1" lift blocks + axel wrap

i looked through the archives, there wasn't much.

i know that getting a 2" lift block could kill my rear leafs... but i was thinking of doing a 1" just to even out the rear and the front (i'm running a 5" lift right now) will even one inch KILL my springs in the rear?!

No, it won't.

I dislike blocks immensely, but a 1" block isn't the end of the world.

If possible, though, avoid aluminum. Last year at NACFest one of our members had both of his rear blocks crumble on the trail.

just an FYI. I wanted to put 1" blocks in the back of mine. None of the local truck places could get anything but aluminum, which I didn't want for reasons Eagle mentioned. Well, JC Whitney has Rough Country block kits for very reasonable, so I ordered a 1" kit from them (for an f-150 since I have an 8.8, to get the proper u-bolts) and when I got it, is was actually a 1.75" tapered cast iron block. Very happy with the make of it, but was a little disappointed that it was so tall. I put it in anyways, and it seems like it will be ok, but the extra height is going to be prone to axle wrap. May be shaving it down in the future.

Eagle said:

No, it won't.

I dislike blocks immensely, but a 1" block isn't the end of the world.

If possible, though, avoid aluminum. Last year at NACFest one of our members had both of his rear blocks crumble on the trail.

Click to expand...

eagle would you go with the lift shackles instead of the block? Was thinking of getting a little more lift in the rear and am contemplating the 1" block and a shackle lift...

thanks for the info guys... the local jeep shop said that even a 1" lift block will ruin my springs in no time. i'm still considering the re-arch (i have a 3" spring lift with aal in the rear, and a 2" BB spacers up front and shackles in the rear) so the block, new springs, or a re-arch is my only option.

thanks!

I think I would compare your springs with leaves out of a Dakota. You might be able to make up that inch with another leaf, avoiding the problems associated with blocks entirely.

yea i've heard of that, i just want to do it the best way with the amount of money i have (which is damn near nothing) i just installed 6" shocks in my heep and sold the 3" ones for almost enough money for a re-arch... so looks like that's the way i'll go!! might as well do it right the first time... i had thaking the cheap route, only to cost me more in the end!

thanks for all the input guys!! greatly appreciated! :canada:

Tomken makes a solid steel 3/4" block that is pinned through, designed just for leveling out lifts. One of those isn't going to hurt anything, they're cheap, and worth a try. Re-arching the springs doesn't last real long, especially in a 4x4 rig where the springs are bent through their full range of travel when wheeling.

The easiest thing to do is to just add another leaf. You get 1/4" just from the thickness of the leaf, plus it adds a little spring rate and a little lift. The springs with an additional leaf (or two) will outlast re-arched springs and add some weight carrying ability. Get a leaf from a stock XJ or YJ pack or from just about anything that has a 2.5" wide leaf.

NOTICE: THE WORLD WILL END TOMORROW!

Egad! Goatman and I have actually agreed on two different threads, in one day. :gee:

Yeah, what he said, with the minor comment that if you're running 5" lift springs I don't think an XJ leaf will have enough inherent arch to help you much. The full main leaf from an XJ pack adds only about 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" when used as an AAL in a stock pack. Lift springs have a lot more arch, so the flatter XJ leaves would add less. MJ, YJ, S-10 and early Dakota springs all have more arch than XJ springs and would probably be better candidates as donors..

Eagle said:

NOTICE: THE WORLD WILL END TOMORROW!

Egad! Goatman and I have actually agreed on two different threads, in one day. :gee:

Yeah, what he said, with the minor comment that if you're running 5" lift springs I don't think an XJ leaf will have enough inherent arch to help you much. The full main leaf from an XJ pack adds only about 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" when used as an AAL in a stock pack. Lift springs have a lot more arch, so the flatter XJ leaves would add less. MJ, YJ, S-10 and early Dakota springs all have more arch than XJ springs and would probably be better candidates as donors..

Click to expand...

Yeah, pretty cool, eh?

I have used stock XJ and YJ leaves very successfully when adding to a lifted spring pack. When the weight is off of them, they all have a pretty decent arch, so every leaf ends up adding it's little strength to the pack, and since they don't add nearly as much as an add-a-leaf, you can make small adjustments easier without ruining the ride. I also like the quality of the steel in the stock leaves better than most aftermarket springs. It's simple since you can usually find the stock packs laying around since so many are removed. My old spring pack started as Tomken, and eventually all four of the stock XJ leaves worked themselves back into the pack (and a couple of the Tomken leaves came out, like the main and bottom leaf)......try it, you may like it.

woah, thanks for the info again guys! for the record, it's not a 5" lift spring pack... it's 3", with a 2" lift shackle... so the stock leaves might work! i'm gonna look into that!

again, thanks guys :cheers: