STEP 1:

Make sure your kit is complete. For each kit, you should have:

• 2 lower rear links. These are the long straight bars with a Johnny joint tube welded on each end and Johnny joint components for each of these.
• 1 wishbone link. This is the rear upper link in the shape of a Y. The tube ends of the Y link have the Wrangler bushings and sleeve.
• 2 rear axle mounts for the coil springs. These 2 pieces are identical round pieces of steel with a small bracket welded on the bottom to saddle the axle.
• 4 rear lower control arm mounts. These 4 brackets have radius cuts in them that fit around the rear axle housing & bolt holes on the other end for mounting to the arms.
• 4 upper coil spring mounts. These 4 identical pieces are round with the bolt and spring retailer but with no bracket welded to the backside.
• Rear lower shock mounts are a piece of angle with a shock stud welded thru.
• Rear upper shock mount. This bar mounts to the existing upper shock mounts on the frame and tilts the new shocks over more to provide for more wheel travel.
• 1 Rear mini-truss. This section of square tubing is cut to fit over your differential and will be welded to the axle.
• 1 Y link mount. This small bracket has a thick tube welded in the middle. It will weld to the truss and provide the mounting point for the single end of the Y link with a Johnny Joint attached.
• Center crossmember. This section of square tube has 4 ears welded to it and will provide mounting for the Y link.
• 2 frame gussets for the crossmember. These are two flat pieces with a slot for fitting over the 2x2 crossmember and cut in a funky zig-zagged shape.
• 2 frame rail mounts. These two pieces are identical & have 2 drilled holes. They will weld to the frame and provide mounting points for the lower links front & rear.
• 1 driver’s side front control arm. This is the long split arm with the sliding tube on the one end and a Johnny joint mount on the other. This arm will have the Wrangler bushings and sleeves.
• 1 passenger’s front control arm is like the driver’s arm only with both split tubes on the lower end fixed and welded. This arm will have the Wrangler bushings/sleeves.
• 1 Driver’s front coil/control arm mount. This bracket slips over the front axle and locates the front control arm as well as house the bottom of the coil spring.
• 1 passenger’s front coil mount. This mount also has the brackets for the front panhard bar. You’ll notice it has larger openings to fit around the differential.
• 2 passenger’s side control arm mounts. These pieces weld to the side of the coil mount and are cut to fit around the passenger’s side of the axle only.
• 1 breather assembly for the rear axle.
• 1 frame mount for the track bar.
• 1 panhard bar with rod ends at each end.
• 2 front lower shock mounts. These flat plates are labeled DF and PF for each side of the vehicle. They will weld to the existing spring pads under the axle.
• 2 front upper shock mounts. Instructions for these will be included separate from the coil kit.
• 3 brake lines. These front & rear brake lines are the longest ones made that fit a Samurai. If you have an 88 or older, you will need to purchase an extra rear line.
• 4 coil springs.
• 86-88 kits include proportioning valve line extensions.
• Miscellaneous nuts and bolts for mounting the parts. 86-88 kits include proportioning valve line extensions.

STEP 2:

Park your vehicle on a flat level surface for installation. You’re going to be crawling under this thing for at least a day and you do NOT want it shifting and falling. It is best to straighten out your steering so the front tires face directly forward as well. Your steering wheel should be centered. Keep the steering wheel in this position throughout the installation procedures.

STEP 3:
Loosen your lug nuts in preparation for tire removal. Elevate your Samurai and support it with jackstands such that the wheels are off the ground. Remove wheels, front and rear driveshafts, and shocks.

STEP 4:
Completely remove your front and rear suspension components, brake lines, steering, bumpstop mounts from the frame (unbolt the front upper bumpstops, DO NOT cut the tower off), unbolt the clips that hold the fuel and brake lines on the passenger’s side framerail, and cut off driver’s side front brake line mount. You will reuse this mount later, so cut it in such a way as to be reused. Remove steel brake line tubes from rear axle.

STEP 5:
Rear axle. Remove the breather cap from the top of the axle and cut off the breather extension. Weld this hole shut. You will need to relocate the breather assembly. To do this you will need to have a ¼” NPT tap (not a standard ¼” tap, an NPT tap!). Drill and tap the hole for your new breather on the axle tube outside of where the truss will mount. We would recommend removing the axles and differential to do this and insure that no metal particles fall into your housing and have the opportunity to damage seals. The hose provided is a tight fit, but will go on. The hose and breather end will mount on the frame at the end of your installation. DO NOT Remove stock spring pads from underneath the axle at this time. We might also recommend that the brass breather fitting itself be one of the very last things you install. This will prevent it from being knocked and potentially broken off.

STEP 6:
Install the mini-truss to the axle. This truss will slide up against the differential and provide a center mounting point for the upper rear link. The truss should be completely parallel to the axle and centered front to rear. Confirm these critical points before welding. To avoid heat warping the axle, you may want to keep your welds to short sections and move from one point of the truss to the next to keep from overheating the tube. At this time, also mount the center Y link mounts. These are the two small identical brackets with a single hole in the middle. Use a Johnny Joint for proper spacing between the two brackets (see below). This setup must be welded DEAD CENTER on the axle left-to-right. Weld this good, it takes ALOT of stress.

STEP 7:
Welding the rear control arm links to the axle housing. You will notice that the Johnny joints have several pieces for their installation. To weld the control arm mounts to your axle, use the center ‘ball’ piece as a guide for spacing on the width between the 2 plates on each side and bolt together to hold the brackets level for welding. Running a bolt thru the plates and the Johnny center ball is a good way to hold the assembly together. To determine proper alignment to the axle, first start by insuring that your pinion angle is at O* before welding. This means the pinion is dead level to the floor. Take a magnetic angle finder (these can be found any many hardware stores, they’re usually a clear gauge with a needle that moves according to the angle the piece is held at), put it underneath the long straight section on the bottom of the 3rd member and that should read 0 degrees. Now, the rear control arm bracket pieces are the 4 identical pieces with a large radius cut on one side to match the axle and a bolt hole on the other side. With your gauge on top of the control arm bracket, pivot to 15*, and to weld to the axle. The outside edge of the outside bracket should be about 7” in from the edge of the axle housing. Hook a tape on the flange at the end of the axle (or but it up to the brake drum if your axles are still inside), mark at 7” on the tube. That point is the outer edge of the outer bracket on each side. Do not overheat the tube! Use multiple short welds is necessary. We also recommend that Locktight be used for the final assembly as you may come up short on the locking threads within the nut.

STEP 8:
Installing the forward mounts for the rear control arms. Start with the lower arm mounts which are the 2 cut channel pieces with a hole on each end. For the passenger’s side mount, the snub end of this piece goes forward and butts up against the factory crossmember. You may also have to slightly notch the crossmember for proper location. The inside edge of the bracket should be mounted flush with the inside edge of the frame. For mounting front to rear, locate the rear frame arms that protrude from the frame and served as mounting points for the rear leaf springs as well as a body mount point. From the forward edge of this ‘arm’, measure 13” and make a mark. That mark is the rear of the channel pieces that serve as mounting points of the lower rears and front control arms. Weld this piece to the frame after scraping off the undercoating.
Please also note that this bracket also hold the front control arms. The crossmember on the passenger’s side has a high likelihood of hitting the control arm in hard compression. We would recommend notching that crossmember so that the control arm can move up freely. Hold the front control arm in place to examine this situation.

STEP 9:
Install the crossmember for the rear Ylink. This is the piece of 2x2 square with the 4 brackets welded on. The tabs should be pointing to the front of the vehicle with the holes directly underneath the crossmember. It should be centered between the framerails and behind the transfer case. This piece will actually sit on top of the framerails. At this time, mount the frame gussets to the crossmember only. These are the two plates with a zig-zag cut and slots for the 2” square tubing of the crossmember. Note the slope of the frame and place the appropriate end of the gussets forward to accommodate the slope. Tack weld those gussets in place onto the crossmember on the outside of the frame for the time being. From the factory crossmember’ s forward edge, measure forward 4 ¼” and this is the center of the bolt holes for the new coil crossmember. Mark on your frame and tack weld, but do not permanently weld at this time. After the vehicle has been reassembled and you confirm that the pinion is at an angle you like and nothing is binding, then completely weld the crossmember in. Do this by welding the gussets to the frame all around, then welding the crossmember to the gussets.
You can cut off the existing spring hangers for the old leaf springs as they will no longer be used.

STEP 10:
We have placed this step at this location in the instructions since the install has been focused on the rear axle. We do recommend that the rear lower shock mounts not be welded on until the axle is mounted back on the vehicle and shock alignment can be confirmed.
Install lower rear shock mounts. These are the 2 angle pieces with shock studs welded. You’ll just have to look at things carefully to make sure everything lines up well. Best placement of the mount points them to the rear of the vehicle and pushes them as far outboard as is possible with a slight upward rotation. You want them so that they are almost touching the control arm mounts. Also place them so that they are on the bottom of the axle. The ‘L’ shaped bracket should go under the axle for best long shock fitment and point to the rear of the axle. Tack in place. Once the axle is back on the vehicle, double check the position by mounting a shock, at that time, complete the weld. These mounts can be rotated up or down in or out. There is no absolute best position.
The upper rear shock mount installs by slipping over the stock upper shock studs and reusing the nuts and washers. Keep in mind that we’ve seen these factory shock studs out of whack as much as 3/8” from one vehicle to the next. If yours is one of the more out-of-whack ones though, you may have to grind one side of the original shock studs to get it to fit.

STEP 11:
Assemble your Johnny joints on the rear lower arms and the upper Y-link. To do this, first install the gold washer into the sleeve, followed by on of the black bushings, the center ball piece, another bushing, the silver sleeve, and snap ring. The bushings will fit tight so you may have to use a mallet to seat them. If needed, some sanding can be done to the bushings for extra clearancing as well. Once the Johnny joints are installed on all 4 ends, connect the rear axle to the lower links and to the frame mount you welded previously. Set the axle at a point where there is 11.5” from the top of the axle tube to the bottom of the frame (this should be your approximate resting position once everything is back together). Set your pinion angle how you prefer. This can vary depending on what driveshafts you are using. If you plan on using a CV double carden driveshaft, the pinion will need to put up at the rear of the tcase output. For regular driveshafts, place the pinion angle right at the rear output of the tcase. You can then use the assembled rear Y-link to set a final position for its cross-member on top of the framerails. Screw the Johnny Joint in most of the way so that there is a little bit of adjustment each way for fine tuning. Set the jam nut.

STEP 12:
Install the lower rear coil mounts at this time. For the rear axle, you will want the coil mounts on the axle to be dead center under your frame. Take careful measurements off your frame and transpose these to your axle to make sure the axle mounts line up directly underneath your frame. The lower rear spring mounts are the round piece with the channel welded on the underside. Notice also the notches cut into the channel to assist with brake line clearance. This coil spring mount should be welded parallel to your rear factory spring pads under the axle. Ideally, you want the coil mounts to be dead level with the ground when the installation if complete. If you plan on tilting your pinion angle up to accommodate a CV driveshaft, please take this into consideration at the time of installation of these lower mounts and adjust accordingly.

STEP 13:
Locate the upper coil mounts front and rear. The upper coil mounts are 4 identical round pieces with a bolt in the center. For the rear, measure 22 ¼” from the end of the frame rail and mark. This is approximately the center of your coil mount. We do highly recommend you confirm this by mounting your rear axle in place and dropping a plumb line down to the axle with the lower coil mounts already welded. Also make sure the upper mounts are center located side to side and tack-weld. For the front, weld the mounts to the existing bumpstop mounts after removing the rubber piece. The outside edge of the frame should line up with the inside edge of the bolt in the center of the spring mounts. For forward and rear placement, the coil mounts should be located about 1” forward of center on the bumpstop tower. We recommend tacking the forward mounts in place for fine tune fitting at the end of your installation. It is also be good to double check your placement before a full weld is made. Do this by welding your axle mounts on, measure between the center bolts on the axle, then make sure you have an identical spacing measurement on the topside with the upper coil mounts.

Later, when the vehicle is being reassembled, mount the front axle and control arms, place the spring in position and lower the weight of the vehicle onto the coil. The coil should be centered with the vehicle at rest. If this is the case, remove the coil and weld the spring mount firmly into position.

STEP 14:
The front lower coil mounts are side specific. The passenger side has two brackets coming up that will mount the panhard bar. From the edge of the outer axle flange, measure in 4 1/4” and make a mark. This mark will represent the approximate outer edge of the mounting bracket. The brackets will rest above the existing spring pads and self-align for castor adjustment. You want your new coil spring mounts to be dead parallel to your existing stock spring pads.

Do not cut the stock spring pads off.

Before welding everything solid, double check your width spacing to make sure everything will line up side to side. Make sure that the axle coil spring mounts will be directly below your frame coil mounts.

You will also need to weld on the control arm mounting pieces to the coil mount bracket you just attached to the axle. These are the two flat plates with a radius cut into them and 2 holes on the other end. You will note that one mount is cut-out larger than the other. This side goes against the differential. Make sure both sets bolt holes align before final welding.

The tops of the plates should be roughly parallel to the top of the coil spring mount and may or may not fit snug to your axle. The key thing is to make them flush with the top of the spring mount and make sure the holes line up. We also recommend tacking these in place and doing a test fit with your control arms before the final weld. This ensures everything will line up without a fight. Weld these in place all around. Make sure this is a good weld. This side holds the axle rotationally all by itself and will handle braking power against rotation too.

STEP 15:
Driver’s side coil mount goes on much the same as the passenger side and welded at the same angle. This mount should be located at roughly 4” in from the outer flange to the edge of the bracket. Again, double check with the upper coil mounts to make sure everything lines up perfectly. Weld this bracket to the axle well.

STEP 16:
The front lower shock mounts are integrated into the control arm mounting. Use the long bolts and sleeves to space the shocks away from the coil mount enough. Upper front shock mounts can be welded at various positions to help create proper spacing for shock clearance.

STEP 17:
Time for the reinstall of your axles. All the tube end on the control arms use Wrangler bushings and sleeves. Grease these well with silver anti-seize. Anti-seize is a better and more long lasting lubricant than standard grease. Grease all the bolts too. Install Johnny joints as per Step 11. Once the axles are in place and arms are all mounted, install the springs. Use the retainer plates at each coil mounting point for all coils and tighten the nylock nut down firmly to hold the coil in place. DO not overtighten as you can spin that center bolt done too hard. Check alignment of all components, pinion angles, other considerations as in steps 9-13. If all looks good, weld these components in solid. Keep in mind that welding can shift pieces a bit so you may have to use a hammer to massage bolts into place, etc.

STEP 18:
Weld upper track bar/panhard mount to the frame. This will weld to the outside of the frame a few inches forward of your coil spring mount. It is best to mount the axle in place before welding this piece so you can fine tune its fore and aft mounting. Make sure it is not pushed so far forward as to interfere with the steering links, not so far back as to interfere with the coil. Once this has been welded in place, mount the bar itself with rod ends on each end. The axle will need to be centered before mounting the bar. We do this by using a plumb bob off the fenders to the rotors.

STEP 19:
With the axles permanently welded it is a good time to swap the brake lines. You will have to reweld those brake line mounts cut off. We do recommend cutting and lower ALL of your brake line mounts for this extreme travel suspension!
For the rubber lines, since you already have the lower ends of the stock lines disconnected, begin by attaching the lower ends of the new brake lines to the axles. Then quickly remove the upper ends of the brake lines and install the upper ends of the new brake lines in one swift, deft, maneuver. Be careful of dripping brake fluid as it can make your paint bubble if left in contact.

Also note that the rear rubber brake lines are extensions. You will also have to tighten down the rear brake lines pretty good to ensure a proper seal. Don’t be surprised if you have to give it an extra ½ turn or so over what you might think normal to get the brake lines to seat properly. The front brake lines bolt on. Reinstall the parking brake cables after removing the hanger bracket that will hold the parking cables up too high.

For 86-88 Samurais, you will have to relocate your proportioning valve assembly. You can remount it using sheet metal bolts or even drywall screws. You will need to bend a loop into the factory steel lines going back toward the axle so that the valve can be mounted a few inches behind its original position. Connect the 2 lines going to the front of the vehicle to the valve via the extension lines supplied in your kit.

Make sure all brake lines are tight, bled, and not leaking before hitting the road!

Step 20:
Give it a good “pre-flight” to make sure everything is on and works. Retighten all bolts after a couple hundred miles. Keep in mind that there are other changes and parts you will need to add to your vehicle for it to function properly and at its full potential. Locktight those nuts you may have concerns about. Safety is your #1 issue and double checking everything is good practice.

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