Soon as i get a newer xj i'm bent between doing either a 4.5" or a 3" lift. Money is deffinatly going to be tight...so i'm thinking about doing a 3" w/ a 1" coil spacer and 1" block in the rear....I THINK! This is all depending on the feedback i get...my question is, iv'e heard extended shackles arent always a good decision, so is there anything bad about putting a small block under the leaf pack and a little spacer w/ the coils up front? I just want to get a little bit more out of the 3" lift w/out having to go so crazy w/ price into a 4.5" lift...also want to stick w/ the 31" tires i already have and i dont like the way they look w/ a 4.5" lift. Any one have experience w/ effects from spacers and blocks?
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Spacers/blocks??
- Thread starter JeepXJ93
- Start date
Island XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- The Great White North
JeepXJ93 said:
You can certainly do both spacrs and blocks to get the added lift you want. However a 1" block on the rear end does have drawbacks. it will contribute to axlewrap which will wear your leafs quicker and possibly lead to wheelhop. It would be better to add an extra leaf to the leaf packs when you install your lift, any 2.5" leaf will do, you just have to drill the center hole in the right place. i often tell people just to build their own packs from the get go, or modify their stock packs to get the lift they want. Ubolts and center pins are cheap and you can make your own retainer clips. if you build them yourself you can fine tune them to your application or run more leafs on whichever side sits lower naturally. just some food for thouhgt.
- Location
- Terra Firma
If you're going to run 31" tires, yu don't need more than 3" of lift. Why create problems foir yourself? Blocks are bad for springs. Bigger blocks are more bad (pardon the grammar), but any block increases the leverage that the axle exerts on the spring. Blocks are a last resort, and even then are best relegated to street-only use.
- Location
- Port Orchard, WA
the reason for the huge price difference from 3" to 4.5" isnt the coils or leaves,
its the LCA's, Trackbar and mount, UCA's, Longer shocks, axle shims, T-case drop/SYE, break lines
all of these parts are needed for the jump from 3" to 4.5" LCA's and UCA's to keep front pinion angle ok, Trackbar to eliminate deathwobble, shims to correct rear pinion angle, t-case drop to correct rear pinion angle, Break lines/extentions are needed because the stock ones will be flexed out
however, when i was brand new to xj mods, i saw a write up on 6" lift with stock everything (LCA, UCA, Trackbar, bla bla bla) but it was a trail rig and the guy just did it to see if it could be done. he did everything properly soon after...
good times
its the LCA's, Trackbar and mount, UCA's, Longer shocks, axle shims, T-case drop/SYE, break lines
all of these parts are needed for the jump from 3" to 4.5" LCA's and UCA's to keep front pinion angle ok, Trackbar to eliminate deathwobble, shims to correct rear pinion angle, t-case drop to correct rear pinion angle, Break lines/extentions are needed because the stock ones will be flexed out
however, when i was brand new to xj mods, i saw a write up on 6" lift with stock everything (LCA, UCA, Trackbar, bla bla bla) but it was a trail rig and the guy just did it to see if it could be done. he did everything properly soon after...
good times
xjj33p3r
NAXJA Member #1108
- Location
- garland, tx
I'm running 2" blocks that are shimmed right now temporarily, until I get around to installing my longer shackles, but they seem to work fine.
- Location
- Terra Firma
Blocks or longer shackles ... either make the spriongs work harder and cause them to fatigue sooner. IMHO if you can't afford or don't want to go with all new springs, the only "right" way to do it is an AAL. An AAL reinforces the stock spring and does not make it work harder. Both of the other approaches do nothing to reinforce the spring while causing it to work harder. You do the math.xjj33p3r said:
I feel strongly enough about this that when I refurbished an XJ for a former GF last year I had a set of 1" blocks that I could have popped in, and I'm very certain that she wouldn't ever be beating on the vehicle, but I refused to use the blocks. I did the roll-your-own AAL with a donor pair of XJ main leaves, and I was very pleased with the results. So is she.
MaXJohnson
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- The Kansas Rockies
Eagle said:
ditton on the blocks, but I'm still waiting to hear an explaination on how the longer shackle causes spriong, AKA spring failure.
How about it, your Old Fartness
assgas:
xjj33p3r
NAXJA Member #1108
- Location
- garland, tx
Well, that may be true that blocks or shackles make the spring work harder, but what about the Added leaf? I mean, it's trying to increase the angle of the other springs, which in turn is causing lots of stress on that ONE spring, which is why some AAL's tend to sag out. I'm not saying all do, but some are known to
- Location
- Terra Firma
The longer shackle allows the spring to move through a wider range. On the compression side, they allow more compression than stock (unless you're already hitting the bump stops, but if the vehicle is lifted and/or the bump stops rusted away there's still more deflection before something stops the movement).MaXJohnson said:ditton on the blocks, but I'm still waiting to hear an explaination on how the longer shackle causes spriong, AKA spring failure.
How about it, your Old Fartness
well I had some 1.5" blocks and shattered both of them on the trails which sucked I will never run blocks on another vehicle again. It was on rollover hill and I almost rolled when the rear axle let go cause of the blocks.
DIG IT just my opinion.
To keep cost down go with Dakota leaf pack ($40 at auto salvage) in the rear using the XJ main leaf but try leaving up the overload leaf it should get you a little more than 3"
DIG IT just my opinion.
To keep cost down go with Dakota leaf pack ($40 at auto salvage) in the rear using the XJ main leaf but try leaving up the overload leaf it should get you a little more than 3"
Island XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- The Great White North
Eagle said:
i can't believe that eagle wrote something i disagree with! Eagle with all due respect a longer shackle does not fatigue your leafs any faster than a regular shackle. there is no difference. what you are talking about here happens any time a lift is done without adjusting the bumpstops! longer shackles do not cause a spring to wear faster. it just simply cannot happen as you have explained it. no offense eh?
MaXJohnson, you smarty pants, you already know the answer!!! --> http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=35874
- Location
- Terra Firma
No offense taken, and you're free to disagree with anything I post.Island XJ said:
However ... it can happen, it does happen, and I've seen it happen.
Island XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- The Great White North
Eagle said:
not jabbin here, but could you explain how it happens? the previous post only refers to needing longer bumpstops, how do longer shackles increase range of motion of the spring, and how do they contribute to sagged/fatigued springs? lets assume that the bumpstops were properly adjusted. I often hear people say "longer shackles will sag springs" but i cannot see how it would happen, and i have never heard a detailed reasonable explanation as to how it happens.
Max is probably giggling fiendishly right now
Centrevillemx
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- MD's Eastern Shore
I have people at my school that drive old Ford and Chevy 3/4 Tons with (2) 4" Blocks Stacked on Top of each other. You can watch the axles rollback when they get on the gas.
MaXJohnson
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- The Kansas Rockies
Eagle said:
Is it possible that some of these examples were on XJ's with 150,000+ miles on the odometer, 10 years worth of rust on the leaves and 500lbs worth of extra gear and custom bumpers? Did they adjust the bump stops to compensate for the added shackle length?
CW
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
- Location
- Port Orchard, WA
you do know that your rear exaust hanger is broken and yo will probably kill that tail pipe and muffler with the axle or some rocks... (happened to me)CW said:
good looking blocks = fun times...
