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Thanks for the advice guys. Couple more questions:
So it sounds like backspacing is the solution to the front rubbing (yes, it's on the LCA's). The wheels are VERY nice so we don't want to ditch them, so we're talking wheel spacers. Question, if we do wheel spacers on the front, should we do them on the back also? Or do people typically just do the spacers up front?
Removing that rear sway bar sounds like the way to go. However, if I need to do rear wheel spacers to match the front, that would also take care of the problem, right?
And I agree on those rear lift blocks, NOT the way to go. We've decided we'll probably want to do a proper new leaf spring lift, but that may have to wait for round 2 of the upgrades. And this XJ won't be doing any rock crawling, just pavement, the occasional gravel road, and lots of snow.
I have heard many bad things about wheel spacers but here is my thoughts. I have a 2005 F350 Dually 6.0 (shhhhh on those who hate it runs amazing and all the works done to it) that is my towing vehicle and DD right now. So anyhow back to what I was saying I put on 35" tires on there but due to the wheel spacing on stock rims in the rear and DRW I had to run wheel spacers. I opted for the high quality ones and they never failed me. Mind you I was pulling also over 13k# Fifth Wheel with tow rig running 35" tires and wheel spacers all over. Did I like the idea of them knowing they could fail? No, I didn't but they never failed on me and maybe it was just a matter of time. I don't currently run that setup anymore but that is for another discussion some place else.
(I also really enjoyed the look of my tires sticking out wider giving my truck a overal wider stance! She had a fat ***! lol)
I would say it is your choice but remember it is your daughter that will be driving all over the place in that Jeep.
As for rear sway bar from what I understand ditch it even though it is not a rock crawler, it is not that top heavy where rear sway bar will help with going around corners. I know my wifes Excursion makes a hell of a different with a hellswig one on that but the difference in size and weight is far greater in that vs. Jeep.
Blocks!!! NO Don't use those that is the worst way to lift a Jeep but I suppose it does not weigh that much and you could get away with it for now. I have seen many people run blocks on thier 1 ton pickups and never had issues. Not the way to go but if that is all you have for now I would just recommend she does not do any off roading until you decide to go with a all new spring setup.
Hope you get the tire rubbing issue resolved!
Last edited by XJIrish4x4; Oct 17, 2017 at 10:59 PM.
I have heard many bad things about wheel spacers but here is my thoughts. I have a 2005 F350 Dually 6.0 (shhhhh on those who hate it runs amazing and all the works done to it) that is my towing vehicle and DD right now. So anyhow back to what I was saying I put on 35" tires on there but due to the wheel spacing on stock rims in the rear and DRW I had to run wheel spacers. I opted for the high quality ones and they never failed me. Mind you I was pulling also over 13k# Fifth Wheel with tow rig running 35" tires and wheel spacers all over. Did I like the idea of them knowing they could fail? No, I didn't but they never failed on me and maybe it was just a matter of time. I don't currently run that setup anymore but that is for another discussion some place else.
(I also really enjoyed the look of my tires sticking out wider giving my truck a overal wider stance! She had a fat ***! lol)
I would say it is your choice but remember it is your daughter that will be driving all over the place in that Jeep.
As for rear sway bar from what I understand ditch it even though it is not a rock crawler, it is not that top heavy where rear sway bar will help with going around corners. I know my wifes Excursion makes a hell of a different with a hellswig one on that but the difference in size and weight is far greater in that vs. Jeep.
Blocks!!! NO Don't use those that is the worst way to lift a Jeep but I suppose it does not weigh that much and you could get away with it for now. I have seen many people run blocks on thier 1 ton pickups and never had issues. Not the way to go but if that is all you have for now I would just recommend she does not do any off roading until you decide to go with a all new spring setup.
Hope you get the tire rubbing issue resolved!
Only time I've never seen anyone have issues with blocks is when they run anti-wrap bars (traction bars) in complement. The ones that run blocks alone fall into two categories.... 1) those that have had issue and 2) those that will
I've experienced axle wrap on a stock dodge dakota with stock suspension (spring-under axle) so weight doesn't have anything to do with it... all boils down to physics.
Your probably right but I would still think weight does have an impact. The off roading part that will cause your axle to wrap is what to watch out for. That and I was also thinking along the lines of those who stack blocks which is not the case here. Blocks probably still not the best idea, at least I would never use blocks unless they were stock OEM when in this case XJ didn't come with them. Just go out an invest in some leafs that will give you the added lift. You can go brand new or JY find as another member here along with many others suggest S10-S15 type springs. I'm sure there are plenty others out there you can use which will give you the lift instead of buying brand new.
I'm tossing the idea around now to go bastard pack with my 4.5" lift or just buy brand new ones online 3.5" leafs with relocation brackets and shackles to give me the 4.5" lift. Undecided but if I go bastard pack then at least I wouldn't need relocation brackets and can just use my existing setup minus the different leafs.
all spacers are dangerous. Quality ones are just less likely to fail. The owner of the shop i work at banned the sale abd instsllation of spacers at the shop a couple months ago after a guy lost his wheel on the road and he wanted to sue. We torqued them when they were first put on. 5k miles later he had never checked them since and one went flying. Dangerous things if you are not careful
Very good advice. I have been refusing to touch spacers for years myself as a tire retailer/installer. Once you touch it you own the liability. Seen far too many dangerous issues with spacers over the years...
Your probably right but I would still think weight does have an impact. The off roading part that will cause your axle to wrap is what to watch out for. That and I was also thinking along the lines of those who stack blocks which is not the case here. Blocks probably still not the best idea, at least I would never use blocks unless they were stock OEM when in this case XJ didn't come with them. Just go out an invest in some leafs that will give you the added lift. You can go brand new or JY find as another member here along with many others suggest S10-S15 type springs. I'm sure there are plenty others out there you can use which will give you the lift instead of buying brand new.
I'm tossing the idea around now to go bastard pack with my 4.5" lift or just buy brand new ones online 3.5" leafs with relocation brackets and shackles to give me the 4.5" lift. Undecided but if I go bastard pack then at least I wouldn't need relocation brackets and can just use my existing setup minus the different leafs.
Anyways back to the original topic....
No matter what leaf springs are used it’s always good to have shackle relocation brackets to fine tune the suspension.
The DS1312 Drag Link is what is listed in the link and some places sell it as the part for both the XJ and ZJ, some have the other part number listed for the XJ.
When I did mine I just picked up all the parts and swapped them out in about an hour and a half. I did also have a pickle fork (TRE removal tool) but didn't need it, just unscrewed the castle nuts until they were flush with the end of the TRE bolt and wacked them a couple times with a hammer and they popped right out. Even though the 30 year old steering didn't show signs of slop if looking at it when someone turned the steering wheel, it felt much tighter with all new parts. Just a little play in all the parts adds up to a lot of play in the steering all together.
Ball joints are the only thing I haven't replaced in the front so far and those are next. Everything was original when I bought it a few years ago, first to be replaced were shocks and the U-Joints and wheel bearings, then steering and track bar. 30 years old but only 142K miles when I bought it and pretty much ever part original, I was amazed at how well it had held up over the years, but sitting for 6 years before I got it was not good on the front end. Springs front and rear and bushings are all I really have left.
I haven’t installed it yet but my father do not want to help me install it because from his POV they’re the same size and won’t fix the issue. However we both lack knowledge of lifted Jeeps so I want to be 100% that this will fix the short drag link issue. We also went a shop that installs lift and from pictures they said it might need a different pitman.
I haven’t installed it yet but my father do not want to help me install it because from his POV they’re the same size and won’t fix the issue. However we both lack knowledge of lifted Jeeps so I want to be 100% that this will fix the short drag link issue. We also went a shop that installs lift and from pictures they said it might need a different pitman.
If lifted more than a couple inches then it could need a drop pitman arm to bring things back into spec.
are you able to determine what kind of lift it has if I show you more pictures? I’ll post pictures tomorrow morning of what it looks like as a whole.
I know 17" rear and 17.5" front as measured from center of wheel hub to bottom of factory flare is stock height, I believe it is 6" from axle to frame rail if the flares are missing or altered. Anything above that is how much lift you have.
Also if the adjuster is barely threaded in you could try parking with the wheels straight ahead then(with the steering wheel unlocked) turn the adjuster to draw the ends in until the steering wheel makes a full turn and is centered again. It might just be the steering wheel was in the wrong place when it was installed last.
Is there a different amount of turns of the steering wheel to left and right before it hits the lock?
I know 17" rear and 17.5" front as measured from center of wheel hub to bottom of factory flare is stock height, I believe it is 6" from axle to frame rail if the flares are missing or altered. Anything above that is how much lift you have.
Also if the adjuster is barely threaded in you could try parking with the wheels straight ahead then(with the steering wheel unlocked) turn the adjuster to draw the ends in until the steering wheel makes a full turn and is centered again. It might just be the steering wheel was in the wrong place when it was installed last.
Is there a different amount of turns of the steering wheel to left and right before it hits the lock?
Almost everyone here knows how to measure for stock height here, but I have asked on several Ford forums about F150s and have never been able to get the answer to what stock height is or how it's measured.
Hello everyone. This is my first post, and I had a couple of questions. I've never owned a 4x4 before so bare with me. I've had this 2000 Cherokee for about 2 months and have spent countless hours on this site and youtube researching. First let me show yall some pictures of what I've found:
Are leafs supposed to be that flat?
Lift block, right?
Can definitely see one leaf is newer than the rest. Also wanted to get the shackle in there. I don't really like the way the angle looks on the back of that top leaf. Is that normal, or bad?
I can identify each component on my Jeep in that kit. I'm wondering how I got that much lift in the front as there doesn't seem to be any spacer's or anything adding to the lift. But my main question is how would I go about replacing the leaf pack and keeping the same amount of lift? Should I stick with RC or are the better alternatives?
OK, 3" lift is in front & rear. Other than springs and shocks, the only other component needed up front was a drop bracket to get the track bar to line up. We also had to go with 1.25" wheel spacers to prevent rubbing on the LCAs.
I expected it would probably need an alignment afterward, but when we took her out for a spin the steering wheel is now sideways and it tracks horribly. Is this typical of pre-alignment after a 3" lift is installed? Should the shop be able to get everything re-aligned fine with the stock steering components, or might they tell us we need aftermarket components to make it work?
So Ive been running stock wheels with slightly larger tires on my 99 since 2002. I have shackles and spacers that supposedly give me a 2" lift. No issues.
I just picked up some 15x8 wheels as I EVENTUALLY want to do a real 4" lift with trimmed fenders, etc., and run 33x10.5's. However, for the time being, what size rubber should I put on these 15x8's? Should I just stick with my 235/75's?
So Ive been running stock wheels with slightly larger tires on my 99 since 2002. I have shackles and spacers that supposedly give me a 2" lift. No issues.
I just picked up some 15x8 wheels as I EVENTUALLY want to do a real 4" lift with trimmed fenders, etc., and run 33x10.5's. However, for the time being, what size rubber should I put on these 15x8's? Should I just stick with my 235/75's?
yeah i would stay with 235s... that's what i run on a 2 inch lift
Sep 21, 2015, 02:17 PM
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