caldridge

My apologies if the answer to my question is buried in here somewhere, please note that I have done quite a bit of searching, but not found the answer I'm really after . Also, please let me know if this thread needs to be placed elsewhere. So....here it is.

I have a mostly stock 96 XJ with a 2" BB. There's about 125k mi on the clock, and the rear leafs are sagging, the same way my old XJ was. It's obviously made worse by the shackles, and wasn't an issue until I stuck some 31x10.50's under it. I have an almost new set of 98 s-10 leafs at home, and am now ready to attempt to start my bastard pack. Here's my question. I simply (for the time being) want to correct the sagging rear end. Does anyone have any information/knowledge about how I could go about this? I was thinking I could keep the shackles, and simply add ONLY the s-10 main leaf under the XJ main, and hopefully get where I want to be. Is this advisable? Would I just be wearing out the OE XJ pack further, or would I be safe in doing so? Do I maybe need to add another leaf or a different leaf? I'd like to not drastically affect the ride, but understand that it's not going to be entirely avoidable.

My other question is, if I plan on going with ZJ coils down the road and keep the 2" spacer, is there a preferrable order/method to adding more s-10 leafs, swapping the shackle etc? Many many thanks in advance!

armiller91

This is what i was planning on doing..
i'd like to hear the reply

That Jeep Guy XJMJ

are you running a stock shackle or a lift shackle?

the s10 main leaf should give you about 2"-3".

typically when i've done bastard packs i don't even remove the xj main leaf... just drop the axle.. split the center pin and then use a c-clamp or 2 the raise the "new leafs" up to the main leaf.

go on google and type in "XJ bastard leaf pack" i'm sure you'll find something there

caldridge

Thanks for the replies!!! Currently I just have a set of Terraflex 2" shackles in the rear. I've not done any real measuring to see what kind of losses there are in the rear due to sagging, but the rear leafs do have a slight opposite arch, and my 31s rub early when the rear begins to flex. My plan is/was to keep the XJ main spring, and add the s-10 main or any other needed leafs below that. Is your experience with adding ONLY the s-10 main netting 2" - 3" of lift with already sagging leafs or a pack that's in better shape? This is kinda where I was wanting to go, and to see if I could keep the Terraflex shackles, add a s-10 main and have a TRUE 2" lift, OR if I would have to swap back to the OE shackle to get the 2" lift.

If you have any references, that would be great, as most of my searching results in pages with adding multiple leafs from the s-10 pack, and I'm just trying to get my pack to quit sagging. Again many thanks for the help and insight!!!

That Jeep Guy XJMJ

to just keep you at a solid 2" lift i would prolly just switch out a leaf or 2 below the main leaf(s)... usually my bastard packs end up being a setup... set vehicle on axle and mount tires to check ride height... then adjust if needed...

caldridge

Thanks! I was hoping to avoid the whole add a leaf or two, re-assemble, measure, and repeat as necessary. But given that not not everyone's setup is the same, I understand that's probably my best option. Hopefully I'll get to it this weekend if I can get some new u-bolts and pins in time. I'll be sure to post my results and findings here. Thanks again for the insight and advice!!!