Xj Rear Lift

[Keyav8r]

My buddy has a 88 XJ and the rear sits lower than the front. I believe it has been mentioned here that Chevy shackles can be used to lift the rear on MJs. Would that also work on the XJ, even though it is SOA?

[dave92cherokee]

They would lift the back regardless of whether it's sua or soa, the difference would be that the xj shackles and mj shackles are different lengths. So the amount the shackles lift the back of our mj's would be different from the amount they would lift the back of an xj. How much of a difference is there, if it's a couple of inches he could look into shackle relocation brackets which give about 1.5" lift plus give the ability to get a better shackle angle in the back.

[Eagle]

Very bad idea. If the springs are already sagged, a longer shackle will ensure that the springs become totally trashed in a very short time.

 

Before trying to throw money in the wrong direction, start with figuring out what it needs. Measure from the center of the wheel/axle to the underside of the flare on both sides and report the measurement. It should should be 17 inches. Once we know what it is, we can brainstorm ways to correct any problems.

[dave92cherokee]

True if it's still stock suspension definately don't throw a longer shackle on it as when the stock rear springs sag they start to invert themselves and putting a lift shackle on weak, saggy, inverted rear springs begs for bigger problems. I was going under the assumption that it was lifted and the rear settled lower than the front did. Definately don't want to throw a bandaid on the broken leg of an xj when the factory rear springs settle such as lift shackle or air assist shocks.

[Eagle]

The best "budget" lift for the rear of an XJ (IMHO) is to get another set of XJ rear springs. Take them apart, cut the eyes off the main leaves, and use them as AALs. The prevailing wisdom from NAXJA is that this produces 1-1/2" of lift. Several years ago I rebuilt an '88 XJ for an ex-girlfriend and I did the home-brew AAL because the rear had sagged about a half inch. The second set of springs came out of an '89, so both sets were old and had miles on them. The AAL grossed 1-1/4 inches. Since I started out a half inch down, the net was 3/4-inch higher than "stock," or just about where the Up Country option would be on a late-model XJ.

 

This approach reinforces the full length of the main leaf, so in addition to gaining a modest lift and additional carrying capacity, you also get a much stronger (in the sense of resistant to damage) spring pack.

[yxmj]

Like eagle says that would be the easy/cheapest way. I would just add that you do not have to limit yourself to cherokee springs....any spring the right width (i believe they will be 2.5"....but measure them to be sure)....S10's. Dakota's would be possible candidates.

 

My wife has a nice 2000 XJ that had a rear sag (the jeeps rear not hers) ....and I used a top leaf off of a full sized D150 it brought it up perfect giving the truck a nice 1.25" rake back to front.

 

You should probably get some new longer U-bolts and pack clamps.

 

One last thing....having done this a couple of times....it is possible......and easy..... to do an add a leaf on a XJ without taking the whole leaf spring off....saves time when you don't have to battle those spring and shackle bolts.

[Eagle]

Like eagle says that would be the easy/cheapest way. I would just add that you do not have to limit yourself to cherokee springs....any spring the right width (i believe they will be 2.5"....but measure them to be sure)....S10's. Dakota's would be possible candidates.

Well ... yes, but no. Not really.

 

There are two advantages to using the XJ main leaves, and they are related. Using leaves out of another set of XJ springs means that the arch is correctly matched to your springs, so you don't have the AAL fighting against the other leaves in the pack. The other advantage is that you pretty well know how much lift you'll get: 1-1/4" to 1-1/2". If you need more than an inch and a half, then you can either use multiple leaves from the donor XJ packs, or go with leaves that have more native arch. The problem is that the one leaf with more arch is doing a lot of work, and it may get fatigued and sag fairly quickly. It's much better if the arch in all the leaves matches.

[yxmj]

 

Like eagle says that would be the easy/cheapest way. I would just add that you do not have to limit yourself to cherokee springs....any spring the right width (i believe they will be 2.5"....but measure them to be sure)....S10's. Dakota's would be possible candidates.

Well ... yes, but no. Not really.

 

There are two advantages to using the XJ main leaves, and they are related. Using leaves out of another set of XJ springs means that the arch is correctly matched to your springs, so you don't have the AAL fighting against the other leaves in the pack. The other advantage is that you pretty well know how much lift you'll get: 1-1/4" to 1-1/2". If you need more than an inch and a half, then you can either use multiple leaves from the donor XJ packs, or go with leaves that have more native arch. The problem is that the one leaf with more arch is doing a lot of work, and it may get fatigued and sag fairly quickly. It's much better if the arch in all the leaves matches.

 

 

You are assuming that he has a set of XJ leafs to scavenge from....I simply left him an intelligent option that should it be more economically feasible for him to scavenge from other sources it would be possible for him to accomplish his goal of taking the sag out easily and cheaply.........IMHO

[Eagle]

If you're going to scavenge anyway, IMHO it makes better sense to scavenge for something that will generate predictable results. Sure, any 2-1/2-inch wide spring can be stuck in there ... but there's no way to know until you've paid for the springs and done the work what the result is going to be. With the XJ spring, so many people have done it that the result is well known in advance.

[yxmj]

If you're going to scavenge anyway, IMHO it makes better sense to scavenge for something that will generate predictable results. Sure, any 2-1/2-inch wide spring can be stuck in there ... but there's no way to know until you've paid for the springs and done the work what the result is going to be. With the XJ spring, so many people have done it that the result is well known in advance.

Please explain to my simple uneducated mind.....how you get predictable results from a "scavenged" or JY  spring....

 

.There are many who have made  bastard packs....and have been quite successful....please quote the ones who could predict the results...........

 

.Maybe you want to  rename "bastard pack" after yourself......i have successfully made  many but do not have the ego to name them after me

 

perhaps your accuracy would serve well in other fields aside from choosing junkyard springs?

[Eagle]

Please explain to my simple uneducated mind.....how you get predictable results from a "scavenged" or JY  spring....

Because hundreds of people have done the XJ main leaf AAL budget boost, and they ALL report that they gained 1-1/2 inches. In twenty-five-plus years of tinkering with XJs, the only one that didn't produce an inch and a half was the '88 I did for my ex-GF ... and that one produced a lift of 1-1/4 inches.

 

Once you introduce leaves with different arch than the spring pack in the vehicle, unless enough other people have done it to have a history with whatever spring you choose ... there is no way to predict what you'll get.

[Keyav8r]

Thanks for the responses. I believe the XJ has less than 100k mikes on it. My buddy has loaded a floor jack, tow chain, tools, etc. behind the rear seat - a fair amount of weight. I don't know if it was sitting low before he added the load in the back or if it sat OK and the load sagged the springs.

Should have phrased my question better. Not knowing if the MJ and XJ shackles are the same/different lengths, I should have asked what shackles could be used to raise the back of the XJ up to original height.

I agree that if the springs have sagged, longer shackles are a bad idea, just wasn't thinking of that as the potential problem.

I'll suggest the XJ AAL option to him. Makes sense to use springs with the same arch. Our local P&P has a bunch of XJs to choose from.

[Eagle]

Thanks for the responses. I believe the XJ has less than 100k mikes on it. My buddy has loaded a floor jack, tow chain, tools, etc. behind the rear seat - a fair amount of weight. I don't know if it was sitting low before he added the load in the back or if it sat OK and the load sagged the springs.

You're talking a few hundred pounds of gear there. Springs deflect when you add load -- that's what they're supposed to do. That's how the load sensing proportioning valve in the MJ rear brakes works. Deflecting under load doesn't mean the springs have sagged. They haven't sagged unless the vehicle doesn't come back to normal height when the load is removed.

 

For an XJ, the measurement from the center of the wheel cap up to the bottom edge of the flare should be 17.0 inches ... with no load in the back, just a regular spare tire and maybe half a tank or less of fuel.