More leaf questions

ok, I have an 89' xj. The helper leaf was reversed to lift the rear 2" (I was told). I wanted to go up a little more, I was thinking of a shackle. Then I started hearing about s-10 leaves and Dakota Leaves. Well, I have rear leaves from a 93 2WD S-10 (less helper) and a 1 1/2" AAL for a 2002 Dakota. So my question is, what kind of crazy setup can I make with this? Is 3"+ possible? or am i going to just start mixing and matching to see what i come up with?

Try this: Take apart all of the leaf packs. mkae two packs each using the top xj leaf and the rest of the leaves from the s-10 ( not the top s-10 leaf, just the middle leaves) If you dont have the s10 helper leaf, use the xj one ( if you have it ) This will probably net you about 3-in, and iff it doesn't, or you want more, then add the add-a-leaf ( is it a long leaf or a short one?) long ones are better.
I made a pack out of the top cherokee leaf, and the rest of the leaves from an MJ (minus the very thick helper which didn't add lift but made it very stiff) and I got about three in and a very comfortable ride, and also very good flex.
P.S. allen head bolts make very good center pins. thew roun allen head is about the same size as the nub on the leaf center pin

thanks, i dont remember about the AAL i think it may be the long one, but i had bought it for my dakota, so I was looking not to use it. I think the combo pack might be the ticket.

I used S10 leaves in my pack. And very soon I'm going to be disassembling them to clean them up and lower their rate, and I'll be sure to put a write up here.

The S10 leaf packs that I bought had 4 leaves total, 3 and 1 overload. I did not use the main or the overload, only the 2 middle. I also removed the 3rd leaf from my orignal stock XJ pack. This was the order:

XJ Main
S10 #2
XJ #2
S10 #3
XJ #4 (overload)

It rides stiff on the road, but its not unbearable. It still flexes pretty good, even though its has a super high rate and friction. But in the next week or two I'm going to refurbish them and make new spring clamps and throw on a shackle. It should really soften them up and they will flex a lot better.

Ludakris said:

ok, I have an 89' xj. The helper leaf was reversed to lift the rear 2" (I was told). I wanted to go up a little more, I was thinking of a shackle. Then I started hearing about s-10 leaves and Dakota Leaves. Well, I have rear leaves from a 93 2WD S-10 (less helper) and a 1 1/2" AAL for a 2002 Dakota. So my question is, what kind of crazy setup can I make with this? Is 3"+ possible? or am i going to just start mixing and matching to see what i come up with?

Click to expand...

For starters, the '89 XJ didn't come with a helper leaf, so there was nothing there to reverse. It sounds more like you may have a half-length AAL in there.

It's my understanding that the new Dakotas are set up with the springs over the axle, like the XJ. The Dakota leaves becoming popular as lift springs are from the older Dakotas, which were spring under axle like the MJ and the S10. Combining your Dakota leaf with the short AAL already in your pack probably isn't going to add a lot of lift, but it will increase the spring rate, making for a stiffer ride.

I think you should start all over, using the S10 leaves with your XJ main leaves. Cut the eyes off the S10 main leaves and use them, plus as many other of the S10 leaves as you need to get to the height you want.

Eagle, I dont mean to Hijack this thread but this is on topic so...
why do you advocate cutting the eyes and using the top leaf? The top leaf is not tapered and it doesnt have the plastic sliders that all the other leafs have so I would think it would not be good for a lower leaf. it would squeak and wear throught the top leaf wouldn't it? I got 3 in lift just using the middle two, So i ended up with the sam,e overall number of leaves, therefore (nearly) hte same spring rate. The more leaves, the stiffer the ride, right?

I advocate it because it provides a true "full length" AAL. This reinforces the main leaf rather than concentrating stress a few inches from the eyes, causing the tips of the springs to bend down.

If you are really worried about wear you can take it to a spring shop and have it punched for sliders, but it isn't necessary. The commercial AAL kits don't include any friction shims, and they aren't full length (even the ones that claim to be) so they have more chance of increasing wear at the ends.

Just paint the springs with graphite paint or coat them with a mix of grease and anti-seize when assembling and you'll be fine.

I agree with Eagle, it's not critical to have the pads...just a little grease on assembly.

I used a fresh pack of springs from a '99 XJ, added an XJ main leaf with the eyes cut off right below the bolts on the existing main, along with another mid pack leaf. The ride is still comfortable, it flexes really well and gives me a total of two inches of lift. Best of all, free.

Eagle, thanks for the info on the springs. I am not sure exactly what was done on the rear, the guy (jeep dealer moekanic) said he does a cheap 2"lift with HD front springs and flips the rear helper spring. I dont know if it really lifted anything, and I have to fix a tranny line before it gets a test drive. your right about the Dakota springs, and it makes sense that it would do much. I have to check out the S-10 springs to see what I can come up with, if it doesnt work I can always buy a new pack.....

Stay away from that mechanic.

Unless he's getting junkyard ZJ V-8 Up Country coils, he's blowing smoke. The heaviest coil available from the factory in an XJ was the Up Country option, and that's about 1" higher than "stock." In the early years, the HD springs increased the rate with NO increase in ride height.

Ain't never seen an XJ with a factory helper leaf, not even with a factory tow package (of which I own three). The MJs came with a short, very thick helper leaf, but it's nearly straight and reversing it under an XJ wouldn't provide any lift, it would just hang down and catch rocks.

thanks again. the more I dive into my "project" the more I distrust the mechanic, whom is a relative of a friend of mine. I got a decent deal on the truck, but am finding many errors in it. The belt was shredded when i got it, supposedly from the broken tranny line. Fixed the line, put a belt on it. Couldnt get the belt to sit right, found out the pulley on the alt is only a 4 groove, guess thats how the belt broke!
I just want to get wheeling with this beast! oh, i was up in Tolland, CT this weekend visiting family. Nice place.