So after i broke all my upper shock bolts for the 2ed time after owning this jeep. I decided to do something about it. I drilled thru the floor then took the old rear sway bar bracket that holds it to the U bolts and put it up there as a Pin bar elimintor. Let me tell you this works amazing and you get about an inch more of shock travel and you will never have to deal with those stupid bolts again. I will get pics in the next few days. I couldnt find much info on this so I figured I would share.

 

I'm going to do this too. Pulled the set off my rear anti-sway, and grabbed another 2 pairs today from the JY. How big of a hole did you drill? I was going to cut the brackets to make them smaller. Get pics asap please.

 

I thought about doing that but the sway bar mounts were not wide enough for the shocks.

 

I have just done this mod.

Let me walk ya thru it (for those that do not know)


Rear shock upper mounting bolts are JUNK.
At least by the time you get to change the rear shocks.

Face it...you will snap at least two.

After snapping them, do not try to drill and re-tap them...it wont work right.
Best to dislodge the welded nuts.
The nuts are merely tacked in.

Hammer them out from the underside (wear safety glasses...please)
After you have them dislodged, you will need to lift the carpeting in the cargo area.
I will not go into detail on this...

Take a drill and drill UP thru the bolt holes in the direction (angle) the bolts were in.
You want to drill thru the floor.

Topside: Enlarge the hole so a 5/16" diameter bolt head will fall thru.
Push TWO bolts thru these holes so they protrude out underneath.

Now its time for the shocks:
You will want shocks that are bolt-thru style.
IF you have a 2" to 3" lift try this:
Commanche rear shocks are 3" longer than stock XJ shocks and are of the bolt-thru variety.
I opted for Gabriel ProGuard #61506.

Now for the mount itself:

This is what you want to grab from the J/Y or off your XJ.
Lil Red is my DD so I snagged a pair from J/Y Cost $4



Loosen this PITA bolt and save it (if its not too bad)



This is what you'll be left with:



The center to center measurement of the bar-pin is almost exactly the same as the center to center on the swaybar mount.



The only problem is that the shock bushing is a tad bit wide to allow the shock to fit inside the mount.
Some careful widening will make it fit fine. I clamped mine in the bench vise and used a large adjustable to tweak the sides ever so slightly.

Then you have this:



Bolt your new shock mount up underneath...make sure you use a washer under the nut.

Slide the metal sleeve (provided with the shock) into the upper eye.
Slide new shock up and push bolt thru.
Screw the nut on.
Attach the lower end onto its bolt and tighten it all up.

You will have something LIKE this:
On mine, I HAD long bolts so I made a 3/4" spacer to go between the bracket and the body. (Every little bit helps)



Cost rundown:
Swaybar endlinks: $4
Mount hardware: $3
Shocks: $48.74 (pair)

Total: $54.74

 

Nice write up. These will also work for the upper mount on the front shocks btw. You can either weld the mount to the metal bracket in the wheel well, or you can drill a hole in the sway bar bracket and put a bolt through it upward like the OE style mounts. There is a link on JF that shocks off a chevy 1500 work well for a 4-5" lift. $16.99. http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/1...6-lift-868684/

 

excellent mod.. someone should write up a book about what mods that should be done immediately following buy a cherokee....

 

There is.
IIRC its something like the Cherokee Builder's Guide or such.

Alot of folks on here have it.
Maybe one of them could correct me on the name.

 

WOW! this is awesome!