Maz said:
Would you consider this the *best* lift option for 2" and under?
I want about a 1-2" lift, but don't like the *budget boost* approach, i.e., AAL, shakles, etc. Just a personal thing.
So, what's the best *non-budget*, bolt-on, 2" and under lift for an old DD with sagging rear? There are so many confusing options out there.
TIA... Maz
Ditto, on the suggestion to look for someone who swaped out the stock springs and leafs.
Blocks are bad -- they don't reinforce tired springs at all, and by contributing to spring/axle wrap they actually accelerate spring fatigue. Longer shackles are almost as bad -- they don't contribute as much to axle wrap, but they also don't strengthen tired springs.
The home-brew lift I described and written up by Rock Lizard is an AAL solution. It just uses parts that are less expensive than buying a commercial AAL kit, and yields less lift. I grossed 1-1/4" on the one I did. It had sagged about half an inch, so the net was 3/4" higher than "stock" -- hardly even noticeable. That was on an '88 with 165,000 miles on it. Another person in the North Atlantic Chapter did it on his 2000 when it was fairly new, and he gained 1-1/2". His had not sagged before he started, so he got a true 1-1/2" lift.
By contrast, Rancho sells a full-length AAL kit for the XJ (which isn't as long as the cut-off main leaves of the home-brew approach) and it is advertised to provide 2" to 2-1/2" of lift.
So it depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want LIFT, you either buy a commercial kit or you do the home brew but use two extra leaves rather than one. If you want to restore a set of tired OEM springs to around stock height and get some extra carrying capacity without spending a lot of money, the home-brew approach is the way to go.
The *best* lift for 2" and under? If you want a great 2" lift and money is not an object -- buy an OME lift kit. It includes springs and shocks, is reported to ride better than stock, it's designed and fabricated for the Australian outback so it's durable -- but it's gonna cost ya.
The usual objection to AAL lifts is that they sag rather quickly. That's because the AAL has more arch than the other leaves, so initially the AAL is fighting the rest of the leaves in the pack. The best part of the home-brew AAL is that you're using an AAL that has the same native arch as the rest of the leaves in the pack, so they all work together. There probably won't be any sag at all, because both the original springs and the AALs will be "pre-settled."
Ride using the home-brew is very comfortable. The one I did was driven from Connecticut to Montana after I finished it, and the ride was very, very comfortable. Slightly firmer than stock, but nothing even approaching "harsh." That one was done for a friend. I'll be doing the same lift again, on my own '88, this summer.
member near you who took out the stock springs to install lift springs.
