Lift install question

My 2" lift should be at my house when i get home from work today. I'd like to at least get the rear done tonight and if i have to wait and do the front tomorrow. Here is the lift:

http://store.fatbobsgarage.com/jeep...adjustable-rear-shackles-1984-2001-p1984.aspx


My question is with the instructions for the rear. Here:

http://www.fatbobsgarage.com/instructions/TJXJZJ.pdf

I thought for the shackle I could do less work then they call for. I was thinking this:
- rear half of jeep supported on jack stands
- jack under rear diff
- unbolt current shackles
- lower axle and springs with jack
- put in new shackles
- bolt back together
- remove jacks

In my searches i have seen that typically 2" does not give vibes or they are minimal. My question is this: Does removing the axle from the springs allow it to rotate back to a more natural position after the angle of the springs are changed by the new shackle?

I think that if this is true then it would be worth the extra time and work to follow the procedure they provide to reduce the chances of any vibes.

Please share and thoughts, opinions, or experience.

The axle can't rotate on the springs. You would have to change the angle of the spring perches with shims. And the PDF instructions you link to for the rear are only for the TJ and the ZJ, not the XJ. I checked FatBob website, and those instructions for the rear are for when you are also replacing the leaf spring packs or adding a leaf to the packs. You should not have to seperate the leafs from the axle.

The attached PDF instructions do reference Xj in the title but thats besides the point.

This was just a thought my Dad posed when i was talking to him about the lift procedure so i thought i would ask for more opinions.

Im guessing from your post you would recommend the process i thought would be easier.

your method is sound, its what i would do

You're good to go.

OK, thanks guys. Hopefully some before and after pics of at least the re-end tonight.

I suggest using a small bottle jack between the top of the spring and the gap in the inner fenderwell. It is just the right size for a 2X4 to go in and then you just jack up the body off the spring and install the new shackle. Do the same for the other side and done!

Hmmmm looks like they just left out the XJ-rear section of the instructions.

One thing to add... As your post and the 1st response touched on, lifting the rear with longer shackles will rotate you pinion up, cause mis-alignment with the output of the transfer case and increase the likelihood of driveline vibrations, especially under acceleration. There are really two ways to address this, the 1st is mentioned in the 1st response and that is angled shims to rotate the pinion back down. The second is to use a transfer case (cross member) drop kit to lower the output of the transfer case and bring the angles back into alignment. For the most part, at 2" of lift, the angled shim is probably the best route to explore if you have issues. However, if your XJ is a 2000 as you user name might lead others to believe, you may be one of the unlucky ones that has vibe problems at low lift heights and needs to resort to a transfer case drop.

I'm at about 3.5" of lift on a 98, 3" from additional XJ leafs in the spring packs, .5" from MJ shackles, I didn't use any shims, but I did have to drop the cross member about 1/2" to clear up the vibes.

I have a 2001 and didn't have any vibes even at 4.5", but it's like was just stated, every jeep is different. At 6" I did an SYE because the angles were ugly and the driveline was pulling the back of my tc down. Still no vibes though, so you just never know.

Does your recieved hitch have to be removed to get at the top bolt on the shackle?

I have the stock tow package.

Red2000 said:

Does your recieved hitch have to be removed to get at the top bolt on the shackle?

I have the stock tow package.

Click to expand...

i had to remove the hitch on my 89 to get the shackle off. removing the hitch was the hardest part as every bolt was rust frozen in the nut strip.

i then tried to take the rear bumper off to gain access to the nut strip. that turned into a nightmare as all the nuts and bolts were also rust frozen. easiest thing for me to do was to cut all the bolts and replace the bolts with plenty of anti seize.

hopefully you dont have the same problem, but if you have severely rusted bolts, get plenty of rust breaker and a torch. sometimes an impact wrench is good to use as it shocks/hammers the bolt free.

I did not have to remove the hitch to get at the top bolt on the shackle on my 2001.

Thanks everyone. I was just worried when i was starting to take things apart and could not find a nut on the end of the top bolt but then realized it is either a threaded hole or has a nut welded on the other side. Got the shackle on the back and everything turned out good.

Thought it might look silly today with only the back lifted but the wheel well gaps are almost the same size now since the front has a larger gap from the factory. The roof line is the only give away that it is uneven.

What do people typically do to fix the problem of running into the exhaust? Is this somethign i don't need to worry about?

Red2000 said:

What do people typically do to fix the problem of running into the exhaust? Is this somethign i don't need to worry about?

Click to expand...

loosen the exhaust hanger, adjust/move the tailpipe so it dosnt hit the shackle, tighten hanger.