Hello,all Newbie here with a ?

Hello,I just bought my first xj,It's a 1991 lerado with 126,000 miles on it..Has power windows seats etc..Loaded model i guess..It's in nice shape no rust and good paint.However i do have some issues to deal with..The 4.0 is very strong and still holds 40 p.s.i oil pressure even when hot..But my rear main seal leaks bad,Like a quart every 500 miles..And when i stop at a stopsign all that oil getting on the exaust will smoke up the neigborhood..And my rear leaf springs are flatened out somewhat it's around 1-2 inches lower in the rear than the front..Valve cover is leaking like a siff as well..But man does she drive good..And it does not rattle anywhere when you hit rough places in the road..Very solid..4X4 is perfect as well..On to my question..JC whitney sells a cheap 2 inch lift with an add a leaf..Will i need to replace the worn leaf springs or will the add a leaf put some life back in them?..Thanks and this is one great website:loveu:

the add a leaf will bump you up a little for a while but will give out soon since your springs are already shot. go hit a junk yard and find you some springs swap them over cheap and right. Leafs shouldnt cost much probally less then you will end up spending on the add a leafs.

cobrasatellite said:

the add a leaf will bump you up a little for a while but will give out soon since your springs are already shot. go hit a junk yard and find you some springs swap them over cheap and right. Leafs shouldnt cost much probally less then you will end up spending on the add a leafs.

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Yea that sounds like a good idea and may provide a bit more lift as well..I do not have a garage here and on a limited budget,However this website has sure taught me that many things can be done without spending a fortune..I have 4 kids in school. and man it's sure tough making ends meet but i want to get this jeep up and running through the hills to have some family fun!!

i'd fix the oil leaks first. that gets old fast, and you'll leak more oil givin it hell in the woods. then when you get ready to lift it, junkyard leaf springs are great, but for the front, you want to make sure you do everything right. if you don't you'll end up with a crappy ride, and possibly other problems such as death wobble.

thechief86 said:

i'd fix the oil leaks first. that gets old fast, and you'll leak more oil givin it hell in the woods. then when you get ready to lift it, junkyard leaf springs are great, but for the front, you want to make sure you do everything right. if you don't you'll end up with a crappy ride, and possibly other problems such as death wobble.

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I seen a thread somewhere about adding some f-150 springs to the front and new shocks would give about 2 inches in the front..Looking at something like this to save some cash..And yes the oil leaks will be first on the list..

yeah, if you get some coils from a 79 f100, they'll give ya aboot 3", but when you do it, make sure all your steering stuff is tight and new, and make sure that if you don't get an adjustable tracbar that the stock one is at least in good shape. it's worth the $30 to make sure you have a new one. the springs aren't nearly the problem that loose connections between the steering components and whatnot...

OneBadXJ said:

I seen a thread somewhere about adding some f-150 springs to the front and new shocks would give about 2 inches in the front..Looking at something like this to save some cash..And yes the oil leaks will be first on the list..

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That is a fairly STIFF set of springs from the F150, I would recommend a mouthguard for all occupants. Seriously, a stiff ride.

Do a search for "bastard pack" for the rear leafs and add some spacers up front.

the f100 springs i mentioned aren't bad at all! my buddy had 'em, and they weren't far from stock as far as ride goes, flexed well, but were stiff enough that he didn't need swaybars. it really didn't ride bad at all though....