Rear end issue

[Waytec]

So my suspension in the rear of my XJ has sagged out over the last years add on's. Swing out bumper, flat fenders, gas tank skid. I was wondering what would be the best and cheapest way to give it a lift. 2 inc spacers under the springs  or the RE boomerang shekels.

[dac]

I know it sounds dumb but the best and cheapest don't often go together.  What about some custom add-a-leaf's from a place like Standens (probably isn't too cheap though)?

[tubby]

Don't do the 2" ghetto blocks Aaron. Trust me on this one. I cheaped out a few years ago on an old project. It was not worth it. AAL also craptacular.
Have you considered shackle-relocation brackets? I got a wee bit over 2" on the rear of my XJ with that mod.

[mhernden]

My opinion...   dont go cheap... do it right... do it once.  

Rubicon Express full Spring Packs run under $400.  You can have 3.5", 4.5" or 5.5" lift and it doesnt cost you anything more than that.  

You buy blocks... break a leaf... repair a leaf... replace blocks cause they suck... take into consideration time and effort... and you're quickly up to the $400 mark anyway.  

Just my opinion.    

[hps4evr]

you're gonna get the longer shackle anyways so id start there. next would be the lift springs. blocks and add-a-leaf's are a waist of time, you'll spend the time putting them in with new u bolts and the performance wont work.

[Waytec]

Ya i forgot to add I have a 3.5 inch RE lift already, with 3/4 inch spacers in the from to compensate for the nose dive it did when I put the bumper and winch on. I want to keep it as low as possable.

According to the catalogs the difference between the RE 3.5 and 4.5 is shakels in the rear, so I am thinking of starting with them. I was asking because a lot of rigs are running lift blocks and I have heard nothing about them.

Noel I was looking at the shackle relocation brackets but for a little more I can be into a set of springs. Unless the place I was looking was out to lunch on pricing.

[cLAY]

I ran blocks on mine old XJ with stock leafs and broke the leafs. I used to get REALLY bad banging sounds from the rear when I dropped the clutch and nailed it off a light, axle wrap from the blocks.

Later I made a custom pack out of a 3" lift pack with a 3"AAL, the 2nd and 3rd leaf from a early 80's Grand Wagoneer and then some short HD overloads from a Dodge 1/2ton on the bottom. This netted me about 6" and then I stacked a 2" block under it to get my 8".

The HD overloads were pretty much flat and only came into play when I was REALLY flexed up and they also prevented axle wrap.

It can be done but to do it properly its probably easier to just buy a new pack.

[S-FLY]

You can get replacement spring packs online for fairly cheap.

[JackstandJohnny]

get some new shackles. you should be runnin them anyways with lift springs. 

[BlackYJ]

You might only get about 0.5-1" of lift from a shackle and I would not go any longer than 1" of lift because that translates into a 2" longer shackle.

[jpthing]

G0 check out Naxja and search under "bastard pack". It's a homemade aal made from a spring from a spring under truck such as an s10 or dakota. This stiffens and increases the arch in the pack, and having more leafs helps prevent axle wrap. And while I totally agree that any lift blocks are out with the stock saggy xj leafs, once they are beefed up with a couple of extra leafs they can handle a smaller block. I have been running a bastard pack with s10 leafs added (three extra leafs per side) with 1.5 inch blocks for several years with zero issues. These also tend not to crack like the commercially sold AAL's do. The ride is a little on the stiffer side but well within the normal range and it can handle having 20 boxes of laminate flooring in the back and four sheets of drywall on the roof without looking like a lowrider. The other huge advantage of the bastard pack is you don't have to mess around with getting out the bolts that hold the leafs to the unibody which are always seized. Don't get me wrong though a RE leaf pack is a beautiful thing, I'm just one of those annoying people who really likes finding a cheaper way to do it myself rather than just buying something. Somehow it gives me more satifaction. Weird.