Broke my first part!

Not that the story is relevant to my question, but I wanted to share anyway lol! So I was wheeling around northern Cave Creek with some family in a couple Wrangler Unlimiteds' and an FJ, when we came across this trail that was a bit rockier than your average trail. Almost entirely loose boulders between 1-2 feet in diameter. I was the last in line, and the only one with a manual transmission. Everybody made it over, except me. Even in 4 low, 31inch tires, and a 4 inch lift, this was difficult for the cherry. I would get stuck about mid way between two boulders and they would just roll all over the place, violently shaking the jeep till I couldn't help but stall it. I did eventually get through, after having "reconfigured" the trail to remove some of the larger loose boulders, but the exciting and challenging experience nevertheless resulted in a nice broken rear upper bar pin! I removed the shock and continued the ride without it.



I checked the underside and it looks like the bolts are still intact, basically as you can see from the picture, the bar pin literally just ripped out. In reading around it seems rather clear that I am going to probably have issues getting these replaced. I would like to replace them with some heavy duty equipment as I have with everything else thus far, so I am looking at these JKS bar pin eliminators but I dont really understand how they are supposed to bolt in. Am I going need to cut out the floor or do anything do get these installed? It looks like they would be replacing the existing bolt and nut, but I don't see any other way to get a the back side of those bolts if the weld breaks and/or if I am going have to be replacing the bolts regardless. I'm sure this seems rather straightforward to most of you, but I really want to avoid having to cut anything right now. I see some other brackets that would prob work, namely this, that looks like I would just utilize the existing hardware (assuming I dont break it) but I think the JKS solution looks much stronger.

So guys, any advice here for a relative newb before I start buying stuff and potentially hacking stuff up? lol

it's next to impossible to get at the back side of the nut without cutting access holes either in the shock crossmember or the floor, no way around it.

also, if you tore a bar pin off like that your shocks are likely too short and are being used as the limiting point for your suspension. that's a quick way to ruin shocks.

GrimmJeeper said:

it's next to impossible to get at the back side of the nut without cutting access holes either in the shock crossmember or the floor, no way around it.

also, if you tore a bar pin off like that your shocks are likely too short and are being used as the limiting point for your suspension. that's a quick way to ruin shocks.

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Damn, thats not at all what I wanted to hear! haha! So if the shocks are too short, and I buy the BPE like that Rough Country one I linked in my previous post, that would push it out a tad and probably let me continue to use my existing shocks for a while? I have a crappy Pro Comp lift, it was supposed to be 3.5 inches, but I got the full leaf springs in the back rather than the add-a-leaf, for which I think they sent the wrong set and actually gave me a 4.5 inch spring. So the shocks might be for the lower lift anyhow, and I would guess the BPE might alleviate that problem until I can get some new shocks, and cut/beef up that mount there. You think? My biggest concern is just buying that BPE and then breaking the damn welds anyway.

One more question, does anybody know if the Clayton long arm coil swap kit utilizes the same upper shock mounting locations? I plan on doing that next year, so I would like to avoid making any modifications that might interfere with that in the future. If I am going to be cutting the floor out for that I might as well just do it now anyway.

Decisions... Decisions....

if you got the old bolts out easily i wouldn't worry about breaking the weld nuts, just don't crank on it like the hulk when you put them back in. being in AZ i wouldn't worry too much about it most of the problems come from excessive rust.

the BPEs will give you about an inch of drop on the shock, it will help but if the shocks were meant for an add-a-leaf and you put a full pack in there they are almost definitely too short.

GrimmJeeper said:

if you got the old bolts out easily i wouldn't worry about breaking the weld nuts, just don't crank on it like the hulk when you put them back in. being in AZ i wouldn't worry too much about it most of the problems come from excessive rust.

the BPEs will give you about an inch of drop on the shock, it will help but if the shocks were meant for an add-a-leaf and you put a full pack in there they are almost definitely too short.

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The JKS one is implying that I have cut through the floor though right? So the RC one seems like it is the best option for now, would you agree?

they're basically the same part. i would assume the cut the floor bit is just to get to the back side. when i cut mine out i folded the floor piece up then bent it back down and duct taped it up. once the carpet went back down i forgot about it.

Id say go with the IRO BPE because it actually replaces the barpin wih a bolt where the jks just has a different looking barpin, IMO. The IRO has a piece that permanently attaches to the body and remove shocks with one bolt where the jks one has to be completely removed to change shocks just like stock barpins.