Leaderboard

Going back to the first post I think you mentioned there was no upgrade done to the rear springs? If you want to eliminate that sag Id recommend the land rover 9449 coils. I think you should be able to get them shipped there and they seem to just shrug off the weight of anything short of a boat. I was fully loaded for my last trip with at least 500 lbs counting two people, two pets, two full sized spares, 5 gallons of spare gas, 7 gallons of water, a trunk full of tools and spare parts, coolant, atf, oil, power steering fluid, plus 3 suitcases and a large metal framed backpack on the roof. And the 9449s only compressed about an inch. So the truck ended up riding perfectly level and handled the moab trails without even getting close to bottoming out. The coils make the ride a little rougher when you’re low on weight but I don’t really mind it at all, I think it gives it better handling characteristics anyway I don’t have any experience with airbags but I’ve heard people say that they are a bit of pain and will eventually fail whereas the 9449s will probably outlast the truck

Interestingly, those additional bags don’t really seem like a great idea to me. They will make install significantly worse, will undoubtedly degrade in a relatively short time (compared to 10+ years with the bags alone), and it seems to me they may effect performance negatively. That said, I suppose none of those are certain or terrible detractors- I just wouldn’t pay more for them. BTW, I threaded the fill Schrader valve through the lower inside lip of my rear bumper where it was easy to access & out of sight. Also, since it’s a low volume system, I kept a palm sized bicycle CO2 inflator in my glove box for rapid fills. After having them for years, I could eyeball it. Also, I found that I would use them to pop my tail up when offroad for a better departure angle.

I ran AirLift 1000s for over 15yrs (plus another decade + on my Mom’s 2006 JGC). My experience was that they do everything they say & the ~$100 USD are their selling point. (I would also note that while both vehicles suffered a couple failures over those years, it only took a call or an email & the company sent a full replacement free of charge). That said, they require vigilance. You need to make sure you keep their minimal inflation up or they can get pinched or slightly out of place & damage the neck. Also, be careful while inflating them as they are a low volume system. One short distraction & you blow & have to diagnose the system. As an FYI, you’ll need to drill the hole in the spring perch a bit bigger to accommodate the fill neck. For safety’s sake, I would also do a single fill line so that you don’t end up with an unbalanced suspension due to an occult failure on one side. Personally, I left my bump stops in place in case of failure on the trail as well - this had no apparent detrimental effect. We can get the Britpart LR springs delivered from England to the USvWest Coast for $85 USD so, personally, having had both, and being a long term owner, I’d go with the advice of [mention=41155]R50JR[/mention]

That paint is so clean.

Got Hoss out for the Easter break for a shakedown run on the van towing duties. The good news it tows like a train hardly knew the van was hooked up, the not so good news the arse end sagged like a mofo with the weight on the drawbar, time for some airbags. They will allow me to level out with the van and swags loaded up, and air down for when we go off road adventuring with no load allowing some flex

I believe the inner joint is easier to service than the outer. Once you remove the CV axle, you'll see that the inner joint has a cap to seal the grease in. You can pop it off by tapping on the cup to get the axle and roller bearings to press against the seal. Once the cap is off and you clean the grease out, there's a snap ring holding the bearings on the axle shaft. Remove that, and the inner boot can be removed and reinstalled. It'll be very messy, so wear some decent nitrile gloves and have plenty of shop rags to wipe up the grease. Pro tip: to remove the CV axle, unbolt the lower control arm from the subframe. A 1/2" impact driver makes short work of it; it's way easier than unbolting the strut from the knuckle.