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XJ Budget Boost Options

J

jeepsrock

NAXJA Forum User
Location
LA California
Ok i am sure many of you have answered this question many of times but let me tell you what my position and options are. I am in the process of converting my 2wd jeep to 4wd which is taking up a lot of my resources. I have purchased a used junked jeep which i am takng parts from and in the process am replacing all u joints, bushings and ball joints etc.. While doing the conversion i would like to put in a lift of some sort without having to replace my tires at the moment. I dont wheel frequently and would probably be interested in maybe 2-3". I have read about many options and am not sure what the best is. I woul appreciate it if someone could clarify
these option and their pros and cons. I have 150$ more or less allocated for this part of the project and need something where my ride wont become to harsh.

Lift options:
1. Rustys BB AAL......100$
2. Rustys BB Schackles.....100$
3. RE Purcahase front spacers and full 2.5 AAL Rear ..~100$
4. Front Grand Cherokee Coils and small spacer + Stock jeep leafs as AAL.....~150$
5. Front Rustys 3" coils plus some sort of leaf upgrade........?
6. Rustys 3" coils front and rear shackles with stock pack as aal...?

THX. ;)
pete
 
You need shocks - go those addressed already? RE lists their 2" BB at $220 with shocks but I recommend the RE6160 for a simple 2" lift.
 
Well the reason i fail to mention shocks is i just replaced my stock shocks with 4 new gabriel ultra shocks. I thought with a BB u dont need shocks plus i thought those after market ones would be sufficient as they probably have a bit more travel than stock ones. ??
 
If you still have the rears around you might want to measure the travel just in case. When I installed my BB I ran the old shocks for a week or so and while they fit when the Jeep was static, they had very little downtravel left in them. Had I wheeled it at that point there is a good possibility that the shocks could have torn the mounts off.

However, there's hope for your Jeep and 'new old' shocks yet. Go to http://www.go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoRearShockM.htm and get an extra 2" or so clearance and you can use the old length shocks.
 
Personally I would prefer to have the taller coils than lift blocks. So I vote what ever longer coils you want for 2-3" of lift (an assortment for differnent prices new or used).

For the rear the longer shackles will provide more flex and will weekend the stock leafs over a period of time. adding more leafs (either stock or aal) will provide more support for the current pack. Again you can do an assortment of multiple packs or a cheap aal or shackle depending on your budget and the additional lift you want.

At 2" you can "probably" get away with most stock shocks (they are all different lengths so you will not know till you flex it). If they are short you should not be concerned with tearing off your shock mounts but they will not allow full flex.

At 3" you will "probably" need new shocks.

Just my thoughts,
Michael
 
Other than shackles being bad for my spring packs what ar the cons of using an aal, the reason i ask is because i heard they yield a very bad ride quality ??

pete
 
Short (half-length) AALs tend to be stiff because to get the lift they have to be very stiff. Full-length AALs usually ride very nicely. However, ride quality is quite subjective, and what's "nicely firm" to one person might be "unacceptably harsh" to another.

I did a home brew AAL using the main leaf from a donor set of XJ springs with the eyes cut off. I gained about 1-1/4" gross, but the vehicle was sagged and the net was about 3/4" higher than "stock." Ride was very comfortable. This was for an ex-girlfriend out west, and she has been very happy with it. She's had it for a bit more than a year now. Other folks doing the extra main leaf AAL have gotten 1-1/2" or so out of it.

Since you already have another XJ, that's your cheapest way to go. You'll need some new center pins and new rebound clips, and an afternoon to put it all together. If you want a bit more lift, you can also use the second leaf from the donor packs to make your springs into 6-leaf packs. Trim the ends so the length falls between your existing second and third leaves.
 
Hi,

I have a 2" BB (front spacer, rear shorty aal) in my xj. Took myself and a friend ~4 hrs to install working at a leisurely pace. I'm clearing 30" Kumho mudders on 7" rims with 5.25" BS. I'm running the stock shocks right now, but will definately need to upgrade to increase ride quality. If you go up ANY MORE THAN 2" YOU NEED NEW(longer) SHOCKS. If you wanna run 2", stock shocks might be okay for you.

The shackels are definately an easier install (the rear shouldnt take you any longer than 1.5 hrs.) You might want to think about extended bumpstops, and a brake line extension which the 2" kits dont come with.

My opinion, got for the 2" BB from rusty's. Its working well for me. good capability offroad.
 
Hey simensez i thought Rustys AAl was a full size one not a shorty ??? Overall with Rustys AAL 2" how is the ride quality compared to stock ?

If i decide to use the stock leaves in additon to mine what combinatiion gives what ?? And i would probably need a spacer in the front right ?

How would that be compared to RE1410 2.5 Full AAL in the rear plus Front Spacers ?

Pete
 
Last edited:
jeepsrock said:
bump
Click to expand...
Please read the forum rules. Bumping is not allowed. Next time your thread may get deleted.

As I posted already, using just the main leaf from another set of XJ springs (with the eyes cut off) will give you 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" of lift. If you want/need more than that, take the second leaf from the donor packs as well -- just trim the ends to result in staggered lengths in the pack.

You would probably want to add coil spacers in the front. On the one I did, the NET gain was only 3/4" higher than stock because the original springs had sagged somewhat. I was rushed finishing the job so I skipped the 3/4" spacers I was going to put in the front, and it looks good anyway. Slightly high in the tail, but no more so than a new XJ with Up Country. The owner doesn't plan to run anything larger than 235/75s so there was no need for additional tire clearance in the front.
 
I don't mean to criticize here, but a 2" BB is not a lot of lift. The ride quality is not going to change a lot with a small amount of lift. I feel that if you get the RE 2" or 2.5" lift and get the full leaf packs you will find the ride to be fine. I've used both and neither had any real different ride quality from stock. Wait till the inchitis sets in and you swap out to full leaf packs. Then worry about harsh rides.

Since you are using stock length shocks, you obviously aren't going to be flexing a lot? (or you would be woried about ripping the shock mounts off--not fun)? Just something to think about.
 
bumping isnt allowed? how about "anyone else have an idea"
 
Well first i would like to appologize about the bump...i wasnt aware of that.

Jeepguy97 when you say full leaf packs do u mean full aal or a complete replacemnt leaf set ?

And eagle if i add enough leafs from my donor spring pack to get approximately 2 in is their a spacer in the front that would mathc that ? Do u really think this is better than purchasing a full aal ?

sorry bout the questions and srry again about the bump appreicate your time guys.
pete
 
Yes you can get a 2in spacer in the front. I meant full replacement leafs. They are stiffer, but you only get those with lifts over 2 in. My point was that full aals in the back will be the best way to go.
 
I think then we can conclude that aals are the way to go and forget about shackles. I have also have learned that full ones are better ..see i am learning. A few guys have introduced that i can use my donor packs as aals in mine, but my question as of now is will these be better than purchasing a full aal from RE or rustys.

pete
 
Shouldn't really matter. Adding a leaf is adding a leaf, doesn't matter where the leaf is from but you may have to add more than one to get the desired lift. And the more you add the stiffer the ride gets. This route is cheaper though and it allows you to experiment.
 
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