Hey guys,

I have a couple of questions for ya'll regarding the suspension on my '91 XJ. My birthday is coming up, and I think a lot of my family and friends are chipping together to get me new suspension parts, because honestly my current 210K mile old stuff is saggin more than a fat guy's man *****. With even MORE luck, I found a Chrysler 8.25 rear axle (29 spline) with less than 100k miles on it for $150, to replace my Turdy5. Here's my questions.

1) I will be planning on doing a 2 inch lift (don't flame lol, it's a DD, but more lift may come in the future) with this kit: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/84-01...mZ140558568438

Now, I know people are going to flame about AAL's which brings me to my question. I will be ordering new leaf springs, these to be exact: http://thesuspensionking.com/catalog...rplbec0a8tkla4. While putting in these new leafs, I wanted to check the shackles. No matter where I look, I always only find lift shackles. Will my old stock shackles still be ok, or is there a bushing that I can replace? Edumacate me on shackles.

2) In regards to the above info, I will DEFINANTLY be replacing all leaf spring/ shackle bolts. I will most likely order the stock bolts from teamcherokee, considering I am lucky enough not to break any bolts. Or, does anyone recommend I still drill a small hole to get to the welded nut, bust it out, and use Grade 8 stainless hardware? If so, what size bolt and nut should I get?

3) When I'm done with the rear suspension (leafs, shackles, shocks, etc), I plan on replacing much of the front suspension bushings, including the LCAs, UCAs, track bar, etc. I will be replacing the sway bar end links and support bushings, and will probably get a new steering stabalizer for the 2 inch lift. Then of course new coil springs from autozone. Is there anything else up front I should replace? Also, don't worry about brake lines. I will be converting the 'new' 8.25 to rear discs, and will be ordering new 2" lift braided hose from quadratec. If I have enough money, I may even do the dual diaphragm booster upgrade.

Any other suggestions or advice? I'm sorry for the lengthy questions, and I appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

 

Anyone?

 

Moved to Advanced Tech.

 

Yeah, I should've thought which section to post in a little more, considering the lift quesitons My bad. Thanks for moving it for me.

 

What are your future plans for your jeep, just dd trail riding? If you have any thoughts of going bigger later on , wait till the than , instead of buying new oem or close to stock parts to just do it over again.

 

You may also get more help in this section.

 

You can get new stock shackle bushings but I would get another set any put them together and weld a bar across the bottom one and you'll have a tereflex revolver pretty much. Also (idk what kind of jeep you're gonna make it) but I would go ahead n get a 4.5 in lift from rubicon express it comes with EVERYTHING you need and in the long run it will be cheaper. They're sturdy lifts that don't wear out very often. I've had the same one on mine for 3 years and have gone wheelin and everything and still isn't saggin

 

Well, to answer some questions, this will still be a DD to an extent, and then an occasional trail rider. Nothing hardcore, just runs through some local trails and maybe some mud fun. I would still like to stick with the 2" lift kit I found, and then later on if I wanted to go larger, start with some 1" shackles for 3 inch lift, then if I ever wanted to go bigger (doubt it), I would just save up and get the rubicon express or skyjacker kits. But for now, the nice little 2 inch lift will do me good, plus I will hopefully soon be getting some BFG A/T's, I'm not sure of the size, but it's a step up from what my XJ has now, which is stock 225 or 235, can't remember. Plus, worst case scenario, if I decide to go bigger and buy a kit, the new stuff should still be good, and I'm sure there's someone on the forum who could use them. Where do I buy new shackle bushings? Also, explain to me more about that welded bar setup. I'm curious. Thanks again for the responses.

 

I bought the RC shackle relocator kit and 1.5" shackles an love it! Rides very nice .netted 3" of lift with Jeep UPCountry leaf's

 

The only real factor that really holds me down to this plan is the fact that I need new leafs... BAD. It's really pathetic when you can hear the axle tube smack my exhaust when I hit a bump... and my current leafs frown at me every morning. It's truely pitiful.

 

When I bought my XJ it had 2.0 shackles on it for rear lift They had a 90deg angle and rode rough. I would get new leafs and try to skip shackels,at least for now.

 

Id do a budget boost. you'll get 3" or so and itll last longer and work better than a spacer kit. As for the bushing on the front end, it would be a great time to start upgrading arms and the track bar and anythin else with some heavier duty parts. you can upgrade for the same or less than just replacing stock parts.

 

Well this just became a MUCH harder decision. I just looked in the vendor section for LCA's, and instead found a thread by FrankZ advertising 3.5" lift leaf packs for $108. God, that's so tempting.

Only drawback is I'm budgeted. With a lift that big, you gotta start worrying about SYE's, def new control arms and what not, etc.

 

I got 3'5" with a S10 leaf pack from the junkyard. A SYE would be nice but a trans case drop will hold you over and you dont need longer control arms til 4.5" or so.

 

Well, I think I'm gonna wait and see how much money I have to work with. If it's on the lower end, I'm just gonna get the new leafs from thesuspensionking, the budget 2 inch lift (worst case scenario the spacers wear out, and I call them on the warranty), new shocks, coils from A/Z, etc. If the budget is more, then I might go with the larger lift.