Losing My Lift Blocks!

Frank Z said:
:shocked:

Wow!!

Another great example of why you shouldn't run blocks!!

Scrap the blocks and use the correct height leafs.

Your rear shackles are OEM.

I'd also strongly recommend a boomerang style shackle.
Click to expand...
That's what I'm planning, upgraded leafs and shackles with ditching the blocks. Only problem now is that I need a new T-case :smsoap:
 
Your leaf packs are shot,dont think they are even factory.It needs ALOT of TLC to get it back to right!
 
Build a bastard pack and use half ton chevy shackles all in all that setup worx great Ive used it on 2 jeeps now and 50$ or so from the bone yard and 1 days labor with a grinder and a drill (no need to drill if you use stock springs) and they flex forever
:greensmok ps Junkyard builds thread is a great place to learn this stuff
 
one of the blocks is broken the other doesn't have a centering pin. overall it looks like someone did a hell of a halfass job on this jeep. those leafs look almost like they have an incorrectly placed aal in them and the centering pin for the leafs is upside down and broken. I would rebuild the leaf pack with either a bastard pack from the junkyard or spend the money on a full kit. when you get the new case (would get a junkyard unit) I would do a SYE on it. It appears you have a 2" budget boost stacked on top of a basic 2" or 3" lift kit.
 
Yikes!

New leaf packs, no blocks, a set of boomerang shackles maybe, NEW U-BOLTS (I'd suggest RuffStuff ones, they make good 5/8" bolts that will NOT stretch or bend unlike the spindly M12, 1/2, and 9/16 bolts that come with most lift kits), and maybe a new rear axle while you're at it. You have a dana 35 in there and it has bent leaf perches from the axle wrap now, it's literally worthless - a chrysler 8.25 should cost you 100 or less and you'll be 95% of the way done with swapping it out anyways when you put the new leafs and driveshaft in. I would give you one that just needs a new pinion yoke if you weren't on the other side of the country.
 
Thank you all for the great help! I know it's not the best solution, but for now I just replaced the transfer case with an NP231J. I also replaced the diff yoke with one with U bolts and made my own lift blocks out of 2" x 1/8" x 12" steel square tube. Here are some pics of the carnage of the old lift blocks vs my new ones.


IMG_5753 by bedheadben, on Flickr

IMG_5755 by bedheadben, on Flickr

IMG_5757 by bedheadben, on Flickr

IMG_5758 by bedheadben, on Flickr
 
Why put blocks back in? Seems stupid as hell to me. You had an entire forum tell you they were bad and yet you know best made some ghetto ass shit and expect it to work !!!1
 
If I were you I would have saved the flame and not posted pictures of your "new" lift blocks. I ran 2" blocks for over a year and it completely ruined my springs (last jeep). By the time I took them out they were completely inversed. Looked like lift springs upside down.

NEW U-BOLTS (I'd suggest RuffStuff ones, they make good 5/8" bolts that will NOT stretch or bend unlike the spindly M12, 1/2, and 9/16 bolts that come with most lift kits),
Click to expand...
Kinda OT, but anyone know what ruff stuff's torque spec is? I just picked up some of these and holy hell, they are diesel. So that's what $60 worth of u-bolt looks like eh...
 
the torque spec I used was "crank it down till the breaker bar starts hurting my hands". No trouble yet, I probably put north of 300 ftlbs on em.

As for those lift blocks, I would not run that... did you put a stud/bolt through the bottom of the tube at least so they will stay in place on the spring perch? Those are going to crush almost imperceptibly when you tighten the U-bolts and you won't get truly sufficient clamping pressure on the springs, so they will shimmy around and possibly loosen back up, putting you right back where you are now.

If you were local I'd give you a set of cast iron 2" blocks, but it'd suck to ship em. I got them to use as lowering blocks on my SUA MJ and then decided I did want 4.5" in the back rather than the 2.5" I had with 4.5" springs and 2" lowering blocks.
 
Kastein that's what I figured. I couldn't believe the difference between the cheesy autozone chiwanese grade 5 bolts and RuffStuff's.

OP, you really need to get rid of the blocks. This thread is heading the same way as that one guy who swore is was a good idea to run 2 shackles in the rear. Everyone told him not to, he did it and was chill for a while, and then I'm pretty sure he ripped his axle out.

Ah, man. This is pure Naxja gold.
http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=968732&highlight=double+shackle
 
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I understand that it's not the best solution, but you guys are talking to me like I'm the biggest retard in the world, like you've never seen such idiocy. I'm in the process of getting new leaf springs and U bolts but this is what I have to run for now until I have the funds to buy those things. I see Heeps on lift blocks way taller than mine every single time I go out on the trails :eeks1:.

I guess I know which forum not to visit until I'm at least 5k into my Jeep. :laugh2:
 
real lift blocks aren't that bad, and cost like 30 bucks.

square tube is not a lift block.

we don't care how much you spend on your jeep, hell I have around 2500 into mine and I've replaced nearly everything. what we care about is that it is technically sound.

edit: also, did you put a peg on the bottom to keep it from sliding off the spring perch, like I asked before? That's really really important, especially if you are using square tube as a lift block.
 
kastein said:
real lift blocks aren't that bad, and cost like 30 bucks.

square tube is not a lift block.

we don't care how much you spend on your jeep, hell I have around 2500 into mine and I've replaced nearly everything. what we care about is that it is technically sound.

edit: also, did you put a peg on the bottom to keep it from sliding off the spring perch, like I asked before? That's really really important, especially if you are using square tube as a lift block.
Click to expand...
Explain to me how my former "real" lift blocks were better. I welded studs on the buttom just like the other blocks had. These are definitely way stronger than the previous ones.
 
bedheadben said:
Explain to me how my former "real" lift blocks were better. I welded studs on the buttom just like the other blocks had. These are definitely way stronger than the previous ones.
Click to expand...
ok, that's not too bad I guess if you trust your welds. Your leafs will squirm around in there and it is not a permanent solution but it will keep it rolling.

They are better, but it's not the right way to fix it. If you hadn't put the studs on, it would be about as sketchy as the blocks, because all they'd have to do is slide out and fall off and you would be in the same spot.

Also, sorry, I didn't make myself entirely clear. I don't consider hollow cast aluminum lift blocks to be "real" lift blocks, for exactly the reasons you discovered. Maybe solid billet ones, and definitely any good quality steel blocks, but hollow cast aluminum simply isn't structural in this application as you already know. I really wish no one made those.
 
Well, I'll be going to upgraded leafs and shackles in a couple of months so it's not like this set-up is going to get a ton of miles put on it. Quite frankly I don't give a hoot if it ruins my current springs because I'll be replacing them anyways!
 
The springs I completely agree with.

If it does manage to spit out the blocks (I don't think it will the way you have it, just check torque on your ubolts every few weeks or if you hear strange clunking sounds... not the normal ones!) your axle will likely rotate upward and/or slide forward or back, munch up your fenders and break your driveshaft and possibly transfer case. That's where things really get un-fun.

Good luck!
 
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