ok what iv got is a 87 sami with soa lift. it also has two inch blocks and i want to remove them, so my question is what do i need to look out for when removing the blocks. for example will the pinion angle change much and what else will need to be done to the driveline... as of now the pinion angles look really good and drive shafts are proper length.
my second question is while im doing this can i break down the spring packs and remove one leaf so i would flex a little more and if so what leaf is the best to remove.
It has blocks front and rear? Get rid of them quick! The pinion angle should improve by removing them, but be wary of driveshaft length after removal of the blocks. You will possibly need shorter shocks, and will need to address the steering setup as well.
yea i dont want the blocks on there they were just there when i bougt it. im def gonna take them off.
and as for the springs they are either stock sami springs or lift springs im not really sure im new to the sami's and they guy i got it from didnt really know much about it.
its sitting on 33-12.50-15 with no trimming and even when i take the blocks out it will still have plenty of room. so i dont really know if it has lift springs or the soa just lifts it that much.
Its hard to tell for sure from the pics but it looks like the pinion angle in the front is too high already which means you probably don't have any caster angle. When you take the blocks off the front it will make the driveline angle worse. With the front draglink in the stock location it will hit the springs when you turn right. Your best bet would be to take the blocks off the front, cut the spring perches off the axle and re-weld them with the castor angle around 4 or 5 degrees. For the steering you can buy the mercedes arms and do high steer pretty cheap. I have a buddy who's bought the mercedes arms at pull-a-part before I'll see if I can figure out what model they come off of. They'll bolt up where the caliper bracket mounts and the draglink and tie rod will have to be shortened around 3 inches.
They are definitly lift springs, Stock sammi springs are flat at best. Make sure if you take the blockes off that you take off the drive shaft spacers if they have them. If your drive shaft bottoms out you will break either the t case or the pinion. I wouldnt take a leaf out of the springs or you will have terrible axle wrap. With stock axes and all you will ahve decent flex with what you have. Sammi's NEVER have great flex unless you go with a ciol spring set up or some YJ springs. dont worry about the flex and just put some lockers front and rear and you will go anywhere.
When I had mine I ran stock rears all the way around. Stock shackles in the front and a two inch shackles in the rear to level it out. I ran 33s with minor fender trimming, mine rode great and flexed good also. I had to run a aftermarket drag link to clear the springs.
the rods and pistons are from a uclid dump truck(not sure if thats how you spell uclid.... might be uklid)
and for the sami i counted the leafs on the springs and theres only 4 leafs in each pack so i dont think im gonna take any out.
i think im gonna remove the blocks, do a shakle reversal with some longer shackels,redo steering link, reposition t-case and set pinion angles all at once that way i wont have to woory about it for a while. i think the longer shakles will let it flex a little more.
They are definitly lift springs, Stock sammi springs are flat at best. Make sure if you take the blockes off that you take off the drive shaft spacers if they have them. If your drive shaft bottoms out you will break either the t case or the pinion. I wouldnt take a leaf out of the springs or you will have terrible axle wrap. With stock axes and all you will ahve decent flex with what you have. Sammi's NEVER have great flex unless you go with a ciol spring set up or some YJ springs. dont worry about the flex and just put some lockers front and rear and you will go anywhere.
That thing is about 6" higher than necessary right now. There are a few options depending on how much you want to spend.
1) Remove 2" blocks. Install a stock set of springs SOA. This will lower it about 4-6" I would guess and flex better than the stiff lift springs you have.
2) Remove 2" blocks. Install a set of stock rear springs in the front with missing links. Install a set of stock rear springs in the rear with longer shackles to level it out. This will lower it about 3-4" I would guess and it will ride better and flex better.
3) Remove 2" blocks. Install a set of YJ leaf springs. This will probably lower it only 2-3" and it will ride better and flex better than the previous two options.
As the others have said, you will need to check you driveshafts to make sure they are not too long after you lower it. You will also need to check you shocks to see if they are too long. You steering will also need some work as Marsfab suggested.
take that four link off the torino and put some johnny joints at the ends of it and some coil springs off of a 4cyl ranger and some toyota axles. oh yeah dont forget the go fast stuff like turbo and and a lil NOS. hit the gas spray the juice and hold the f**k on. lol
