hey guys im new on here and i was wondering if you could help me out with your opinions. i want to lift my jeep 2.5 or 3 inches. i first thought of blocking but with what i have read decided against it. so now i am wondering about shackles, it looks like the same basic idea i was wondering if these are a good opyion or not. thanks.

 

3" is too big for shackles. you can cheap out and get an add-a-leaf, or just buy new leafs. i bought new leafs and dont regret it for half a second.

only way i would put blocks on it is if its a pavement only truck

 

i'm assuming your trying to do this cheep. shackles are best used along with another option, an add a leaf. With the 2 it allows you added height and flex, along with a correct shackle angle getting 2.5 to 3inchs of lift from a shackle alone is not recommended as the shackle would have to be close to 6 inches long. a shackle only lifts half its length

 

yeah cheep is the goal and thats good to know about the shackles. i know i can do spacers in the front along with a different coil but im still trying to find a good way to do the rear.

 

i'm running a single add a leaf and a teraflex shackle and love it so far, my leafs are shot so doing a bastard pack lift is soon for mine

 

ok il look into the add a leaf. what would that run me?

 

If your leaves are anywhere close to worn don't get an add a leaf. It won't last more than 6 months and will start to sag. If you are doing this on the cheap a bastard pack is your best bet and can be done for less than 50 bucks depending on JY prices.

 

sorry but what exactly is a bastard pack?

 

There are about 50,000 threads on this forum alone about them but in a nutshell it's mixing and matching leaves of other vehicles to gain the lift you want. Most use the top leaf from an S10 pack, cut off the eyes and put it in your factory pack under the main leaf. Gets you around 3-4" of lift.

 

Don't use shackles or blocks. Go to the junkyard and pull of the rear leaf springs from a dodge dakota or chevy s 10. Mix and match different leaf combinations with your xj main until you get the right size lift you want. For front lift use coils from a GC V8 and for shocks go with Rubicon shocks for about 3" of lift or Monroe shocks from AutoZone for 4" to 6" of lift. You can do all these for less than $100. I got all the parts I need for my bastard pack for less than $70 (just havent had time to install yet )

 

ok sorry. thanks i really dont want to go over 3" till i have the money to replace parts and this is my daily driver so i cant have it on stands for a week haha

 

if you want to lift it quick and for cheap just go with a coil spacer and shackle it will take an afternoon to install and will look good with some 31's under it.

 

If its not going to go off road and you just want the lift for looks then spacers will be fine. But I would advise against them for any off roading. Go with the bastard pack for versatility. Should only take a day with a helping hand. You could easily get it done in a weekend.

 

thanks guys. i have a lot of experienced people to help with the labor and i think ill def go with the bastard pack