will this mess up my alignment?

[94_2wdcherokee]

hey all i put 3 inch blocks on my cherokee in the rear and i guess it is the rear sway bar that sits on top of the leaf springs on that bracket. so when i put in the 3 inch blocks i guess it slid out of the bushing and it was rubbing my tires so i removed to sway bar and now my steering wheel is sitting like 45 degress more to the left than it did before the lift? do i need to get it realinged? or is it safe to drive it on the road it is a everyday vehicle or can i buy a sway bar for a 3 inch lift?? all help appreciated

 

[Eagle]

I don't think you told us everything. You described only a 3" rear lift, and by itself there is no way that could cause the steering wheel to suddenly be off by 45 degrees. Since it's unlikely you lifted the back 3" and did nothing to the front ... how's about coming clean and telling us what you did to the front?

By the way -- using blocks for a lift with stock leaf springs is a bad idea. Using blocks to lift 3 inches is a VERY bad idea.

 

[89xj]

first, when ever you do a lift, you must get it aligned.
second, 3" lift blocks are a very bad idea.
third, im not sure about 2wd, but does the rear sway bar sit on top of bushings? or do they sit next to to spring perches.
other than that, im confused on whtat your talking about.a re you talking about the front or the back. did you replace the coil springs?

 

[mark]

i guess blocks arent that bad if you got a 2wd and just want bigger tires and dont wheel, id suggest a traction bar to prevent axle wrap but thats about it

 

[94_2wdcherokee]

no i havent done anything to the front yet iam goin to put in coil spacers. why are 3 inch blocks a bad idea on stock leaf strings? yes the sway bar sits on top of the bushings. could it be that my rear axel isnt striaght?(just an idea) I think iam goin to take the blocks off and put a 3 " aal and 3" longer coils that is the right thing to do. they way i tried to do it was a little African American Engenerring dont ya thing?

 

[mark]

no, 2x4's and bailing wire would be more along the lines of that

 

[azxjman]

no, 2x4's and bailing wire would be more along the lines of that

LMFAO I would like to see that.

 

[Eagle]

no i havent done anything to the front yet iam goin to put in coil spacers. why are 3 inch blocks a bad idea on stock leaf strings? yes the sway bar sits on top of the bushings. could it be that my rear axel isnt striaght?(just an idea) I think iam goin to take the blocks off and put a 3 " aal and 3" longer coils that is the right thing to do. they way i tried to do it was a little African American Engenerring dont ya thing?

I am totally confused by your posts. There is no way that adding lift to the rear should be able to knock the steering wheel off by 45 degrees. Unless ... did the blocks you used have dimples and bumps to simulate the centering pins in the leaf springs? In other words, are you certain that you got both sides of the axle located correctly fore and aft? If one side of the axle is pushed forward or back relative to the other side, then it'll be driving the vehicle at an angle and you'll have to steer at an angle to compensate.

What "bushings" are you referring to in regard to the rear sway bar? The only bushings in a leaf spring are in the front and rear mounting eyes. There are no bushings where the sway bar mounts attach to the spring mounts, but you wrote

yes the sway bar sits on top of the bushings.

Why are blocks bad? Because with any leaf spring, when you apply acceleration or braking the axle tries to rotate, and the leaf springs have to resist that rotation (unless you have race-type traction bars, which the XJ does not have). When you add blocks, they push the spring rather away from the axle centerline. Longer lever arm translates into the axle transmitting more torque into the springs. This helps wear out (fatigue ==> sag) the springs very quickly.

Also, if the blocks are aluminum they corrode and turn to powder, sometimes fairly quickly.