I'm doing my 4.5 RC with full leaf lift. I'm almost done with my lift, but am stuck yet again. How the heck do I get the rear leaf spring on?!?!

My problem is that once i screw one side of the leaf spring in, the other side doesn't reach where it's supposed to go. i.e. If i bolt up the frame side it won't reach the shackle side and vise versa.

I bought the RC 4.5 full leaf kit and it doesn't require extended shackles (so they say), but I think I'm gonna be needing some.

Any thoughts?

Any help is much appreciated.

 

Never done one on a an XJ before but many others. I usually jack up the rear end of the vehicle to get the weight off the springs, remember to support the "frame" and not the axle. Then you can unbolt the old stuff. Be sure to support the axle with a jack so nothing suddenly falls. I usually unbolt the brake line first if needed as well as the e-brake stuff if needed and the shocks again if needed. Then the U-bolts, then the front bolt or rear bolt whatever suits you. Then reverse the process buy installing the new spring in place, bolt up the front, then bolt up the rear in that order, then the U-bolts to the axle and all the other stuff that may have been unbolted. You may have to use the floor jack to persuade the axle up or down. This should get you on your way to a taller XJ!

 

yea, i tried that. My problem is that once i screw one side of the leaf spring in, the other side doesn't reach where it's supposed to go. If i bolt up the frame side it won't reach the shackle and vise versa.

I bought the RC 4.5 full leaf kit and it doesn't require extended shackles (so they say), but I think I'm gonna be needing some.

Any thoughts?

 

that's weird, will the shackle not swing forward enough to bolt up?
are you using the stock shackle?

maybe they sent you the wrong leafs....

guess you can't bolt up the shackle first, then using a jack to press up on the leaf pack to help "extend" it enough to fit in the frame mount.... (just thinking out loud).

 

no i tried that to man haha. i honestly think i'm screwed and I got the wrong leafs.

 

If there is a part # on the leafs, compare it to the part # on RC's website.

 

yeah sounds like wrong leafs

 

Hmm, those things should just slide in, I would guess that they could be the wrong spring or you may need those extended shackles.

 

bolt the leafs to the body, then the new shackles where they go. then the new leafs to the shackle. if your interested look into the teraflex revolver shackles... if you need new shackles.

 

yea, they're the right leafs. i just need the shackles i guess. won't that lift the rear more than it's supposed to though? Won't it make the rear slightly higher than the front?

 

do it like i did three foot pry bar a really good friend and a bottle jack and i think i gave my self a hernia as well also im six three and three hundred pounds and can lift a mini van bolt the front in place pry the shackle as far forward as you can and use the bottle jack to flex the spring until it lines up and shove the bolt in. it also helps if you have a tapered punch to help line it all up good luck your gonna need it

 

If you had some pics that would be helpful. You shouldn't need to buy extended shackles to install a 4.5" leaf pack. If your springs were to short and you did that your shackle would have an angle like this " / " and it would not function or ride well at all. Like stated above using a cheater bar and a bottle neck jack is one way of doing it. But they should honestly slide in unless somthing has been previously modified.

 

When I put my leafs on my jeep I had the same situation the leafs did not looked like they would fit but I finally pulled and pried hard enough to get it on there

 

I got mine from RC and had the same issue. I used a small bottle jack and a floor jack and had it lined up by myself in a matter of minutes. Put the bottle jack between the leaf and the frame and the floor jack under the axle housing. Use the flr jk to push up on the axle and the btl jk to push down on the end of the leaf. It took about 10 minutes of slow adjustment back and forth, but the bolt for the shackle slide right in when I lined it up.

 

can you post some pics to show how far off it is?