1996 xj lifted the easy way. 2" (2.5"?) coil spring spacers in front add a leaf and 2"blocks in rear. 31 x 10.5 bfg a-t's. got some driveline vibration after the lift so i bought some shims to put under rear blocks, and have gotten 2 differnet opinions on which way they should go?
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vibration after lift, shims?
- Thread starter bronc571
- Start date
scottmcneal
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- not here
first thing i would do is remove the 2" blocks and save my money..But if not, you want the diff to point to the t/c ie thick part towards the front thin side to the rear.. Put them on the rear end plates
MrShaft696
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Blue Bell, PA
scottmcneal said:
? not sure what that means..
anyway there are a few ways you can handle this. If you wanna keep your set up with the blocks I would do a transfer case drop, because you may not wanna sandwhich a shim in there with the block. With the combination you have the leafs are not going to have a real long life, i would reconsider getting rid of the lower stock leaves & block then replace them with leaves from a s10 or dakota.
Whatever you do your gonna need to check you pinion angle to determine what shims you will need. My guess is that a transfercase drop may help you in your situation if not you may need to look for a sye.
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MrShaft696
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Blue Bell, PA
bronc571 said:
I figured you might ask go to search and type "bastard pack" there are a few write ups on how to do it. Any s-10 leaf will work, there are not alot of big differences other than the zr2 highrider, but s10's are leaf spring under the axle and have alot more arch to them than a stock jeep.
The short of it is to take the main leaf from the donor pack and cut the eye ends off and use it as a full support under your xj main leaf, then add other leafs as needed, cut them shorter as desired to make your custom pack. Shouldnt cost more than $40 or so from the junk yard.
You will need leaf clamps and a new center bolt as well or else you leafs can twist.
Hudson Bend
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Austin, Texas
It's funny how you can get different answers on the issue of shim direction. I went the s10 bastard pack and when it came time for the shim, I asked the "specialist" at 4wheelParts which way and he said fat end forward. It just did not seem right so I asked for clarification because I wanted to understand what was happening. He could not explain it to me...and even got confsed but stuck with his answer. Sure glad I got a second opinion.
When you lift the rear of your xj you are raising the TC but not changing the diff angle. This changes the angle at both the TC yoke and the diff which leads to driveline vibration if that change is outside the comfort zone of your xj set up. A TC drop of 1 inch helps at that point but the shim compensates at the other end.
The confusion about shims occurs because some vehicles have over axle leafsprings while others have under axle mounts. Your xj is over so the fat end of the shim will aim toward the rear on your leaf mount. That will push the nose of your diff upward and help with your vibes. Trucks with under mount leafs do just the oposite to accomplish the same thing.
The s10 leaf pack is awesome, very strong. I added the whole pack since I carry heavy materials and it handles it all. I later removed the overload leaf as it seemed superfluous to help with shaft angle. Follow the Bastard Pack thread and use new hardware. Clean and paint the leaves and use the spacers between them, you will be glad you did. The center hole size is larger on the s10 leaves so the main xj leaf will need to be drilled out. I kept the clips on the pack but bent the ends straight up and drilled holes for a bolt. Good luck. Mine is a 96 5 spd. Watch your yoke and the boot on it. Our year has its own issues concerning the TC.
When you lift the rear of your xj you are raising the TC but not changing the diff angle. This changes the angle at both the TC yoke and the diff which leads to driveline vibration if that change is outside the comfort zone of your xj set up. A TC drop of 1 inch helps at that point but the shim compensates at the other end.
The confusion about shims occurs because some vehicles have over axle leafsprings while others have under axle mounts. Your xj is over so the fat end of the shim will aim toward the rear on your leaf mount. That will push the nose of your diff upward and help with your vibes. Trucks with under mount leafs do just the oposite to accomplish the same thing.
The s10 leaf pack is awesome, very strong. I added the whole pack since I carry heavy materials and it handles it all. I later removed the overload leaf as it seemed superfluous to help with shaft angle. Follow the Bastard Pack thread and use new hardware. Clean and paint the leaves and use the spacers between them, you will be glad you did. The center hole size is larger on the s10 leaves so the main xj leaf will need to be drilled out. I kept the clips on the pack but bent the ends straight up and drilled holes for a bolt. Good luck. Mine is a 96 5 spd. Watch your yoke and the boot on it. Our year has its own issues concerning the TC.
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