This is what I get for piecing together my rig?

[Mdub]

Alright here is my setup:

SYE with CV Driveshaft

4.5" leaf pack + .75" lift shackles

4.5" Coils + 1" Coil Spacers

Well I recently built in an organizer type box in the cargo area and fully loaded it. I also added a tire carrier bumper and spare tire. As you would expect I lost some height. I was already low in the back but now it's worse.

My rear axle (8.25) was shimmed and I decided to fight the sag with a 1.5" lift block. So I bought some blocks and some new u-bolts and went to it. Now I have axle-block-shim-leaf all held together with my u-bolts. All the research I did here (After my brilliant idea) told me that my setup is kind of sketchy (shim and block). My question is this. With about 5.5" net lift and a SYE with a CV driveshaft and a .75" lift shackle, do I really need that shim? I think it is a 3*. I kind of think it will be okay as is, but all the naysayers really have me thinking. Don't try to talk me out of the block. It is a small block and I'm not up to swappin leafs (not to mention the $$$). Thoughts?

I hate when I do shit like this.

 

[1bolt]

Alright here is my setup:

SYE with CV Driveshaft

4.5" leaf pack + .75" lift shackles

4.5" Coils + 1" Coil Spacers

Well I recently built in an organizer type box in the cargo area and fully loaded it. I also added a tire carrier bumper and spare tire. As you would expect I lost some height. I was already low in the back but now it's worse.
I hate when I do shit like this.

don't know how much you're looking for advice versus just venting some frustration.

I know if I had sag in the back and I had your setup I would pull those front spacers without even thinking twice about it.

I would then cut some sheet metal if I had clearance issues or rub worth worrying about.

 

[Mutant_Xj]

I'd do what 1bolt said or I'd go with an aal instead of the block. I've read of a few ppl breaking stuff with the shims in there alone. If your rig doesnt see hard core trails the block will get you by but its not the best option.

 

[Mutant_Xj]

Or get u bolt eliminators from tnt

 

[Mdub]

I wheel pretty hard actually. I guess I'm just not sure how this system would fail? The block has a pin that sticks into the axle perch thingy. The shim is bolted to the leaf pack and the screw head sticks into the block. All of that is tied together with four bolts (the two u-bolts). How would they come apart?

FYI: I threw some sorry lookin welds on there today to help hold them together...

 

[Johnny O.]

it’s not necessarily that it will come apart but that block lets your axle have more leverage on the spring so you’ll get more spring wrap. And when you wind that spring up and it snaps back into place you put more stress on the drive line and lose traction. It also puts more stress on the u-bolts.

 

[Johnny O.]

image a drag car that pops a wheelie on the strip. The rear axel rotates the opposite direction that the wheels are turning and pushes the front of the car up. The axel is connected to the car by the springs which are flexible so it bends (spring wrap). You could add some ladder bars or something like that to stop the axel from rotating and stop the wrap but a grade 8 bolt has the same strength whether it’s long or short but if it’s long you just pulling on it with a longer handle like putting a cheater bar on your ratchet. your blocks magnify this.

 

[pabloconrad]

I'd seriously consider getting a real lift kit. Last summer, there was a Jeep with the blocks that hit a pothole on Highway 82 in Basalt, Colo., that lost its axel because of the sketchy set-up.

They're not that strong even if you don't take them off-road. It's a great investment to get the leaf packs that actually add lift, not just the AALs. If your leaf pack is sagging, the AALs don't add much and will wear out faster as the AALs take up the weight.

 

[gregmondro]

or you could just get new leaf packs and ditch the block idea all together.

 

[bcmaxx]

I run a 3 inch tapered block and fullsize and full length add a leaf with no noticeable axle wrap (1 yr now), not even when crawling on the rocks, I am still saving for a full pack.

 

[bknudtsen]

Remember, the reason for the degree shim is to properly align the cv driveshaft. Getting rid of it will just cause undue vibes. Lose the blocks and get either an AAL, new leaf pack, or do some type of bastard pack.

 

[Mdub]

Let me chime back in. I think blocks are fine. They are used on all types of vehicles in all types of applications. My hesitation comes from using the shim and the block. Again, plenty of people "double stack" blocks too. That is where the sketchiness comes in. I usually don't do things the "ghetto" way, but I've inched up and down in the back and I have it just where I want it with the block and the shim. I think I will start looking for a 6" set of leafs, but I won't be happy about it ! Ha ! ~