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2" BB Lift Rear Options

J

jeepsrock

NAXJA Forum User
Location
LA California
I was originally intending to use the leafs from a donor pack on my xj to lift the rear up a few inches. Unfortunately the donor xj will probably be gone b4 i have a chance to get the leafs out. I already have a set of RE 2" coild spacers for the front and basically need something for the rear to even it up. I was looking at the 2" full aal from rustys but really not sure what else is available and what are good options/ideas .

Pete
 
I am running an aal form a spring shop in my area along with a 3" Trailmaster lift block for about 5.5" lift!! IMO, for the sake of 2", go to any steel shop and get a leaf block made with the center hole drilled! The aal in my Jeep makes it ride like a dump truck!!
 
dont do a block, it'll kill your pack. aal or donor springs are a much better option
 
whats the deal with shackles vs to ful aal ?

I reaize i need spring clamps, what are suggestion full aal s ?

My situation is that i dont plan than going more than the initial 2" of lift and that ride quality needs to stay descent as this is a DD and is driven not only by me.

Pete
 
For 2" of lift, an AAL (full-length) is the only way to go. A 2" block will cause a fair amount of spring wrap, will NOT add any load carrying capacity at all, and will cause the springs to sag even more prematurely. A shackle does wierd things to the pinion angle.

A full-length AAL strengthens the spring pack, increases the spring rate, and does NOT result in a harsh ride. Of course, ride quality is a very subjective topic, and what rides like a Cadillac to one person might ride like a dump truck to someone else, but in general I have never heard anyone who actually has a full-length AAL in place say that it rides worse than stock. Most say it rides better than stock.

Dunno what Rusty gets for his. You can get Rancho's full-length AAL (which is more like a 3/4-length or 7/8-length AAL, it isn't as long as cutting the eyes off an old XJ main leaf) for about $50.
 
Sounds like the rocklizard link is waht will be best for you
 
Thanks for those who have replied...For those who have suggested the rocklizrds fab if you read my original post it states that was my original intentions but unfortunately the donor xj had to go and i dont have it anymore.

Tho i must say on other forums ppl suggest the shackles more and was wondering if anyone had any ideas why ?

pete
 
You can use rear springs from several trucks to do the lift. I used a set from an old Ramcharger for mine. S-10's and Dakotas are also popular doners.

The shackle question comes up a lot. I did shackles on mine to remove a leaf for a better ride, and to correct the pinion angle. If you use just shackles, you might have drivline angle problems.

For mine, a combo of both worked fine, but I ended up with about 3 1/4 inches in the rear. I would try a couple leaves from another small truck and see how high you end up.
 
Rockliz is the thing. Any thing else you are spending too much money. If you are close to MI I have some spare leaves lying around. PM me
 
Well i called up rustys and he said it would be 60.00 for a full 2" AAL witth center pins and spring clips since i have the front spacers...I am leaning toward that...does this seem like an alright deal ?

pete
 
jeepsrock said:
Well i called up rustys and he said it would be 60.00 for a full 2" AAL witth center pins and spring clips since i have the front spacers...I am leaning toward that...does this seem like an alright deal ?

pete
Click to expand...

yup - for 60.00 and a trip to a junk yard, hardware store, and spring shop you could get 2 XJ packs, 2 center pins, and spring clamps for 2.5" leaf springs -

but you wouldnt have anyone but yourself and everyone who "said it would work on the jeep forum" to get customer service from.

Rusty is a great guy to talk to - i love the alabama accent...
lol
 
I run long shackles on the back of my MJ for 2 reasons... More lift, and more FLEX. Did it cause me some driveline issues... I think so, did I fix them I sure did. I ran a Long AAL before I did my SOA conversion, and yes it did ride a lil rougher to me. Some ppl say that long shackles wear your springs out faster... I have yet to see any adverse affects of my longer shackles, key word being yet.




Patrick
 
So basically with an AAl i will have a firmer ride and with a shackle i will mess with my angles and screw up my leafs,but have a stock ride--this is a tough choice,because i want the better of the two and it makes it harder that the fact that i am not the only one who drives the jeep and i dont want to screw it up tood bad..LOL.

I have been searching around for users/ppl who have actually tried the rustys AAL but cant really find anyone too see if they are satisfied....

pete

pete
 
jeepsrock said:
So basically with an AAl i will have a firmer ride and with a shackle i will mess with my angles and screw up my leafs,but have a stock ride--this is a tough choice,because i want the better of the two and it makes it harder that the fact that i am not the only one who drives the jeep and i dont want to screw it up tood bad..LOL.
Click to expand...
I can't vouch for the ride quality with Rusty's AAL, but I can vouch for the ride with the do-it-yourself AAL because I did it. The vehicle is an '88 XJ Laredo, and it wasn't for me, it was my ex-girlfriend in Montana. I was fixing the vehicle up for her. The rear was sagged slightly and I knew she wanted to use the Jeep to access remote trailheads for hiking, so I wanted to get a little more ground clearance.

I live in Connecticut, so when my repairs were done I drove this Jeep from CT to Montana. The ride was excellent. The ex-GF has had the vehicle for a year and a half, and there hasn't been a single word of complaint about the ride quality. She's very happy with it, and she's not "into" wheeling or trucks at all.

It's the short (half-length) AALs that cause a harsh ride, not the long ones.
 
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