77 jeep wagoneer 3 inch lift front driveshaft to short

[Sdsurfer]

I just finished putting a 3 inch front lift on my 1977 jeep wagoneer and I went to reattach the front driveshaft and it’s about half an inch to short… u joint can’t reach

Is this from the lift or am I missing something? It appears completely extended, shoots grease out the end by the u joint when I extend it fully.

Thoughts? Solutions?

See picture

[Yeller]

Common for the drive shaft to be too short after a lift. Find a local driveshaft shop to retube it longer or order a replacement from an online shop like JE Reel, Tom Woods, Driveshafts Inc, or Carolina Driveline. Personally I use Tom Woods and Driveshafts Inc. I’m local to Driveshafts Inc.

[Stuka]

Normally not an issue on FSJ's with only a 3". I have run the stock front shaft with a 6" lift.

Did you install the front springs backwards by chance? The centering pin isn't centered, and if you install the backwards, the front axle gets moved forward.

[Sdsurfer]

I think I put the leaf springs in correctly… here are photos of front and back. It’s hard to measure once on but I thought I did: big in back, small in front. They are rough country and when I watched a video of a guy doing his 78 j10 the labels were in the back and stamp numbers in the front like mine are.

That being said I do remember having to push super hard with my feet as my buddy pulled the axle forward about an inch to get it to sit in center pin, and that was with drive train connected. So it did fit, but then I disconnected it to replace seals in the differential and figured it would fit when it was back on the ground… and here I am… lol

Any links to ones people have used before? There are so many options out their.

[Stuka]

The label placement can be arbitrary. Most aftermarket springs have 'front' painted on them. The springs are 22 1/2 x 24 1/2 in length from the center pin. The longer side should be up front. If you have the longer side in back, that would explain the issue.

If you look at your steering, the pitman arm should be in front of of the tie rod. If the drag link is having to go backwards to meet up with the pitman arm, the axle is too far forward.

The rear eye of the spring typically has a larger bushing also, as the rear frame mount is wider than the front shackle mount. Your photo shows the big bushing up front.

[Sdsurfer]

I’m at work but hard to tell in this photo I had from last week if it’s going backwards. I’ll check tonight and measure but I think it’s backwards…

Thank you for the info, looks like I got a great weekend planned.

I’ll keep u all updated

[Yeller]

We need photos of what's attached to that red wheel in the background to help you resolve the driveshaft issue

[Sdsurfer]

That’s a 1932 ford roadster my grandpa built before he passed and I’m storing for my mom. Just started it last night when i was working on the jeep, flatheads running solid but the brakes were a little spongy last time I drove around the block. Got to finish the jeep first though, lol.

[Sdsurfer]

I measured and yep the back is longer….

I’ll switch them around this weekend and drivetrain should fit. I’ll keep you all posted

[Stuka]

I measured and yep the back is longer….

I’ll switch them around this weekend and drivetrain should fit. I’ll keep you all posted

At least its an easy fix.

Glad you asked about it instead of just getting a longer drive shaft only to find out you can't steer because the drag link rubs the tie rod.

[Yeller]

I measured and yep the back is longer….

I’ll switch them around this weekend and drivetrain should fit. I’ll keep you all posted

And you didn’t jump on my band wagon….. I had forgotten the springs have a front and rear. It’s literally been 25 years since I messed with leaf springs on our trucks, converted them all to links and coils for as long as I can remember

[Longjohn61]

Made exactly the same mistake, the stock springs have the big end back and the smaller front rc is for some reason the opposite.
Even the shocks came in a strange angle so flipped the springs and then the driveshaft was no issue anymore.

/Niels

[Sdsurfer]

I’m glad it’s not just me that made that mistake. I swapped them today and when I turned them around big end was on the front and I was super confused. I didn’t see longjohn61s comment till just now and mine are RC.

I did one side at a time so I didn’t get mixed up, measured 3 times and put the long side on the front. Everything fit which was great!

Yeah Yeller I started looking at longer driveshafts but man they expensive, I was going to just order non lifted leaf springs cuz they would have been cheaper but all worked out.

Thank you all

[Yeller]

Yeah they’re spendy, glad you figured it out.

About to build the 3rd set for mine….. fortunately I don’t have to start from scratch have 2 that I can just shorten, saves a ton of cash.