27/05/13 - BigJimny is coming back!

As many of you will know, BigJimny has been languishing in the garage awaiting a rebuild. This followed a final, destructive run in which everything finally broke!

Previous posts show me dismantling  the rear axle and getting some brackets from Rob at Offroad Armory welded on.

However work stopped at this point as other activities got in the way.

Well, we are now moving house (the sale is under way) and I have a Jimny in the garage with no axle! Therefore I need to get it back to rolling status in order to get it on a trailer to move house.

I have always thought my Jimny was too heavy and the sagging springs and broken axle seem to support this theory. Therefore I have always had an eye on the TrailMaster Diesel springs as these are for Jimnys with the heavier diesel engine. With the weight of the winch and the winch bumper up front and the roll cage, I have always thought these springs would be more suitable for my Jimny.

Therefore I picked up a set of the diesel springs from my second favourite supplier (I am sure I will be forgiven for saying that as, of course, BigJimny is my favourite!)

Here are the spring seats where the springs sit.

With the longer Rough Country shocks there is a risk of the springs dis-locating. Rob at Offroad Armory sells Spring Retainer plates that overcome this issue.

First you need to find the centre of the mounts and drill a pilot hole.

The plates mount with M16 bolts so you need a 16mm hole

I then played around with the best way to put the combination together. The best way I found was to mount the plates loosely on their own.

And then "screw" the spring into position.

Then tighten it down.

The completed assembly.