with the s10 leafs, can i use the whole pack and just replace the packs. or do i have to use single leaves as an AAL?

thanks

 

Use the whole pack except you cut the eyes off the master leaf and retain your master leaf. Thats what I did and it worked out great. Better ride and flex than the stock ones or the full leaf pack from a lift company. JMHO.

 

yeah and i think you said early 80's leafs for the s10?

and i looked at my stock pack and they sit pretty flat...would 3" AAL's actually give it 3" or a little less due to the crappy stock pack condition?

 

Yes the AAL will give that much lift but it will not last as long as a set of Bastard packs will. AALs last 6 months to a year then are pretty flat again. The set I put in the 96 I did are still going as tall as they were and that was done in the winter of 2002/2003 around Christmas.

 

ok i really just want a 2" - 3" lift for now spacers, ZJ V8 coils up front, then the s10 leaves or RC AAL in the back...

im still debating and am not sure what to do...im just looking for cheap and effective...

and ill probably take your advice on the monroe shocks too...pep boys?

 

how much of a lift do they give it

 

Anywhere from 2.5" to 4" depends upon the springs and how much heavy use they got.

 

any place to get the monroe shocks?

 

Mine came from a repair shop close to my house that worked on my Mercedes but check if they have a retailer on line locator. I am not real sure in your area.

 

what kind of benz do you have?

 

An old 1981 280CE 6 cylinder gas model.

 

where can I get the s-10 leafs?

 

best bet is a junk yard or craigslist

 

Sorry, I dont mean to thread jack, but for the bastard pack, do you only use 80's model S-10 leaf packs or they can be any packs that fit? Also, I noticed someone mention that this is a better option then buying after market leaf packs. Is that true? Once again, sorry to jack the thread.

 

You didn't jack the thread, it's a relevant question.
People have used S-10 leaf springs, Dodge Dakota leaf springs, and others...
The main issue is that the width be the same (2.5"?) and as long or longer than the XJ leaves. Basically, the idea is to: 1) Take the stock pack apart on the Jeep, leaving the main leaf attached to the XJ. 2) Cut the "eyes" off both ends of the S-10 main leaf so it is just shorter than the XJ main leaf. 3) Construct a new leaf spring pack using the modified S-10 leaf as a second leaf, and your choice of other XJ & S-10 leaves to achieve the desired lift. (There is no exact scientific recipe for this, it depends on the combination of leaves and how much use they have had). 4) Put it back together.

A couple of notes/warnings:
You will want to use NEW and longer u-bolts and leaf spring centering pins, and the S-10 centering pins are a larger diameter, requiring larger holes to be drilled in the XJ leaves.
There are some good writeups on this...check OrangeAMC's writeup, and search this site using "bastard pack", "BB Lift" keywords..also search Google.
HTH!