1993JeepCherokee

my jeep sags in the rear and i was wondering if i took springs out of a xj and put them in mine would it help with the sag issue??? and also would it hurt my 3'' lift kit im gonna be putting in soon? any suggestions would help me out alot cuz im trying to do everything by myself and cheap, i can get almost anything i need cheap cuz i work at a junk yard

azxj99

Well, i plan on doing this in the near future.
My plan: take the main leaf out of a stock leaf pack.
Cut the eyes off it, or where the bushings are
Take apart my current leaf pack
Place new add a leaf (old main leaf) under the current main leaf
Resecure with new leaf clamps
Put in new centering pin
Resecure to axle with new u bolts

OOdynamite

If they are already sagging, dont do an AAL, it will sag back in no time. Is your future 3 inch lift a full leaf pack or AAL?

jeep93

Thats what I more or less did to strengthen the rear end and get some lift. I had a new 4 tier leaf back for an XJ, so I stripped my old leafs back to the single main leaf, leaving that one attached to the jeep. I used an angle grinder to cut the eyes off the new main leaf and clamped it onto the old main leaf using a couple of G-clamps. Then I put the longest old leaf under that and kept going, alternating old and new leafs, one under the other. Eventually I ended up with an 8 tier leaf pack that gives me 3 - 3.5 inches of lift in the rear, and is strong enough to handle the couple of hundred pound of tools I through in the back quite regular. I replaced the old U-bolts, and the centre pins. It handles fine - no problems or weird noises, and it was easy to do. I have zero mechanical ability, and I did it. I wish I had better pics for you, but these are all I have before and after wise... I really need to take better pics!

OOdynamite

I'm gonna do that... I got all new leaf packs, and while there aren't inverted like the factory ones, they still aren't as "perky" as I would like.

Can I see a pic of the new leaf set up you have going on?

1993JeepCherokee

the 3'' lift i have is from rusty's the front springs and 3'' blocks with new u-bolts...my cousin has the same set up as i will be doing but i wasn't sure about the add a leaf. if i doo the add a leaf withh the 3'' blocks would it sit higher in the rear? and if soo would it hurt anything?

jeep93

No problem - I dont have any pics of the leafs right now, but tommorrow when its light out, I'll pull off one of the rear wheels and take some photos of how the 8 tier pack sits and looks.

jeep93

Im no expert.. but ive read many times on this forum and others, that if you dont exceed 4 inches of lift, then your stock brake lines, shocks etc should all be fine. From my personal experience this seems to be true. If i had just fitted the new 4 tier pack, I would have in theory returned to stock height (my old springs were sagging badly). But by doubling up and adding what is essentially 4 add a leafs, I gained 3.5 inches over factory ride height. If you springs are sagging and you just stick a block under them, then theyll probably sagg down either side of the block, so you wont get full benefit of the blocks height. Your 3 inch block might only give you a couple of inches. The aal should serve to strengthen your old springs and let you get the most out of the block. Personally id def put in the aal. Im 3.5" over factory with stock brake lines, stock axle, and shocks and all is well.

OOdynamite

Thanks!!

And as far as 3+ lift with stock shocks, I've heard that you need new shocks with that kind of a lift, but I don't know for sure cuz I don't have a lift anyway lol. And you should be ok without new brake lines

jeep93

Took a few pics of the 8 tier set up for you. Seem to keep running out of daylight - not enough hours in the day!. There was still some light when I took the pics, and I used a work lamp for some extra light... hopefully they turned out clear enough..
I jacked the jeep up, took the wheel off and then dropped the jeep back down onto an axle stand. The jeeps full weight was on the axle stand when I took the pics, so it gives you an idea of how the springs sit when the wheels on. I ended up with 3.5 inches over stock height.. was actually 4 inches, but they settled by 1/2 an inch over 4 months or so. Hope the pics are clear enough!.

jeep93

Can only upload a few at a time..

OOdynamite

That's awesome, thanks for the pics. Did you literally just jack up the jeep, take tires off, lower the axel (did u remove the lower shock mounts? I don't want to...), undo the u bolts, remove the leaf center pin, add the leafs (I'll prolly only put 2 in cuz I don't want it to sit that high, just a little higher then now), and then reverse the process to put it all back together?

How did you remove the thing that holds all the leafs together?

Did you have to drill the center holes bigger on the stock leafs?

Thanks

99 Purple XJ

When u do it put jack stand under the frame so the axle can hang freely undo the ubolts put c clamps on the leafs (so the leafs dont unload on you) cut off the leaf clamps and the center pin undo the c clamp slowly add the leafs as wanted and reverse the process to put back together

jeepride

It will be easier if you remove the lower shock mount just do one side at a time.

jeep93

Like 99 purple said, you will need a couple of c or G clamps to keep the leafs under control - even your old worn out ones will surprise you with how much strength they still have in them!.
This was the first "big" job I ever did on any vehicle - I honestly have next to no mechanical skills.. I fumbled about for a bit trying to figure it out, and then I did the following. (did one side completely first, and then the other)
The first side I did was kind of a learning experience, and I did it the hard way, by stripping the old leafs apart leaving only the old primary leaf attached to the jeep, and then rebuilding them one leaf at a time.. Nightmare!. On the other side, I did it this way..
1. Got the wheel off. Jacked jeep up and put stand under the axle, then lowered the jeeps weight fully onto the axle stand to take the tension out of the ubolts. Placed another couple of stands snug under the frame, just incase.
2. Old ubolts were rusted solid. I put 2 c-clamps on the leaf packs to hold them together, and used an angle grinder to cut through the old ubolt shafts. Cut them quite far down close the curve, and after I freed them up by hitting them with a hammer (a lot), I was able to pull them up and out of through the retaining plate that sits on top of the leaf pack.
3.Jacked the jeep back up and stuck a couple of stands under the frame and lowered the jeep onto them.. letting the axle hang down (like 99 purple xj said). My centre pin had a large washer on top of the retaining plate, so the plate was still attached to the top of the leaf pack. I cut the top off the old centre pin and pulled it out the bottom of the old leaf pack. The plate came off the top and all I was left with was 4 old leafs c-clamped together.
4. I used a heavy screwdriver to prise back and open up the old leaf packs built in clamps. Then I very carefully loosened off the c-clamps, and started to slide in the new leafs, alternating old, new, old, new etc. I say "slide", but it was more of a wrestling match. I used a long screwdriver in the top of the leaf pack to make sure I had all the centrepin holes lined up. Everytime i added a leaf, I wiggled it around until the screwdriver dropped down through the centrepin hole. You could probably add 2 without loosening off your shocks, but I quickly ran out of space between the leaf pack and the axle, so I had to disconnect the lower shock bolt to let the axle drop another couple of inches.. I was worried it would be rusted solid, but it was actually quite easy to remove (despite how it looked).
5.Once all the leafs were in place, I clamped them down hard with the c-clamps, and hammered those built in leaf clamps back in place. I pulled the screwdriver out and fed a new centre pin through the pack. Didnt need to drill the centre pin holes because it was a new xj leaf pack that I was using. I cant remember the exact order, but I basically re-attached the shocks, lowered the jeeps axle gradually onto an axle stand till the leafs were resting on the mount, put the top plate back on, and fed the new ubolts through and tightened them down hard - and I think that was it. Wheel back on, and onto the other side. Took me about 2 1/2 hours for one side, but Im not naturally skilled, so I was probably quite slow.

After about 600 miles I started to hear a faint knocking sound when going over pot holes. Took the wheels off and noticed that the springs had settled a little, and some of the tension had gone out of the ubolts. Re-tightened them, and theyve been fine since. Over 4 months the ride height settled by 1/2 an inch, but the ubolts stayed tight.

Hope this helps with your AAL plans!.