shackles or blocks, plus a shock question?

I have put a RE 5.5" lift on and recently added BPI's rear bumper and tire carrier. Also hung on the rear is a hi-lift and a spare 33" tire. This has made the back sag quite a bit. I was looking to get the back up in the air again by another 2 inches, especially when I go to 35's and some more tools in back. I already have 4 degree shims back there. What way should I go, shackles or blocks? Can I even put a block in with the shims? I already searched and found the chevy drop shackles, but opinions are mixed. This XJ is daily driven in city traffic by my wife, so a wandering rear isn't what I want. I have put in the Old Man Emu shocks that came with the kit, and was wondering if they could handle the extra height? Thank you in advance for any info.

i went both routes...have lift blocks and shackles... hate lift blocks...they really make the rear ride rough....something to do with the new angles you create when you add a lift block...shocks don't add lift to a vehicle....chevy full size truck shackles only give about 3/4" lift..quadratech sells a couple of lift shackles.....what about re-arching those springs? just a thought....good luck hope i helped

rngrfrd2000 said:

i went both routes...have lift blocks and shackles... hate lift blocks...they really make the rear ride rough....something to do with the new angles you create when you add a lift block...shocks don't add lift to a vehicle....chevy full size truck shackles only give about 3/4" lift..quadratech sells a couple of lift shackles.....what about re-arching those springs? just a thought....good luck hope i helped

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I was asking if the shocks had the extra travel to handle a few extra inches of lift. I wasn't thinking about re-arching the springs, they are only a few months old. Maybe I should just get a front bumper and winch to make the front drop down an inch or so, good idea huh?

rngrfrd2000 said:

i went both routes...have lift blocks and shackles... hate lift blocks...they really make the rear ride rough....something to do with the new angles you create when you add a lift block...shocks don't add lift to a vehicle....chevy full size truck shackles only give about 3/4" lift..quadratech sells a couple of lift shackles.....what about re-arching those springs? just a thought....good luck hope i helped

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First off, when you add any kind of lift component its going to change the driveline angles. Lift blocks will probably keep closest to original spring rate than anything. So it shouldnt change the ride. BDS makes a tapered block if you wanted to take your shims out, that is what I use. Also, he wasnt asking if the shocks would lift the vehicle, he was asking if they would be long enough with the extra 2". (You could use the OME shocks because the block shackle or what ever you decide on will bring it back to original height from lift if I am correct, or about an inch higher..from what you said, you stated you had what I thought about 1" of sag. To answer your questions, yes, use the OME shocks, they should be fine.) The chevy shackles he was referring to were the Chevy 2" drop shackles...which I just ordered. They have two mounting holes, one for about 1.75" and one for 2.25". I WOULD NOT RE-ARCH SPRINGS, WASTE OF MONEY!!! They will sag right back down to the original height in the long run with that much weight in the rear. Plus a bunch of other reasons I have heard of, ex. less flex, springs settling uneven on each side.


Blocks--Cheap, easy fix...available tapered from BDS

Chevy drop shackles--Cheap, Kind of risky, heard lots of good and bad...thats your decision, i will be putting mine on soon.

Re-Arching Springs--Don't screw up a perfectly good leaf pack.

Add A Leaf--it shouldnt be left out, a 2.5" short aal might work