Longer Rear Leaf Springs

[jwtrapper]

My rear RE springs are shot. The 3.5" leafs now look like some stretched out S's. I have a set of the Shackle Relocation Brackets so I am wanting to utilize some longer leafs. I know some where on here I read about using some F-150 rear leafs but I cant find it. Anyone else have any suggestions on what leafs I might try. I'm looking at around 3.5 to 4.5" of lift. I just purchased some new tires and don't have a cherokee budget right now so it's either junk yard springs or no wheeling the rest of the summer.

When I put my 8.8 in my pinion angle was -2 degrees now I bet it's around +12. It truly is bad.

 

[MaxxXJ]

i know dodge dakota leafs are maybe 4-6" longer than the xj leafs and you should net at least 4 inches out of them if you use them all
the dakota leafs should be almost a direct swap with the front length being only an inch longer than a stock xj

heres a leaf spring chart, this should help point you in the right direction
http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=895

 

[Builderxyz]

goatman used mj main leaf and just made a new front hanger.you could use ford with the same hanger since it had multiple mounting points. thier is a pic of it in a thread, he just removed old front plated and welded it in. i think he mentioned buying the bracket at a circle track shop.do some searching i am sure you will find it..

 

[jwtrapper]

I'm going to try to find some 99-04 2wd Dakota springs and use thoes.

 

[Ghost]

It's the 2wd ford f150 leaf pack.

 

[tysonxj]

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1004504 - - This thread has tons of info. I went with F150 also.

In PW if you want to check it out-

 

[jwtrapper]

Well I tried the 2wd Dakota leafs and they would be good for about 2.5" of lift. The length is perfect with the shackle relocation brackets but just sit too low. I added some leafs from my rubicon pack that was messed up and one side turned out great but the other is sagging too much still so I have to play with it some more. So I guess its a no go with the 2wd Dakota Full Leafs. I might try a different leaf pack next time.

 

[MaxxXJ]

idk why your 2wd leafs would make a difference, i had 2wd leafs from an 88 and it netted me 4 inches

 

[jwtrapper]

I pulled mine off of a 99 Dakota

 

[ktm racer 419]

good info here. i have terrible luck with re leaf packs. i get only a couple runs out of them before they look like a wet noodle. i took a look at some toyota leaves today. military wrap and a decent amount of arch. didn't take any measurements though, kinda dissapointed they are a lil narrow, and a touch shorter. but using them might not be out of the question yet with the right modifications.

i came down hard on one of my shackle mounts recently and the shackle is cocked in the mount so it's a good time to redo my rear suspension with some reloaction brackets.

 

[ktm racer 419]

also. i have seen late 90's durango leafs in an xj. they bolt right in provide about 4.5" of lift. the downside to these are they barely move. might be a good canditate to rob a main leaf off of though and play with a bastard pack

 

[MaxxXJ]

also. i have seen late 90's durango leafs in an xj. they bolt right in provide about 4.5" of lift. the downside to these are they barely move. might be a good canditate to rob a main leaf off of though and play with a bastard pack

my dakota leafs are pretty stiff, but it rides awesome fully loaded with camp gear.

 

[GordoSmasho]

Dodge fullsize van leafs. They are same length on the front half and about an inch and a half longer on the rear half. Thus improving shackle angle and giving you about 3 inches. I have the relocation brackets and the van leaves and I'm sitting a hair below 5 inches with my shackle at about 40 degrees. Nice soft ride that doesn't sag at all even when I threw about a thousand pounds of wood and tools at it. It also flexes really well.

Gordon

 

[ktm racer 419]

Dodge fullsize van leafs. They are same length on the front half and about an inch and a half longer on the rear half. Thus improving shackle angle and giving you about 3 inches. I have the relocation brackets and the van leaves and I'm sitting a hair below 5 inches with my shackle at about 40 degrees. Nice soft ride that doesn't sag at all even when I threw about a thousand pounds of wood and tools at it. It also flexes really well.

Gordon

this is good info. sounds like exactly what i am (and most xj owners) are looking for.

did you experiement with adding/losing leafs or just bolt in the pack and go?

 

[GordoSmasho]

I was aiming for a really solid five leaf pack. I pulled two sets of leafs from dodge vans. One eight leaf and one five. I mixed and matched until the lengths were spaced evenly and used that.
The most important thing anyone can do when doing used leafs is to blow them apart and sand, repaint, and repad/reline the pack. It won't flex for crap if the leafs are stuck together.
There is alot of info out there and if you don't do your homework you will never know what you really have. You can't just throw something under your rig because someone else did. If you don't understand how the suspension cycles and works you won't understand what will be best for your rig.
I'm in the process of using brianho relocation brackets as the front spring hanger as well. It's full adjustable at that point front and rear so you can use any leaf pack you want. It also nets you about four inches off the bat with stock springs. It's all about what your looking for out of your rig and finding what will suit it best. I like adjustability and I haul alot so I built my springs to do so.

Good luck

Gordon