I put a Rough Country 3" on my XJ a while back and opted for the full leaf pack rather than add a leaf. I was told several times that the RC springs are too short and did not allow the correct angle of the shackle. So after installing a heavier rear bumper resulting in about 1 inch of sag I decided to put on a shackle relocator, which also gives you about 1.5 inches lift. All installed but not sure what angle the shackle should be. The photo shows shackle with xj at rest. Does that look correct or do I need to adjust ?

 

That angle is a little too steep, but with the stock shackles that's all the better you will get. If recommend some longer shackles.

 

Trying to avoid raising it more. I still have to bring the front up as it is now. If I keep the stock should I move back a hole ?

 

I had same problem had to trim or cut relocaters for shackles to fit proper

 

I would leave it where it is

 

Should have gone with no lift relocation boxes and short .75" lift shackles. This would have given you not much more ride height with all of the benefits

 

Any recommendations on springs to raise the front up about an inch in addition to adding a little stiffness ? RC 3" lift springs on front now but after adding front winch bumper and winch is sagged about an inch and the front end is now soft due to weight. Also the RC shocks are up front. Could I go with spacers and a different shock or is a different spring the best route.

 

But I did want the lift due to the sag from bumper with carrier. I just don't want to lift it more than what it is now since it's back to where iit was prior to installing bumper.

 

You should either do a longer shackle or trim the brackets because that shackle is going to hit as soon as you flex. A longer shackle doesn't necessarily mean more lift, with my HD relocation brackets and 5" shackle at the correct 45 degree angle I only gained 1.5" of lift (I still had to trim the brackets for the shackle to clear). For the front I went with a 5.5" RE coil in place of my 4.5" RC coil and now I'm sitting level.

 

Right, Then you add a longer shackle with the no lift brackets.

I'm at about 5.5" of lift with RE 3.5" leafs, HD no lift brackets, and a .75" lift shackle

 

Sounds like op should have done a little more research before throwing parts at it. But I agree with all the above. I've run 3" RC packs with shackle relocators and RC ext shackles to get 6.25". My new setup is HD No Lift brackets with a 4.5" BDS pack and a BDS 1" shackle to get me a solid 5.5".

If you want to keep your current setup I would just get the shortest ext shackle you can, which is going to end up being either JKS or BDS, both 1", and have a bend in them.

RE coils and leafs are known for having more lift than they advertise. So you could easily get the 4.5" coil and the actual lift will be 1"-1.5" more. It will settle a little after use too.

What overall lift height are you trying to achieve?

 

Actually I've compared RE 3.5 and 4.5 springs. The 4.5" springs actually net me less lift than the 3.5" because of the spring rate.

I'm currently running RE 5.5" springs

 

Prior to adding aftermarket bumpers and a winch I was happy with the lift the RC 3" lift gave me and my ride sat level although I do not know the actual lift gained overall. Added front bumper and winch so front end dropped about an inch. Added rear bumper next and back dropped about the same so sitting level again. Front and rear were now softer due to added weight so wanted get gain that inch back. I inquired about shackle angle because I had always been told here that the RC leafs were to short. Went with these because they supposedly add 1 to 1.5 inches of lift back in addition to correcting shackle angle. So now the back it basically back where it sat before. From this point I guess I could trim the bracket to make shackle clear and then just space the front end up or put different front springs to match.

If longer shackles are recommended then I want to choose the correct ones for the bracket I chose, even though these brackets may have not been the best choice. If the longer shackles raise me another 1 to 1.5 from where I sit now I guess that would be ok. With the back being softer from added weight I'm guessing a little more ride height might be good. I just want to get he back set as best I can before I go adjusting the front.

So I guess the question is... using my current bad choice of relocator, what shackle should I go with ? 1 to 1.5 more inches of lift is ok.

I'm not against ditching the RC Springs and relocator and going a route that will give me 3 to 4.5 inches of lift and stiffen the rear up a little.

 

I would do HD No Lift relocators, with your 3" packs, and an ext shackle, 1-1.5", whichever you choose.

But, the HD brackets require you to cut the OEM frame bracket so once you do there's no going back; really no reason to and you could weld an OEM back on if you really wanted to.

Trying to save money with the setup you already have, I would buy an ext shackle and use the setup you have, with the added weight you have it might be around 4.5-5" after it settles.

Then just buy a spacer or full length coil(always better) to level it out.

 

I wouldn't trim the bracket either, if you do decide to sell them it'll hurt value, and you would have to trim them all the way up to clear the stock shackle from the looks of it.