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RE AAL or MJ shackles to bastard pack

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paroxysym

NAXJA Forum User
Location
baltimore, md.
so i have my leaf packs torn apart and am contemplating whether to build the bastard pack with just the main and 2nd leaf from another xj pack and add the mj shackle to those packs for around 3" of lift. or im contemplating buying a RE AAL and adding it to the pack with a shortened xj main or 2nd leaf and getting around 3+". which would prob be the better option? im going to be running moog coils up front for about 2.5" and i dont mind the raked look too much, i may throw a stock isolator up front to help level it alittle more. thoughts?
 
Ditto.

AAL are too stiff, and they don't come with friction pads on the ends. They're a waste.
 
I had an RE 2.5" Full Length AAL and an extra Cherokee leaf on my 2000. I got 3.25" of lift, a slightly firmer ride, and no sag. I 4-wheeled in central Colorado for a week, Moab for a week, and regularly hauled 300+ lbs of cargo. It flexed reasonably well and never sagged in 3 years of use. I think most people simply repeat things they read about an AAL and have no practical experience with them. That said, I would not run a short AAL or a cheapo brand like TuffCountry.

Whatever you install, AAL, extended shackle, or bastard pack, you need to fully support the Cherokee main leaf from spring eye to spring eye to prevent spring fatigue.

Note the short AAL and spring fatigue in the first pic and the fully supported main leaf in the second pic

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standard.jpg
 
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Tim_MN said:
I had an RE 2.5" Full Length AAL and an extra Cherokee leaf on my 2000. I got 3.25" of lift, a slightly firmer ride, and no sag. I 4-wheeled in central Colorado for a week, Moab for a week, and regularly hauled 300+ lbs of cargo. It flexed reasonably well and never sagged in 3 years of use. I think most people simply repeat things they read about an AAL and have no practical experience with them. That said, I would not run a short AAL or an cheapo brand like TuffCountry. Whatever you install, AAL, extended shackle, or bastard pack, you need to fully support the Cherokee main leaf from spring eye to spring eye to prevent spring fatigue.

Note the short AAL and spring fatigue in the first pic and the fully supported main leaf in the second pic
Click to expand...

I was speaking from experience and I still think AALs suck. However, you did make a valid point by pointing out full length AALs aren't as bad. My practical experience has proven to me that AALs are inferior to most full spring packs and most bastard pack setups. Of course, on a bastard pack you build it so you have some control over the ride quality and flex. The current bastard pack I'm on is probably the best set of leafs (on a Cherokee) that I've driven on. The articulation and ride quality are outstanding...WAY better than any AAL, full length or not, I've ever experienced.

You can't tell me that if you could straight up trade your AAL spring pack for a 3.5" RE spring pack, you wouldn't do it. :wave:
 
BruceB83 said:
You can't tell me that if you could straight up trade your AAL spring pack for a 3.5" RE spring pack, you wouldn't do it.
Click to expand...


I did in fact, finally purchase a good used set of 3.5" RE leaf packs and installed them. Yes, the RE ride and flex is superior to both the AAL and the bastard pack.

I am defending a quality, brand name, AAL like Rubicon Express, and I have built and used several bastard packs. In all cases (AAL and BP) these were cost saving steps using free spring leaf packs, or low cost donor leaf springs from the U-Pull junkyard ($ 11 per leaf spring).

My BP/AAL in Moab -
.
standard.jpg
 
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A longer shackle only allows a spring to flex better if the shorter shackle extends fully in line with the spring when it is at maximum droop. The longer shackle will let the spring drop out more, since once the shackle is straight in line with the spring there can't be any more droop. Also, some aftermarket springs are a little longer than stock springs, so the longer shackle helps the spring not bind on compression.

There's no perfect shackle angle. What you're after is enough rearward angle in the shackle that it has room to move forward when the spring droops so that droop isn't limited. If the shackle starts out angled forward at ride height then it becomes inline with the spring and limits droop sooner. If someone wanted to go for maximum flex, you could have a very long shackle angled steeply to the rear that would allow the spring to drop until that very long shackle became straight with the spring, which could provide some serious droop. Might not have as much overall stability, or sideways stabilty, or spring control when climbing, but it would have tons of droop.
 
paroxysym said:
ok so..... an mj shackle should be suffice for a DD?
Click to expand...


I don't know about a daily driver, some pretty modified rigs are driven daily, but for a moderately modified rig the MJ shackles will work fine. I ran MJ shackles on mine for awhile.
 
You seem to be fixated on the spring shackles Rain Man (It's time for Judge Wapner). My AAL/BP used the stock shackles and the RE 3.5" springs are still on the stock shackles. Stop counting tooth picks, and drop by by the junkyard and grab some MJ shackles and put them on, see if you like them, or notice any difference.
 
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