Rear shock relocation brackets

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redbullet

YJ Enthusiast
Joined
May 11, 2021
Messages
276
Location
San Jose, CA
My Jeep has what look to be 10+ year old rancho 9000 shocks on it that are toast. Went ahead and picked up a set of 5000’s. When I took the old shocks off there was a huge dent in the shock tube about 2/3 of the way down where it appears to have been hitting the axel and caused them to fail. Apparently aftermarket shocks are thicker than stock and change the angle of the shock in a funky way and I have a 2.5” lift. Product description for my new shocks says to use an after market mounting bracket to avoid this problem, so I picked up a pair (see picture.) Thought I’d pass on this info on case it helps.

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I too bought new shocks to replace my Old aftermarket Rancho’s. I got mine from Quadratec. I also bought the same relocation brackets you did thinking that I would need them due to bigger shocks. However, for me, I did not need them. I got the Hydro 7.0 which I believe are rebranded Skyjackers.

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Have to be careful with those brackets, I’ve seen many people post up that the extra leverage from the shock pushing on the extension bracket broke their old shock mounts off the axle tube.

Since I have an SYE and double cardan shaft, I’ve honestly never had a shock hitting the axle be a problem. But for the SYE I had to rotate my axle back 6-10° So that helps me.
 
That makes sense. I wondered that same thing when I bought mine. Glad I did not need them for my situation.
 
gixxerkid3 said:
That makes sense. I wondered that same thing when I bought mine. Glad I did not need them for my situation.
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Yeah, I’d run them if I needed them but being in Texas with no rust helps me form that opinion. In many cases you can run the shock upside down for clearance. Depends on the shock for that though. Some will be damaged if mounted that way. I too am glad mine just worked in proper orientation without needing any help.
 
Me too. I despise having to alter some things to make things work. I’m glad my shocks worked out.
 
Biggest thing about shock brackets, and crimping the shocks seem to be common, is clobbering a mount and bending the housing.
Not a giant issue if you're not running a drop in locker, but can be very Dangerous if you are.
Most of the peeps on this site aren't using their Yjs' for toys, just be aware it can happen EASY if you do use it.
Bin there done that still recovering financially.
 
Im running the 5000x's on my 91 and have broken off the factory shock brackets from fatigue. I do not do any hard or fast wheeling to speak of,just bumpy forest roads yet they just cleanly cracked off. Ive welded them back on but when the fall off again im thinking Rock Jocks spring plate/shock mounts.
 
Yeah, just looking at the brackets and how they fit on the stock brackets looked to be what I would call a lame fit at best putting undue pressure on the stock brackets. Glad I didn’t need them.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I will update the thread in the future to let you know if they hold up to moderate trail thrashing.
 
I put those brackets on before installing the Rancho shocks and made sure the axle brackets were clean and not rusty. I also gave a quick shot of paint first. If the extension brackets not properly seated I'm sure that will cause problems over time.

As a side note my front shock had a big dent in it and I have no idea how that happened. All four were factory shocks so no telling when it happened.

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Probably also depends on how stiff the shocks are. Some of those shocks are super firm and push really hard against the mounts. Others are very soft and just there to slow down the jolts. My OME shocks are very slow as is and they don’t push hard, they are more of a cushion so on a shock like that the mounts might be fine. Definitely also depends on how weak/rusted the stockers are. I’m sure plenty of people can run the extensions with no problems whatsoever depending on geography and if they use a lighter shock.
 
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i bought what was a 95 YJ rock climber, the rear sway bar was removed and in the pile of stuff recieved. what the heck is this about?

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