Hell Creek vs BJ's

[44bz]

Just wondering if anyone has any experience/opinions on the two suspensions. Not a lot of information out there about quality or function. I remember reading that the Hell Creek springs are stiff, which I'm not too worried about. Anybody have experience with the BJ's springs? I use my truck as a truck so I wanna keep the hauling option alive. I also want to get rid of the body lift in favor of lift springs. This is for my 68.

[Herk]

I ran the Hell Creek springs for a while, but they're under somebody else's truck now. The Hell-Creek springs were made well enough, they just didn't work well for what I used my truck for. The fronts were notably stiffer than the re-arched factory springs with 2 add-a-leaves they replaced. I removed a leaf and that only helped a little bit, they rode rough. The rears on the other hand were much softer than the originals and I lost most of my weight carrying capability. I used the truck as a truck primarily so this was a problem. The truck sat a little nose high at the beginning and it got worse over time. The springs also came with some beefy round front U-bolts and spring plates. I tried to make these work, but they were in direct conflict with the shock. I went back to the factory style square U-bolts, albeit a slightly larger diameter. The rear driveshaft needed to be shortened. There was no way to get the front driveshaft to run without vibration and still have any caster at all.

I only run a 33" tire and really didn't need the lift, or the poor ride and bumpsteer that came with it. Thankfully I kept my original rears, although they were re-arched before I bought the Hell Creek springs . I bought a set of factory style replacement front springs from ESPO which ride way better. Once the truck is back on the road I will probably have the rears de-arched a little to get the ride height closer to original.

[dodgerammit]

I'm rocking the 2.5" BJ's/Deaver spring setup on my 84 and am pretty content with them. It's still a leaf sprung ride, so there's that. Probably just a little stiffer than the sagged originals were about 7 years ago when I first got the Wag. They are spendy, but I wanted the smoothest ride I could get on mine. The factory springs were just completely done and had gotten really rough over the last couple of years. The lack of road maintenance here doesn't help. The Deaver springs have the tiniest amount of bump steer over harsh bumps that a new stabilizer would probably eliminate. The stance is perfect for me.

[Stuka]

It’s worth noting that BJ’s does not manufacture springs. They have used several manufacturers over the years. Including Rusty’s, Hell Creek, and Deaver. Quite possibly some other I am forgetting.

As I recall both Hell Creek and Deaver will change the spring rates based on your vehicle characteristics. Different engines have different weights, truck vs wagon, etc.

So I would call them directly and ask for their input on what you need.

[tgreese]

The two best known suppliers of custom springs for Jeeps are Deaver (Santa Ana CA) and Alcan (Grand Junction CO). You could contact both ...

[44bz]

Thanks all for the ideas. I'm definitely in the planning stages and will look into Deaver and Alcan.