Scratch all that noise about settling the 5305s!
So, last night I unbolted the bottom of the shocks and let them hang. I intended to go for a drive but the shocks were maybe 2" from the concrete, and I wasn't ready to bother with unbolting the top and removing them altogether. The rear end felt like a 60s Cadillac, so I didn't think a test drive was necessary. I decided my shocks were the problem so I went to my stockpile and dug out some Bilsteins I had saved from my XJ project. The preliminary measurements seemed about right and they were a little softer than the stock AutoRide/ALC shocks. Belltech lists two Street Performance shocks for these things, the 2410FF and the 2412FF. The latter is for 0"-3" drop and is what I went with since I was trying to stick to the factory design as closely as possible, just with the axle 4" higher. The extenders recovering 2" of the lost travel meant that the shock would see only a 2" drop, so I thought it would be perfect. The shock body is considerably larger than that of the 2410FF, which I considered a plus since it was more similar to the factory shock. The 2410FF is the more popular shock that everyone gets with the 3"-5" drop coils, but then they also complain of it being too soft. All of this lead me to get the 2412FF.
Anyway, after looking up the specs on the other recommended shock, the 2410FF, I found them to be identical to the Bilstein I had on hand. Time to get busy! The Bilstein had a bar pin mount for the top and regular bushing for the bottom. I pressed the sleeved bushings out of the factory shocks and cut the sleeves out of them (burnt rubber particles everywhere). It sounds like it was so easy and quick just typing it out, but it sucked and took a couple hours last night and this morning. This even included me having to cut a 7/8" impact socket in half to retrieve the bushing sleeve that was stuck in it.
As much as all of this sucked, I did figure out a cool way to bore out a rubber bushing's ID cleanly and while maintaining it's center. Use a paddle bit of the desired size and slide the stem through the bushing, then chuck it up in the drill. The tapered backside of the bit keeps it centered and it'll gradually and cleanly open up the hole. A regular bit would've dug into the bushing and chewed it up and likely wouldn't drill straight:
View attachment 239846
After boring out the rubber bushings, I was able to press in the factory sleeves and bolt in the shocks. While I was under there, I saw where my sway bar had been rubbing the shock mount due to me not having the axle centered, so I clearanced it a little and adjusted the panhard.
Before:
View attachment 239848
After:
View attachment 239849
Yes, I smoothed and painted it after I was done. I also flipped the axle side half of the panhard to put the grease fitting facing downward. Cutting that ear off for more clearance a week or two ago exposed the fitting as the new high point, which means it'd get snapped off should that part ever bottom out against the cross member. The mount has a slotted hole in the underside so the fitting is accessible from the bottom. Simple solution there.
I finished up the shocks and tightened everything and took it for a drive. It was SO much nicer. Felt like it'd be really comfortable on a highway cruise. The dips and cracks and blow-ups in the road were much less pronounced. Even the 22" Brickstone Duelers are now bearable! Jerking the wheel side-to-side to wag the rear resulted in a lot more swaying than with the other shocks, as expected, but it didn't get out of control. One day I'll have some nice sway bars, so that aspect will be much improved.
So now I had to swap the TJ coils back in for (1) to give them a proper and fair assessment and (2) because I wanted my 4" drop back. 45 minutes later I'm on the road again and even more relieved. The TJ coils feel very much like the 5305s. They kinda felt a tiny bit firmer but then also felt a tiny bit softer. Regardless, I can absolutely say that they are a great coil for an honest 4" drop. They should be cheap or free to obtain, depending on who you know or what's at your local salvage yard. Maybe go dumpster-diving at 4Wheel Parts? Unless I didn't shop thoroughly enough, the 5305s are not available new by themselves and must be purchased in a kit from Tony. Otherwise, you have to luck up and find someone selling a set. The 5305s are advertised as 4", but I only got 3.25". I must say that they may just have had some settling to do. But, for the week I had them installed, they rear remained right where it was from day 1. They do have dead coils that can be cut to achieve more drop, much more than 4", without altering the ride quality, though.
For my purposes, the slightly too soft ride and consistent inside shape (as opposed to having active plus dead coils) of the TJ coil suits me best since I'll be slipping some Air Lift bags inside them. It was difficult to get an accurate measurement, but it looks like the inside height is about perfect for the short set of Air Lift bags I have on hand. So now, I'm finally moving forward with that experiment. (
@kbuskill)
