Old Man Emu setups on 1st gens

I was actually thinking about the 255/85r16. It's either that or 285/75r16

 

Is anybody here running 883 springs without a front armor bumper?

 

@m3bassman

 

I was for a year and a half before I got my bumper.

 

How harsh was the ride? Gonna eventually get an ARB w/ winch but may lift first

 

With a 3 inch lift (I never lifted anything so forgive a new question), is there added stress on driveline or other components ?

 

Not too bad. Once I removed my sway bar it was way better. CVs slung a little grease, but nothing crazy. I'd do it again if I had the choice.

 

From OME's website: OME sizes their lifts such that there are no problems or modifications required to steering, braking, or drivetrain.

 

Yes. Anytime driveline angles are increased, there is added stress. Is it enough to worry about? No.
If you are running 35's, locked front and rear and have a performance enhanced engine with a heavy right foot, then maybe.

Except for having to shim the rear end to properly align the driveline and prevent vibes, and then there is the misalignment plates to keep the rear wheel centered on certain years. But other than that, no problems.
Maybe trimming of the exhaust pipe too, that varies as well.

 

I heard some people get vibes, and some don't. I'm planning on running Dakars in the rear. Would it be worth to get axle shims with the kit?

 

I planned on removing my sway bar with the heavier coils. One of my CVs is already slinging a bit of grease.

 

I have a slight vibration at 55-60 but nothing I'm worried about. I suppose it depends on what you can handle. If you're worried about it, you can always install them during the lift so you don't have to tear it down again later

 

It all comes down to the pinion and the driveshaft angle at the axle. Since 1st gens were blessed with a double cardan joint, (something that 2nd gens are severely lacking)
all we have to do is set the axle pinion so that it is in line with the driveshaft. It will most likely need to be rotated up with new springs. Really very simple operation compared to the nightmare the 2nd gens are subjected to.

A 3° or 4° set of tapered shims is usually all it takes. I used 4° shims as they were available locally.
Use steel shims, avoid the aluminum ones as they will deform quickly.

 

4° shim at the bottom of the pack, on top of the perch. The fat end goes towards the rear of the vehicle. It rotates the snout of the axle up when installed like this.


to achieve this.

 

Has anyone ran shims in conjunction with axle relocation plates? Thoughts?

I'm running dakars, and have the 55-60 mph vibe that I would like to be rid of. However, it seems like stacking the shim on top of the relo-plate is getting the springs a long way from the axle. I don't want to end up with some crazy axle wrap.

 

I've read that general rule of thumb is about 1 degree per 1 inch of lift. Does that seem right or am i just contributing nonsense?

 

You might try dropping the center bearing down a bit and see if that helps. Some have to shim the axle and drop the center bearing both to get the correct angle. I forgot, but I had to do this as well. I have 4° shims at the rear and a 3/4" drop at the center bearing to make everything happy.

 

That would be the easiest fix for sure. I'll grab some washers and see what happens.

 

that's nonsense, lol. In actuality, if you read my post above, if I had not done the CB drop, I would have needed around 7-8° of shim (not available or advised), for a 3" lift.

Edit,
not all vehicles have the same driveline characteristics. some will need to be shimmed the opposite way.
For example, when i did the 6" SOA lift on my Scout, I needed a 2° shim and the pinion had to go down, not up. single piece shaft on that as well.
So the degree per inch is not entirely accurate for this application. I bet there are some vehicles though that are exactly like that.

 

Cool. thanks for correcting me on that.