Homebuilt ZJ to XJ Spring/Shackle Lift

Respected Elders, I must defer to your greater knowledge on this matter. I've searched past threads and posts for two days now without finding all the answers.

Here's the idea:
V-8 ZJ springs up front. PN GN 5208 8363 (approx 1.5")
Shackles in the rear. (approx. 2") (I carry a bunch of sh*t, so the rear sags....or is the sag normal?)
Sawzall Happy on the fenders and BushWacker flares...cut 'em as high as the inner wheel wells.

Now the questions:
See any problems? Need to adjust driveline? I figure 31's at the largest. Do I need longer shocks? I like pudding.

you will not need to adjust the drivetrain. No on the bushwackers, waste of money and will not look good with only 31's. In the rear if you cut "high as the inner wheel wells." you are gonna need to weld them up

Okay, Bushwackers are pretty pricy, know of a good cheaper product to cover up my sawzall artistry? Welding and filling in the gaps is no problem. I ask because I may decide on larger tires.
What's the largest reasonably practical tire for the XJ without swapping gears?

stock gears, no bigger than 31's. tj flares would work for you. new shocks wouldnt hurt

On flares. i see alot of people using tj flares, may want to look into that...
tire size verses gears really depends on your own opinion and what you do with the jeep. do you drive more on highway or do more around town. what are you looking for. i have heard of people running upto 33 or 35s on stock gears, not my plan but ive seen it. best idea is look at a gear ratio verses tire diameter chat. have fun and good luck

If you use stock rims, you can run 31x10.50s with no lift at all, so with a 2" budget boost you should be in good shape running 31s.

However, the ZJ V8 coils will stiffen the ride in the front, and extended shackles will NOT stiffen the ride in the back. And the back is where you carry all the extra gear, correct? I'd suggest you get hold of a second set of XJ leaves, pull out the main leaves and chop off the eyes, and use those as AALs. That'll give you about 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" of lift compared to where your chassis sits now. Then if you need a bit more to level it out with the front coils, you can use MJ shackles of Chevy Z71 shackles, which will give you another 1/2" to 3/4".

The home brew AAL will beef up the rear springs to help carry that extra weight, and will probably give you a resultant spring rate that's close to the ZJ coils so the suspension will feel balanced.

I was told at the tire shop that 31x10.50's wouldn't fit my XJ, the guy flat out refused to even try...hm.

I don't mean to bug the crap out of you, but how about a factory leafpack from a different vehiclel; Jeep, Dogdge, or other? I was looking at lift shackles because I've heard fewer horror stories about ride quality as opposed to AAL's.

I may be trying to do the impossible here. My XJ is a daily driver, wheeled every weekend, and I also don't want to exclude highway use. I'm looking at a very mild lift and fender trimming to make use of as large a tire as possible without completely screwing up the center of gravity and making cornering a nightmare, also avoiding relocating the T-case or suffering hellacious vibrations.

BruteXJ said:

I don't mean to bug the crap out of you, but how about a factory leafpack from a different vehiclel; Jeep, Dogdge, or other? I was looking at lift shackles because I've heard fewer horror stories about ride quality as opposed to AAL's.

Click to expand...

AALs ride horrible your right but techinally another main leaf minus the eyes just doesnt qualify as a AAL it will ride better and handle better and it will take a load without the rear springs going super saggy on ya...Try it youll be happy plus if you dont like it your not out much...
themud