using extra main leaf for lift....yes i searched

ok so i have an 88 xj im getting ready to junk. before it goes im gonna cut off the old leaf springs at the eyes with my angle grinder.

if i add the main leaf to my leaf pack on my 90" were should i put it? right under the other main leaf? what should i use to lube it? should i put in aby other leafs?

how much lift shoud i get? (the springs are about flat in back of both xj's)

thanks.

and yes i searched. i just got s10 and dakota

If both leaves are flat you won't get any lift - okay may a 1/4" I used heavy duty bearing/gear lube. To get a lift you need to have leaves that are more arched than your originals or stack a lot of flat ones together.

Old leaves


New s-10 4x4 leaves

Yep. #2 position right under the main leaf. You will need new centering pins 'cause you are going to destroy the old ones and a couple of c-clamps to hold things together while you work. You will also need new spring pack clamps. There is a great write-up here: http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com. I just did it, using OME front springs, OME shocks all around, added the cut main leafs in the back, and JKS QDs. Looks and runs great with 30x9.5 Revos.

I gained 2" front & rear. This is on a '92.

d10shun said:

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Nice blocks!

:wave1:

btw...Howz them gears holding up?

i added the two largest leaves from a yj pack to my flattened xj pack(cut the bushing eyes off the main leaf). much firmer ride and the rear is up about 2.5". very heavy duty and helps hold the rear higher up when cargo or people are inside. xj leaves should work too, but these seemed to work best. taking out the xj second leaf may be a little better ride.

d10shun said:

If both leaves are flat you won't get any lift - okay may a 1/4"

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Wrong.

Most people who do this get about 1-1/2". I did it with an '88 Laredo that was sagged about 1/2" before I started. I used the main leaves from an '89 Limited that was wrecked and found its way to a friend's house. So both sets of springs were "experienced." I gained a gross lift of 1-1/4" compared to where I started, which translates to a net lift of 3/4" higher than stock.

One of the guys in the North Atlantic Chapter did the same lift on his new 2000 XJ soon after he bought it, and he netted a full 1-1/2" above stock.

The best part about using XJ leaves is that the unloaded arch already matches the original springs, so you don't have 4 leaves fighting the greater arch in the AAL. Whatever you get for lift isn't likely to sag within a couple of months, the way most AALs do.

And I guess I have to say it yet another time -- XJ springs are designed to be flat. This does not indicate that your springs have sagged. If you want to know if your springs have sagged YOU MUST MEASURE

Thanks Eagle, I stand corrected.

Gil, look no blocks. Gears are good but I won't have them much longer. D44 to go in after I get my stinking axle seal question answered (OEM tech forum)

Eagle said:

Wrong.

The best part about using XJ leaves is that the unloaded arch already matches the original springs, so you don't have 4 leaves fighting the greater arch in the AAL. Whatever you get for lift isn't likely to sag within a couple of months, the way most AALs do.

And I guess I have to say it yet another time -- XJ springs are designed to be flat. This does not indicate that your springs have sagged. If you want to know if your springs have sagged YOU MUST MEASURE

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Exactly. I called Dirk about the whole lift issue. He talked me out of an add-a-leaf (and a sale) and encouraged me to do the hack-a-leaf. I did buy the JKS Quicker Disconnects, rear BPEs and the u-bolts from Dirk. Junk yard springs, eBay shocks, coils from a guy on this board. Worked great for me. The extra main leaf matches the spring rate of the rest of the pack, so it is not stiff.

The extra XJ main leaf matches the arch of the rest of the pack, not the rate. If you look at the spring rate forula I have posted in another thread, adding another leaf increases the spring rate. Doesn't seem to matter how long the added leaf is, either, and if you know any engineering and check out the bending moment diagram for a simple beam you'll see why.

In general, if you start with a 4 leaf spring and add an extra leaf of the same width and thickness, the spring rate is increased 25%. Starting with stock springs and adding another XJ main leaf, this results in a very comfortable ride that carries a bit more weight than the stock springs. The one I did was for an ex-GF and even she likes the ride, so it is absolutely not "harsh," as some people like to suggest.

Then if you need more lift, just throw on the #2 leaves from the donor packs.