Jeep Lean

[WarmNSunnyinArizona]

I know there have been previous posts on this subject, but I am looking for ideas for a fix, not explanations on why this is what it is:

My 42MB leans to the driver's side (1 inch in front and 1 1/4 inch in back). I replaced the weak leaf springs, but no help.

I know about factory issues and how some came off the line like this. What I am looking for is a fix. I saw where someone said to put a shim on top of the leaf stack, under the axel (I assume on the low side). Seems like a 1 1/4 inch shim would be unstable and hard to keep in place. Am I wrong? Has anyone done this?

Any other suggestions?

[JAB]

A shim would lower the corner it's installed at. If you have the proper springs and u-bolts there wouldn't be enough thread length on the u-bolts to install a shim. It's a trait of WWII jeeps with the torque reaction spring, why mess with it?

[savmag]

A short term solution would be to re-arch the left springs (front and rear) allowing the jeep to stay taller on the left side. The problem though is that it is not convenient cost-wise. Re-arched springs will eventually return to their original state.

You could try and re-arch them with the heat method. Otherwise, as Jeff said, it is a perk of the TRS and the "beauty" of the WWII jeeps.

Final solution... lift the jeep by hand each time you dismount the jeep.

[dinof]

Mine has a little bit less than yours, But I don't see a lot of military vehicles in my area.

Not trying to be a jerk or smartass, but it appears your brake line union is mounted too low.
It appears from the photo, it's not up enough, one bolt hole on top of rear end cover?

You just don't want that hose to be short on bumps and dips.

Or am I just not seeing this right?

But your jeep looks good from the photo

[Adam]

Your jeep, do what you want, how close to original do you want, put an air shock in that corner, or a spring over shock. pull the spring mounts off the frame and put a 2" spacer between the mounts and frame. or a 1.5 inch rancho spring lift on that side, Or an auxiliary spring on top of the axle like in the old days. Rancho sells individual springs to add into the spring pack to help lift a vehicle.
Do you drive on the road or highways or just trailer to a show or slow driving, torque spring disconnect with longer links may help, or bend torque spring. Anway the jeep police will pick out all the wrong stuff.

Adam

[JAB]

The brake tee looks correct. In fact, that's the only place the bracket can fit.

[WarmNSunnyinArizona]

All great replies! Thank you!

If you guys say that it is part of a Jeep's true "character," then I will leave it alone. I would rather face the, "Nice Jeep, but why does it sag on the driver's side?" than have to explain myself to the Jeep Police. lol

Again, thanks for being there for us 66-year-old "newbies."

Alex

[tamnalan]

My MB is a driver. I added a full length leaf to the left rear pack and put a pressurized gas shock on the left rear.

No more lean!

[WarmNSunnyinArizona]

tamnalan, I sent you a PM. Thanks for your advice!

[jeepsntank]

Try swapping the springs left to right .This is a common problem with old landrovers if it still leans the same way it may be your hangers are out of position on the frame .If it now leans the other way the weight of the fuel tank and driver will probably level it up but if not strip the springs and put every other leaf into the oposite spring to give them the same weight carrying capacity .Please don't go fitting shims and coil over shocks it would spoil what looks like a nice jeep!

[dpcd67]

I couldn't stand it either, on one of my GPWs; I took both front spring packs apart and reassembled them with what appeared to be the best ones on the left side; No more lean. I don't care what people say, I hate the lean. It looks slovenly. I want things standing straight and tall and dressed and covered.

[051743GPW]

I had the lean also, and still have it, but I did the same thing dpcd67 did and made it tolerable. Or, though they look similar, you could try switching side for side.

Mark

[BERLIN RED]

I just tackled the lean on my 41 today.

I made the front leaf springs from 5 random leaf packs so there was no correct left or right when I put them together. Probably had 2 inches of lean. I switched the front springs around and it corrected it by about an inch. Swapped the rears and now I’m about 1/4” - 1/2” off. 1/2” with an operator in the chair. I couldn’t be more pleased considering how off it was.

If you put a full set of new springs on the Jeep put the old springs on the passenger side and see what happens.

[Bart1015]

I am in the same boat.

I hate the "Jeep Lean" I have on my VEP GPW which does not have the toque reaction spring installed. My "lean" is just as bad as yours.

I ended up replacing my original springs with a new set of reproduction units. Initially the lean was gone, not its back. I had a frame shop look at my frame they said everything is inline and up to spec. The frame shop said the left side must have just enough weight difference to squat the springs.... No kidding..

The frame shop recommended adding two additional leaves to my original GPW driver's side spring pack. They said I could find a donor spring pack, remove two leaves, shorten them just a little so they all terminate at different lengths (like factory leaves do) and install them in my original set.

It may be me, but every time I look at my jeep in the garage it looks like the lean is getting more pronounced..

Please let us know what you end up doing to correct the issue.

Brett

[dpcd67]

Of course it is the additional weight that causes this; all on the left side of the vehicle that causes it; engine, gas tank, driver. Combined with the 8 leaf spring packs, which as you know, they changed. It is never the frame, which is made of 12 gauge steel, so flimsy that it will bend any way it can.
The TRS was not developed to correct lean, so don't worry about not having one; it is for the steering geometry serious design defect of putting the bell crank on the axle; when you step on the brakes hard, you are immediately pulled into oncoming traffic. That is the first defect changed, post war.