axle trussing

ok I searched maybe I searched the wrong thing but it didn't bring up any results, if you can do a search for me thanks, and mods if this is in the wrong forum feel free to move it.


heres my question, I have a non disco high pinion(I think) Dana 30 with a lock right and a Dana 44 rear. My jeep is an 87 Wagoneer. I have some 4.5 inc rustys coils on the way for the front and for the rear I'm gonna have 2 inch blocks and a 1 inch shackle. I plan to go the desert a lot and do some jumping, should I truss my axles? I don't want to break and housing or anything. Should I just do the front or both. I have the time(don't get my license till this summer) and i want to build it right the first time.


Thanks for the help!!

umm.... tire size?

Also, youre going to be running 4.5" coils up front (probably about 5.5" lift w/o much weight up there) and 2" blocks and 1" shackles on stock leaf packs? If so your jeep is going to sit two inches or so nose high.... Is that what you were planning?

I think jumping is really going to kill the stock leaf pack especially w/ the 2" blocks under there....

As for trussing... sure do it, it cant hurt...

32x11.50. and I plan on having a rake. If I didn't have to buy a sye to lift the back more then 3 inchs I would lift the back 4.5 too. If I need to i'll cut the springs so they're not to tall

if you want to truss, look into T&T truss' I'm happy with mine.....much easier than building my own

You should definitely truss the axles if you're going to jump them. Top & bottom would be the strongest, but most people avoid bottom due to loss of ground clearance. Forget the rear blocks, you'll need the higher spring rate of more leaves for jumping it.

I'm only gonna truss the bottom, don't care about the loss of ground clearence, and about the springs, I'm gonna try the blocks with some good shocks because I'm a poor boy trying to go fast, haha.



one more question, on the rear fenders, can i just cut along the top of my flair or is it to high?

I'm running 4.5" lift in the back on 33's and I don't need an SYE. Most folks don't. It's worth a try to see if you need it or not.

That's too high. You can't cut past the pinch seam unless you cage it because it is part of the unibody structure. As far as an extra leaf vs. blocks being cheap, I got a free stock spring pack from somebody who had lifted theirs just by putting a wanted request on a local forum, then cut the eyes off the main leaf using a $20 grinder with a cutoff wheel (you can get one for $10 at harbor freight also). You can get any 2.5" wide springs and cut the eyes off for that matter, then just add in a leaf right under the stock main.

If yer gonna want to jump yer XJ like I love to jump mine, the first thing you must know is this. NO FRICKEN BLOCKS! The second thing is THIS. You WILL kill off your stock spring pack, no matter what, and in short order. The third thing, and I really must stress this one, is this. NO FRICKEN BLOCKS!!!!! Did I mention that Blocks+jumping= inevitable disaster? Oh, and yes, by all means truss the axles, especially the front 30. Top trusses are way more important than bottom. Think about it. Oh, and NO FRICKEN BLOCKS!!!!!

well I have add a leafs now and they suck, horribly. and I'm gonna use blocks, I don't kump like 8 feet, more like 2 or 3. If I break more stuff then I'll up grade latter. this rig will be 75% street driven.

Thumpersdriver said:

Top trusses are way more important than bottom.

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actually a bottom truss is better because when you land the truss has a tension force on in instead of the compression force that would cause it to buckle when it is on top. the only reason people do a top truss is for ground clearance or a place to mount their links