XJ Rear Leaf Sag

[Sarge!]

It appears that after my 2" lift job one spring sags an inch more than the other. Is there a fix for this beyond spring replacement?

I think the old driver was a big man!

 

[Seven]

How did you lift the back? When I started lifting mine I started out with 1.5 blocks out back and they sagged very quickly. I ended up finally doing a what is called a bastard pack to get a little under 4 inches and took the block out. I used s 10 leafs. I have heard that if you can find a stock xj leaf pack that you can cut that up and rebuild the pack like you want. Here is a great link where they used old xj leafs to get about 2 inches.

http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/home_brew_budget_boost.htm


PS. I have an extra set of grand v8 springs sitting in my driveway. I have been very happy with my pack build.

 

[Sarge!]

Yes I used Blocks. Your link there looks interesting. I have the 2" coil spacers on already with some aftermarket shocks. Would the ZJ coils on top of that give me another inch?

Then perhaps my best plan would be to look for a method of going for a 3" on back without the blocks.

 

[ChestonScout]

I did the s 10 springs and long shackles on the back of mine and I think I got about a 5 inch total lift out of it. Very cheap and very easy to do

 

[mbryson]

IMHO, it depends on your budget. I believe you're almost money ahead to just buy some new springs. I'm running stock XJ springs on my "Jeep" (sourced from Teraflex) and have had good service from them. I don't remember the exact price, but I think they were $125 per? It was a while ago, so that price likely doesn't hold any bearing on current market conditions. At worst, it'll give you a good place to start.

I'm not a fan of blocks on an XJ at all. If you do, I'd stick to 1" or under. Definitely do a longer shackle, that should get you another 1" or 1.5" depending on what you buy. I had good luck with a full length add-a-leaf as well.

 

[Sarge!]

Looking at the rear spring it is definitely fatigued bad.

I am going to try and get some ZJ coils for the front.

I am going to mull options on how I want to get the rear to 3" without the blocks though.

 

[Seven]

I messed up in my post I meant I used dakota rear leafs to build mine. I would think that playing with the leafs and finding the right mix between the xj and dakota/s10 leafs would net you the 3 inches and still give you a good ride. my thought would be that you can build it to net you 3 and then if in the future "inchitis" occurs then you can add a 1.5 lift shackle. However whenever you go over 3 inches with xj's the possibility of a an SYE kit becomes a possible need. Not always but should be something that should be considered. I have about 4 inches and a transfer drop cross member. I have had this combo for about 50K without problems. However there are a lot of opinions that transfer case drops are bad.

The V8 ZJ coils will net you anywhere between .75 and 1.5 inches.

 

[N-Smooth]

i think i already told you this in another thread but here goes... i used an xj main leaf with the eyes cut off and the next longest leaf cut down to stagger the length (so i added two stock xj leafs to my stock pack) and a 1.5" shackle from teraflex to get 3" of lift. it still rides soft as ever because in theory it doesn't change the spring rate, just the height. the springs sit just above flat and flex like crazy. the s10 and dakota bastard pack is also an option but i am not sure if anyone has achieved less than 4" of lift with that method. after going through this mess (really still going through it) with dw i am never adding more lift to mine, i will keep it at 3" and just cut anything in the way of tires from now on... building a uniframe buggy is easier than hunting down the cause of dw, no lie

 

[Sarge!]

i think i already told you this in another thread but here goes... i used an xj main leaf with the eyes cut off and the next longest leaf cut down to stagger the length (so i added two stock xj leafs to my stock pack) and a 1.5" shackle from teraflex to get 3" of lift. it still rides soft as ever because in theory it doesn't change the spring rate, just the height. the springs sit just above flat and flex like crazy. the s10 and dakota bastard pack is also an option but i am not sure if anyone has achieved less than 4" of lift with that method. after going through this mess (really still going through it) with dw i am never adding more lift to mine, i will keep it at 3" and just cut anything in the way of tires from now on... building a uniframe buggy is easier than hunting down the cause of dw, no lie

Right now your idea may be in the lead for the rear end. I will have to see if the salvage yards have any springs to get to without killing myself. I got a couple weeks or so to mull it over before I spend another weekend under the Jeep and piss the wife off.

 

[redXJ]

hope this helps

http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/home_brew_budget_boost.htm

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=71378&highlight=dakota


If your going to buy new springs in the future then i would stay away from rustys.
Deavers are the best from what i have read and seen but they are expensive.
I will also be doing the baster pack untill i can get more funds for Deavers. Junk yards sometimes do the half off weekends.

good luck

 

[Sarge!]

Were XJ Springs identical all the way to 2001? I am thinking that finding the newest one possible and using those as the base set will help when making the pack.

 

[redXJ]

Yes I do beleive they are all the same

 

[jester]

The kit I got had 3" pucks for the front and a single add a leaf for the rear. I didnt think the single add a leaf would be enough so I added another leaf from a stock xj spring pack and it sits nice now.