'd rather pay an extra $72 than have some stranger weld an old piece of metal to a vital component of the vehicle, and have the option of reversing it...

[LeadFoot]

Originally posted by Oman Jeep
MORE Leaf Spring Mounts (http://www.mountainoffroad.com/catalog/Mounting%20Hardware-Axle/Mounting%20Hardware.htm)

Could I not just take these Leaf Spring mounts and weld them to the top of the axle, and 'forget' about the lower ones, if for one reason or another (maybe passing inspection if I take it to the UK) I needed to reverse the operation...???

I'd rather pay an extra $72 than have some stranger weld an old piece of metal to a vital component of the vehicle, and have the option of reversing it...

Hate to bust your bubble, but a shackle reversal system will require a longer front driveshaft.

[ErieJeepSteve]

Originally posted by Oman Jeep
MORE Leaf Spring Mounts (http://www.mountainoffroad.com/catalog/Mounting%20Hardware-Axle/Mounting%20Hardware.htm)

Could I not just take these Leaf Spring mounts and weld them to the top of the axle, and 'forget' about the lower ones, if for one reason or another (maybe passing inspection if I take it to the UK) I needed to reverse the operation...???

I'd rather pay an extra $72 than have some stranger weld an old piece of metal to a vital component of the vehicle, and have the option of reversing it...

Yes you can.. In fact that is how mine is set-up for those exact reasons. I got hassled for my bumper height last inspection so I wanted and easy way to switch back. I used the Rubicon Express brackets anti-wrap brackets. Which didn't seem to prevent wrap too much. You WILL need a traction bar. If I was stopped on a hill and then had to start out quick I could feel the back of the Jeep drop about 2" and I can only imagine the shape the leaf springs were in. Now that the traction bar is installed, the things accelerates really tight. NO MORE SPRING WRAP.. :)

[Oman Jeep]

Originally posted by LeadFoot
Hate to bust your bubble, but a shackle reversal system will require a longer front driveshaft.

Sorry, I was talking about the Leaf Spring Mounts - I don't see how these are related to front drive shaft length... Surely they just safe me the process of cutting off the original mounting bracket?

"These weld on spring mounts are 2.5" wide, 7" long (anti-wrap design), have three holes punched for the leaf spring center bolt so you can place the axle where you want to. They are made from 1/4" thick steel, very heavy duty and we have several different sizes for different axle tube diameters."

The first item on that page....

[Special Ed]

well what size tires would i be abe to put on my yj with a soa along with my 2 inch body lift?

[LeadFoot]

To clear things up:
In no way does a body lift lower the frame rails. A body lift is exatcly what it says, it lifts the body off of the frame. The ground clearance of the frame remains the same. I mis-understood one of your abbr., as I assumed "shackle reversal".

Ed, do us all a favor and read, please. ;) With a 2" body and SOA, 35's would fit nicely; as stated in my first post.:D

[Joe Dillard]

Here's a list of some of the items that I used. Also, take into account I swapped in a Ford 8.8 rear axle at the same time.

RE 1.5" SOA front springs, PN RE1444
RE 1.5" SOA rear springs, PN RE1445
RE SOA spring bushing kit, PN RE1492
RE antiwrap spring perch, PN 1920
RE antiwrap spring perch, PN 1930
RE Weld-on shock mounts (2 kits), PN RE2020
RE U-bolts for D-30, PN RE2420
RE U-bolt kit for F8.8, 3.25"x8"x9/16", PN RE1230
Rancho RS9000's, 2 RS9010's, 2 RS9012's
MORE Steering correction kit
MORE front shock hoops
MORE rear upper shock relocation mounts
'99 Ford 8.8 rear axle, 31 spline, w/discs
F8.8 4.56 ring & pinion (Yukon)
ring & pinion install kit,
ARB locker, PN RD-81
31" front brake hoses (hose fab shop in Phoenix)
Rear hydraulic & e-brake fabed hoses/lines
Spicer yoke adapter for F8.8, PN 2-2-1379

Already installed, prior to SOA:
Drop pitman arm
JKS disco's (not really needed)
M.I.T. SYE
East County CV rear driveshaft
D30 4.56
D30 ARB, compressor, harness & switches
Extended bump stops (ended-up being removed/tossed)
Currie front shackles
Rear Boomerangs (center support cross removed from boom's to clear reverse eye leafs)
33x12.50 bias ply TSL's
I have removed the F&R stock tracbars
I removed my old 4" lift kit & it's going to a new home in MO to a fellow JUer
Tired D35C, 4.56 & ARB went to a new home in San Diego for salvage parts to another fellow JUer

A simple drop pitman will usually not do the trick for dealing with long term steering quirks once the SOA is in. Some get lucky, but I wanted the steering components relocated higher at the same time, and kept as parallel as possible too. There was no way that I wanted any bumpsteer or have to deal with negative steering issues that are commonly associated with SOA. MORE's kit was my choice to solve this. There are several other components that will resolve this too, but it's up to you which route you want to take. EG: A "Z" link is another option.

My old 6" extended Superlift stainless brakehoses up front, proved to be poor limiting straps. The drivers side failed on the last optional obstical on Lower Terminator. If yours are even anywhere near their limits once the SOA is in & you take a look at things, do yourself a favor & either relocate the hardlines down lower instead of up at the top of the frame rails, or get new ones fabbed, or both.

Good Luck.

[Oman Jeep]

Originally posted by LeadFoot
To clear things up:
In no way does a body lift lower the frame rails. A body lift is exatcly what it says, it lifts the body off of the frame. The ground clearance of the frame remains the same. I mis-understood one of your abbr., as I assumed "shackle reversal".

Ed, do us all a favor and read, please. ;) With a 2" body and SOA, 35's would fit nicely; as stated in my first post.:D

Hey Sorry, I wasn't quite clear...

What I meant was that a body lift doesn't lift the frame rails at all. It lifts the body, therefore the frame in relation to the body is lower. As the tires rub against the fenders I was using the body as a reference point. A Shackle lift WOULD raise the frame, thus giving more room underneath, and another 2 inches of wheel spin before you're stuck in the sand. Which is quite a bit. Does that make sense now?

And I did read, :) I was asking would it be worth doing 35's in one go by doing the shackle kit at the same time as the SOA, or should I forget the shackle kit and stay with 33's.

Thanks for the input!

[Thrasher]

Running a 4.0 , 5 speed, stock 3.07 gears will be really tough pull 33's in the sand. In 4 lo you can do it, 4 hi, probably not. Regear to 4.56 and either swap out the D 35 or go the Super 35 route.

Doing the SOA will give you the lift, but since you'll be playing in the sand, and probably doing a lot of full throttle assaults on the dunes, wheel hop and axle wrap will be a serious issue, axlewrap will kill the stock spring pack very quickly, so, if you don't want to spend a lot of time replacing spring packs, look at Sam's offroad, MORE, and a couple others, for traction bars, you'll definitly want one. They take skill to weld and place, so if your not comfortable doing a lot of fabrication, let an experienced profesional set it up.

To eliminate a lot of the costs and hassles and still get the lift, you might want to think about going with a 4" to 5" spring under in the rear and SOA in the front. The spring under in the rear will more than likely not require a traction bar with the 4.0 and wheel hop and axlewrap will be greatly reduced compared to an SOA in the rear. Sure, it wont flex as much as an SOA, but your going to spend your time in the Dunes, not on the Rubicon. I'd spend some time checking out the sand rigs and the sand rails to look at the hot setups for your environment. Building it based upon what works best for rockcrawling won't help.

[Thrasher]

Large Shackle lifts cause there own set of issues, especailly on the front, they reduce the caster angle and negativly effect handeling. Wider tires will only aggrevate the situation even more. At speed in the desert, you'll want the best handeling shortwheelbase rig you can build. I'd look at going with the correct spring packs for the lift, weather SOA or SUA. Either way, staying away from large shackle lifts is definitly in your best interest...:)

[Special Ed]

ok well how about a soa,2inch bodylift and 2.5 inch lift springs??

also if i dont decide to go with the lift spings and soa how could i get the front sag to goaway? front is way down more then the back, especially with the hard top OFF...

[Oman Jeep]

Originally posted by Trasher
Large Shackle lifts cause there own set of issues, especailly on the front, they reduce the caster angle and negativly effect handeling. Wider tires will only aggrevate the situation even more. At speed in the desert, you'll want the best handeling shortwheelbase rig you can build. I'd look at going with the correct spring packs for the lift, weather SOA or SUA. Either way, staying away from large shackle lifts is definitly in your best interest...:)

Really?

How does the shackles affect the angle? :confused:

And I heard that the higher arched the leaf springs were, the rougher it rided, so an SOA keeps the original spring positions.

Is it possible to run SOA without a driveline extension / SYE and re-gear on the 4.0?

Budget is a concern... I'd rather wait a little while before doing the SYE... and gears. Getting the tires and rims is gonna be expensive at first... then I'll sell the original rims and tires to pay for other stuff...