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leaf spring mods

shizza-my-nizza

NAXJA Member #671
Location
Westminster, MD
If I cut the eyes off of a yj main leaf and installed it under the main leaf of a new(2000 miles on them)stock xj spring pack could I expect to get more lift than a sagged out set of stock xj leafs with a short 3" Rancho AAL? I just need to get the rear end of my jeep to stop sagging for a couple of months so I can clear my 32's until I install some RE 1462 springs. TIA, Eric
 
If its just for a short time, add some 1 or 2" blocks for $30.
Sounds like it would be a lot easier, If your time is worth money :D
 
Building a spring pack is an art!Mixing hi-arch and low-arch springs and thick and thin springs will cause premature failure.The springs tend to fight each other vs. working together.You can develop a static height but after that the spring will be unpredictable.
 
Thanks guys, sory I didn't tell the whole story. I already have some 2" blocks on there I am sure they didn't help my springs. I don't care to much about ride quality this will only be temporary. At first I was thinking I could just transfer the AAL to the new springpack but I don't think that that they would help much because they are probably decambered. The main reason I want to do something temporary is because my passenger side leaf is sagged a lot worse and the jeep has a very noticable lean. So basicly I am looking for any cheap way to level out the jeep and get back the inch of lift that I lost due to sag. All ideas welcome. TIA. Eric
 
rusty has a ad a leaf for like 29 or 39. Rocky Road has the block system that allows blocks to be added in increments. Perhaps a 1/2" block on the leaned side would help.
You could also pull em out and have a shop do a half ass re-arch (temp of course) on them.
tough call
 
Go to Auto Zone and buy a $25 set of coil-over helper spring that mount on the shock absorber. These can be installed with zero pre-load so they act ONLY as overload springs, or you can dial in some preload. This allows you to put more pre-load on the side that sagged to restore a level ride height.

I did this a long time ago with a $50 DD I used for commuting to a job where a sane person normally wouldn't want to work. It worked, but the spring rate wasn't exactly equal side-to-side and that caused a slight amount of bump steer. However, if this is really temporary I think it's your best solution.
 
THE_OWL said:
mm isnt he talking about rear springs?

Yes ... and so am I. Auto Zone, Pep Boys, JC Witless and probably every speed shop around sell helper springs that mount on the rear shocks. They are the do-it-yourself version of Monroe "Load Levelers."
 
Eagle said:
Yes ... and so am I. Auto Zone, Pep Boys, JC Witless and probably every speed shop around sell helper springs that mount on the rear shocks. They are the do-it-yourself version of Monroe "Load Levelers."

I am trying to search Autozone for "helper springs" or coil-over" with no luck. Do you happen to have any other description?

Rgds
 
SV1CEC said:
I am trying to search Autozone for "helper springs" or coil-over" with no luck. Do you happen to have any other description?

Rgds

I'm sorry, I don't. But I know Auto Zone sells them because I have seen them on the shelf. Perhaps try searching on the term "overload springs." Have you looked at J. C. Whitney's web site? I just found them in their printed catalog -- stock number 85UB6252R for the heavy-duty version (fits over larger shocks) -- $29.95 per pair.

www.jcwhitney.com I believe.
 
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Ther had always been a lot of talk about dakota spring packs so I decided to give it a whirl. It will shoot your rear end up about 3-4 inches on a stock pack and the ride is great. Plus it has thick ass overload spring which will definitely help with the stress of the blocks/
 
aal custom springpack

i had a 3" aal that was really saggy, so i took apart the pack and took out one leaf and added my new aal (with the old still there) and put them back together... talk about a pain in the @$$!!!

but if u got the patience and time it works fine mines still the same heigh 3 months later about 6 inches up
 
Hey guys, I'm new here and a new 91 XJ Owner, I have a few questions / concerns....

How far off is the Dakota or Wrangler main leaf?

Why does every one seem to be so stuck on the stock spring main leaf? Longer springs generally have more travel and and greater flex, Plus relocating the forward mounting position down 2" can in a sense give you free lift.

I understand that spring eye to spring eye legnth is the issue. But I see this aspect addressed by bolting or welding plates to the stock (Uni-Body in front of the rear axle) spring mounts. You can fab your plates to locate the spring mount further forward and fit about any spring pack you want and you can space the axle centerline further to the rear to clear the 4-door models, Trimming rear quarter sheet metal body and flares isn't that bad. As long as you maintain the structural inner fender, the body should remain rigid. XJ Drive shafts usually need to be made a little long anyway. Yes there are a few issues but I'm sure that there are better spring choices out there that can yield awsome results.
Has anybody put this in place yet. Any pictures? ANybody see why this wouldn't work.

Michael
 
i dont think there is any "hang up" with stock springs... shizza is looking for cheap ideas to buy him some time.. you dont have bad ideas just not a quick fix...
 
Thanks for all the ideas. I ended up fixing my problem and you will never guess how. I took the new unsagged XJ springs that I had and added some leafs from some trailer leaf springs that I got at TSC. With my 2" blocks and these XJ/trailer springs I got exactly the lift height and suspension leveling I was looking for. Plenty of room to clear my 32's and they ride a lot better than I would have ever thought. Overall I am pretty happy with these crazy springs but I am still glad that it is only temporary. I can't wait to put on my RE springs. Later, Eric
 
Although a few people have discussed ... in theory ... the notion of making new spring mounts, if anyone has actually done it I don't recall seeing anything posted here to describe it. Frankly, not everyone feels like taking on the work and the risk of meddling with something as fundamental to safety as the way the rear suspension attaches to the vehicle.

I see some practical difficulties with what you propose. Let's say you move the forward spring mount forward and down by 2 inches, which is what I think you used as an example. Then let's say you find a spring pack from some vehicle that's about the right length and arch to fit. But you've dropped the front mount by 2 inches, which has the effect of pushing the pinion angle down by several degrees. The lets say to get the axle back to where it belongs in the center of the wheelwell you have to re-drill the spring pack and move the axle back several inches. Now it's not at the level part of the spring, it's well back on the sloped portion. You've just nosed the pinion down a few more degrees. Sure, then you can cut the mounts off the axle and re-weld them, but now you've created still more work for yourself.

Most of the folks who do big lifts on the XJ don't retain the stock main leaf, they buy complete spring packs. Those who retain the main leaf do so for one or both of two reasons: (1) cost -- an AAL is a lot cheaper than a spring pack; and (2) labor factor -- especially with an older XJ in the rust belt, it can be a nightmare to remove the OEM spring bolts without busting loose a weld nut or encountering other problems. If the person only wants a modest lift, all those problems are avoided by leaving the main leaf attached to the chassis and installing an AAL.

If you'd like to be the rolling test bed for a relocated spring mount, I'm sure many people here would be interested in seeing the results and reading about the process.
 
I used the autozone coilovers. meant to be an overload spring, not meat to lift. I had mine jacking it up about an inch, and eventually I broke a shock stud. makes a lot of forces that arn't suposed to be there IMO. Great temp fix though. still trying to figure out how to use them springs in my new setup, I liked the firmness
 
Don't want to get off topic, but Eagle said you can re-drill the main leaf to move the axle for or aft. Would the leaf not break at the old hole when flexed? Just curious as I've thought about doing this in the past and was unsure.
 
Rocky said:
Don't want to get off topic, but Eagle said you can re-drill the main leaf to move the axle for or aft. Would the leaf not break at the old hole when flexed? Just curious as I've thought about doing this in the past and was unsure.

I can't speak from personal experience(actually, I haven't heard anything about it either), but I just wouldn't feel comfortable doing it. I would think it would mess with the springs too much.

Ok, enough about what I think, there's another way to accomplish what you want to do that's only slightly more involved. You can get new spring perches that are longer and have not one "center" hole, but 3. One at true center, one fore, and one aft. I think that would be the safest way of going about it, although it would be involved 'cause you'd have to replace your spring perches. Then again, you wanted to get rid of those pesky shims anyway, didn't you? ;)

Ary
 
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