Having previously re-built the rear suspension it is time to sort the front. Again this is a KAP 3" lift with Pro-comp shocks and this is where the main "sag" is.
As we all get older things sag at the front, just ask anyone over 50! My Jimny is heavy and my old springs have worn out. However when compared to the new springs the old ones are actually longer! This is more about turns and wire diameter. The new ones have an extra turn and are made of 13mm wire compared to 11mm so I believe they will hold up rather than just compress and sag like the old ones. I can actually press the old ones by hand!
Still, there is a lot of weight up front so I decided to give the springs a fighting chance.
Having got the new tyres on the rims I could not resist a quick test. I still need to change the suspension on the front of the Jimny so it still looks a little wonky, The rear suspension is complete so the wheels can go on and stay on. There looks to be sufficient clearance based on the cutting that was done for the previous tyres. I might h...
So I am finally there on the rear axle. All finished and back on her wheels.
There were a few "cosmetic" items to sort.
First was the air feed for the ARB locker. The old feed had been damaged when the axle parted company from the car in 2011 (see It all goes wrong).
I had previously fitted the new parts for the feed to the diff (see Fitting the rear wheel bearings)
If you look around the internet, there is a lot of advice and conversation around castor correction for the front radius arms following a spring lift. However there is a lot less discussed about rear axle correction. Clearly "castor correction" does not apply to the rear but there is still an adverse effect due to a spring lift. There are two main effects, the nose of the differential is at the wrong angle which increases the angles the propshaft has to cope with and the spring mounts are not aligned top and bottom resulting in "banana" springs.