Got two new rear tires today!! I Blew a hole right at the seem of the sidewall on my passenger side while pulling into work. Took it to the tire shop I always go to and 170 bucks mounted and balanced for two Goodyear radials. So now My rear leave springs are negative after 152000 miles of wear and tear i wanna get a budget boost kit but i make about $120 a week and have around 200 dollars in bills at the end of the month (Yes I'm 20 years old and still live at home with paps). I also don't want a **** ride quality either. The axle wrap gets worse the longer I drive the jeep, I'm just waiting for the u joint back there to give up. Any ideas of cheap leaf spring setups with close to stock ride quality with 2 inches of lift yes I read up on rock lizards page and the thought is there the money saving part is getting there. I've been getting right around 15 mpg highway and city back and forth to work thanks to driving 45 mph everywhere (Overdrive kicks in at 43 mph) so it drops my rpm to 1200-1500 the whole drive unless i come to a dead stop then its 2000-2200 rpm. Lately all my money has gone to the front end of the jeep had to replace every tie rod end and yes i did the zj upgrade kit and now the track bars banging around making things pretty hairy when i drive luckily the new ones laying on the kitchen table, sadly I work tonight. I'm a nocturnal person. So my main question is if I buy a new set of leafs now and get a used GOOD set later on down the road and do an AAL with the used set then do the zj coils and rubber isolators with the zj upcountry shocks would that do ok for a 2 inch lift ?? Thanks for your time

 

Why don't you just get a pair of lift shackles until you can afford to get new springs?

 

Would a pair of these shackles actually bend the leaf springs back into a positive arch?

 

No, nothing will bend them back because they're worn out, but they'll give you the height that you're looking for temporarily, and can be had cheap.

 

You didn't post a picture of a shackle. The shackle is the unit that mounts the leaf to the body. Your pic is just the u bolts and mount plates. And to answer your second question, there is no magic device that can re-arch your springs. The solution there is to replace them.

 

Beat me to it!..

 

So a new set of springs and shackles would do perfect then if im understanding what your saying

 

For now, just get a set of longer shackles.

When you can afford it, get new springs and re-use old shackles, or use the new shackles and new springs and get taller coil springs.

 

Ok haha thanks man youve been a great help for advice thats why i come here!! I just wanna get her ready for when i go to the jeep jamboree in case i want to take her on the obstacles

 

No problem, here is a good set of cheap adjustable shackles:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jeep-Cherokee-XJ-1-5-2-Rear-Shackle-Lift-1984-2001-/250594696418?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

 

Those are the shackles I have.. Or at least something similar.. Have fun at the jamboree. Also, one more thing to consider when looking at leaf springs- there's OEM replacement, aftermarket and bastard pack. If your mechanically inclined then a bastard pack is a good way to go, but an aftermarket set is more reliable than OEM spec. OEM tend to wear out pretty quick. Especially if you do any kind of flexing. I have an OME (not to be confused with OEM!) 1.5" leafs and the 1.5-2" shackles set at the 1.5" mark. Still sitting at 3" after 5 years!

 

All my mechanical experience is on my first car this jeep being my second my first car being a 1980 olds cutlass that i put a 455 in suspension is something im slowly learning not thats is complicated i just never have leafs nor an suv always had 4 shocks 4 springs

 

Umm I hate to be that guy but, shackles ain't gonna lift that thing. I'll bet money that once he installs those new shackles, they will make the leafs bow even worse due to the shackles trying to stretch the leafs out. As those leafs bow more, there will be very minor lift gained plus, in those pics, the small helper leaf is already crying, "lord get me the **** outta here." Just saying, just get HD replacements from a place like generalspringkc.com or similar.



This is years ago when I just did an AAL to brand new stock spring with an extended shackle. Look how they have slightly negative arch. I would bottom that thing out all day long. I wasted more money doing budget lifts than just saving, waiting and doing it right.

 

Longer shackles will be a bandaid fix tell he can get new springs for it.But i would look at a small lift like 3 inches.I know just new rear springs would be cheaper but a small lift can be fun to have.

 

I wanna put at least a 2 inch lift on before the jamboree so I'm not stock and also so i can have a little bit of peace of mind with my Ground Clearance 3 inches well itd be nice if budget allowed in time frame i had money saved up for the lift kit and then i had to fix what broke so money went bye