Installing Old Man Emu Shocks with JKS Bar Pin Eliminators
JKS Mfg. claims that their bar pin eliminators will not fit Old Man Emu Shocks. Is this true?

The answer is yes... and no!

While it's true that the JKS Bar Pin Eliminators aren't a perfect fit right out of the box, we believe that with the slightest adjustment, they are the best way to mount your Old Man Emu Shocks.

Follow along below and we'll show you how to make this combination work on your rig!

 

We've installed JKS BPE's on Jeep Cherokee's & Wrangler's. Depending on the application, we've also used OME shocks on these vehicles that were designed for other applications.

All OME shock applications utilize poly shock bushings. Some OME shocks have a steel insert in the bushing as shown top right. If your shock has this sleeve, simply drive it out of the bushing as shown bottom right. We used the OME Bar Pin to drive the sleeve into the deep socket.

 

 
Since poly bushings are known to cause sqeaks, thoroughly grease the JKS BPE shaft. The JKS BPE will fit tighter in the bushing than the OME Bar Pin, which we believe is a good thing rather than a negative.

We pressed the JKS BPE into the shock bushing, utilizing a deep socket and vise as shown left. This can also be achieved with a rubber mallet. It's not THAT tight!

 
The JKS BPE's were designed to compress a standard rubber shock bushing. These bushings are slightly wider than the poly bushings in the OME shocks, therefore, when you assemble the JKS BPE's on your OME shocks, there will be a small gap between the BPE and the shock bushing.

The fix for this couldn't be simpler. Prior to final assembly, simply add one or two washers (depending on washer thickness) onto the BPE shaft to fill the gap. We don't recommend a tight fit here- just enough washer to fill the gap.

Assemble the BPE as usual and bolt on your Jeep! It's that simple!

You now have a super strong shock mount and no more OME circlips to pop off. The JKS BPE's also add appx. 1/2" of additional shock length.