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Leafs too short?

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Old 07-30-2011, 07:49 PM
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Default Leafs too short?

Hey guys quick question for anybody who's done a 4.5" lift from Rough Country with full leaf packs instead of the aal. We went to put the leafs on and they were too short by like an inch and a half. I'm attaching a photo. Were pretty sure they sent me the wrong leafs so I'm going to call Jason up on Monday but figured I'd just make sure with everybody else here. The two guys working on it with and the Guy who owned the shop who we were working on it in all agreed. Anyways here's a photo for you to see.
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Old 07-30-2011, 08:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Red82
Hey guys quick question for anybody who's done a 4.5" lift from Rough Country with full leaf packs instead of the aal. We went to put the leafs on and they were too short by like an inch and a half. I'm attaching a photo. Were pretty sure they sent me the wrong leafs so I'm going to call Jason up on Monday but figured I'd just make sure with everybody else here. The two guys working on it with and the Guy who owned the shop who we were working on it in all agreed. Anyways here's a photo for you to see.
Same thing happened to me. That shackle has a bolt on it. Loosen it and then slide it forward. Worked for me. If its still too short then its the wrong leaf pack. Let me know how it works out for you.
Old 07-30-2011, 08:03 PM
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Yeah, if your leafs are too short it really isnt even questionable. There isnt any way you can come up short on them unless you try running them under the axle. BUT, try to loosen the shackle and connect them. In all honesty though, they look INCHES too short from that pic. Could be the angle but I dont know. Id put a tape on them and your old ones, mess around with them a bit but if they dont fit Id call them right up if I were you and get them to overnight the correct ones. And no offense at all, but this is why things must be checked EVERY SINGLE TIME whenever possible. Ive been working on new leafs too, and first thing I did when they came was ran a tape on them. First thing I did before tearing anything apart was run a tape on them again. Good luck, thats a major bummer. Gotta make sure its the right stuff whenever possible before tearing things apart.
Old 07-30-2011, 08:05 PM
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Originally Posted by usaf_mike
Same thing happened to me. That shackle has a bolt on it. Loosen it and then slide it forward. Worked for me. If its still too short then its the wrong leaf pack. Let me know how it works out for you.

yeah we were going to try that but there wasn't enough length still. Sucks man it's sitting like this now.
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Old 07-30-2011, 08:26 PM
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bolt the leaf to the shackle first. with the front eyes unbolted bolt your rear in place and put your tires on. lower the jeep and let the suspension hold the weight of the jeep. this should flatten out the leafs enough to put the front bolt in. youre definitely gonna need some shackle relocation brackets because your angles are gonna be horrible.
Old 07-30-2011, 09:36 PM
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they are super easy to build...

Old 07-30-2011, 10:34 PM
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I just put new leafs in today, and I didnt have any issues with putting it in place, lowering it, etc. I put the shackle in box, snugged up the bolt. Put the leaf in the shackle, snugged up the bolt. Put the front of the leaf in the bracket and was short, so I pulled it forward. Pretty straight forward if youve got the right parts and everything is free and clear and can move.
Old 07-30-2011, 10:57 PM
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you do not want to tighten anything until it is all together and on the ground...
Old 07-30-2011, 11:19 PM
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had the same problem, like already stated loosen shackle bolt and connect to the shackle first, instead of using the weight of the jeep i used a bottle jack. good luck
Old 07-31-2011, 09:16 AM
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Originally Posted by ericfx1984
they are super easy to build...

Do you happen to have a fabrication thread somewhere for those? I'd like to try and make them.
Old 07-31-2011, 09:55 AM
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that looks normal got weight on the leaf? what happens is they are the same length as stock with more arch in them hence why the leafs look shorter.
Old 07-31-2011, 11:04 AM
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Originally Posted by Dan91
Do you happen to have a fabrication thread somewhere for those? I'd like to try and make them.
they are pretty simple... I made it on the fly

you need to figure out your resting shackle angle...

in my case it was a little more the 90°... so to correct that I measured the shackle... it was a little over 6" eye to eye

THEN I knew that I needed to move it to 45°... however I wanted to gain just a hair of lift height, no more than a 1/2 an inch

SO the math for this is simple...

if you start with a 6" eye to eye shackle at 90° shackle angle

BUT you want a 45° shackle angle while maintaining your existing height you would move it forward a hair over 3" and down a hair over 3"...

that gets you pretty close... it's not always that simple...


you can also just look at it and guess... you would be surprised how close that can get you
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