Jeep J20 has 4" lift, want to lower it

[JeepManiac]

Hey ya'll. Wanted some opinions on my 1987 Jeep J20. It currently has 4" front skyjacker leafs and 2" blocks in the rear, and either rancho or skyjacker shocks. I bought it this way.

I'm not real happy with the ride and I'm not going to wheel it. I like it to be a very usable general duty work truck. I'm also trying to make it a lovely daily driver.

Anyway I had thoughts of everything from custom leafs to all stock replacement suspension parts. But my current thoughts are....

Option #1: Stock front leaf springs purchased from somewhere like BJ's. Some decent stock style shocks like monroe, remove rear block

Option #2: Remove a leaf or 2 from the front leaf springs to lower it (about 1-2") and soften it a tad. Replace rear 2" block with 1" block. Similar monroe shocks. This would be the cheapest option.

What do ya'll think?

EDIT: Just realized I should add a few details. Jeep came with a winch bumber and winch and I have since replaced that with a stock chrome 3 piece bumper. Removed 100 lbs probably. There was no noticeable change in ride or height. A iron block and iron head Chevy 454 is about to get dropped in. The weight difference between the 360 and the big block is probably similar to what was removed with the winch and bumper. I think I could start by removing the bottom smallest leaf and see what it does.

[JeepManiac]

Okay for shocks I'm thinking the monroe air shocks MA730 rear and Gabriel hijackers 49127 in the front

EDIT: Well BEEP! The monroe MA730 appears to be discontinued. Anyone know where to buy some, or what part number replaced them?

[Stuka]

Are they stock springs in back with blocks? If so, thats the reason it rides bad. J20's are 3/4 ton trucks and depending on which GVW it is, could have VERY still springs in back.

Or are you saying its 4" springs front and rear with an additional lift block in back, meaning 6" in back? It should be noted that Skyjacker does not sell a lift kit with a rear block, and they don't make a 2" lift kit. From your description of front springs and rear block with a crappy ride, it sounds like a rough country. Which is known for riding bad.

If they are in fact skyjackers, those are among the best riding springs out there. I would advise against removing one of the leaves. 4" springs are longer than stock, and if you remove a leaf to lower the spring rate, you will just end up maxing out the shackle which will result in a very bad ride.

One thing to check first is the tire pressure. Are they E rated tires, and if so, what PSI are they at? If they are up at 40-60psi, the ride will be terrible. They only need to be that high you have a load. Also, your shocks may be the reason for the bad ride.

[JeepManiac]

Stock springs in the back with blocks. Front springs could be rancho, I'll double check.

Shackle angle is not very good currently. Removing a leaf and lowering it would not cause an issue with my shackle angle it would improve it, so maybe they're not skyjackers, I do not suspect they are longer than stock leafs

I'm actually considering cutting the front shackle hanger, moving it back and re-welding it.

Tire pressure is good. 30 psi range. I'm not that dude that puts the max psi listed on the sidewall.

It's not that the ride is really bad, I just want to make it as good as I can while still maintaining leafs (not linking it)

I did just notice BJ's has some 2.5" lift front springs that are made by deaver. I have deavers on my race jeep and love 'em

[Stuka]

Ahh ok.

A better quality front spring will certainly help. Lift springs should be longer to make sure the shackle angle is good (Angle slightly forwards). If it’s angling backwards, that almost make me wonder if they are a re-arch. Or maybe they are springs for another application that were close enough to work.

You could also go with custom Alcans. They should be able to make a seven leaf pack, which is what grand wagoners used. Lots of thin leaves ride a lot better than fewer thick leaves. The heavy GVW FSJs use a two spring pack that rode extremely stiff.

[JeepManiac]

I just took another look and can't find a part number or anything on the leafs. Appears to have Rancho shocks. They're dirty and hard to see, just snowed don't feel like laying under it.

I assumed the leafs were skyjacker or rancho because there once was a part number on em and red poly bushings. Either way the shackle angle is not ideal, but it's still oriented correctly/not inverted or anything. Also the stock shackles are short as hell.

My race jeep has deavers in the rear, 9 leaves, 1" longer than stock and a perfect shackle angle, custom coils up front and custom valved fox shocks. I have gone 70 in the dirt in that thing. I am familiar with setting up suspension. Just looking for simple FSJ-specific parts or tricks.

When you said "The heavy GVW FSJs use a two spring pack that rode extremely stiff" you're talking about the rears right? My rears have 6 leafs if you count the very bottom one, which is a very short overload type leaf but rather unusual. I'm wondering if it's some sort of bastard pack

[Stuka]

The 2 leaf packs were used up front. Four leaf was the mid level, and then there was 5 and 7 leaf fronts, depending on year.

The rears are kind of all over the place depending on model and GVW.

And I didn't mean to suggest you don't know about suspension, it clearly sounds like you have plenty of experience. Oh, and I went back and look at your post that had photos, those definitely aren't skyjacker or rough country, as they have a partial wrap on the second leaf. So not sure who made them. But I am unsure as to which springs will ride better.

[JeepManiac]

The 2 leaf packs were used up front. Four leaf was the mid level, and then there was 5 and 7 leaf fronts, depending on year.

The rears are kind of all over the place depending on model and GVW.

And I didn't mean to suggest you don't know about suspension, it clearly sounds like you have plenty of experience. Oh, and I went back and look at your post that had photos, those definitely aren't skyjacker or rough country, as they have a partial wrap on the second leaf. So not sure who made them. But I am unsure as to which springs will ride better.

Awesome thanks, that's the sort of FSJ specific info I was looking for. I'll probably swap out the front leafs then. Good eye on those front leafs.

The truck doesn't ride really bad, I just want a great daily driver regardless of how it currently rides. That sounds ridiculous, but that's my best way to describe it haha

[JeepManiac]

I was just thinking too, about stock height vs some lift, and I think the one advantage to keeping it lifted, perhaps 2-3" is when I install my 454 I can try to install it fairly low without oil pan to front axle interference.

[JeepManiac]

Also, I meant to add the 4" lift made sense to me, with a 2" block in the rear because generally trucks have a rake to them, and to level them lift kits generally have the advertised lift amount, like 4", in the front and some smaller amount in the rear so it sits level. So the leaf and block setup made sense to me.

[rocklaurence]

The Rancho 2.5 lift has a partially wrapped front spring on the 2nd leaf. My Ranchos were closer to 3.5" and thats maybe why you have a block in the rear to level it.

[JeepManiac]

The Rancho 2.5 lift has a partially wrapped front spring on the 2nd leaf. My Ranchos were closer to 3.5" and thats maybe why you have a block in the rear to level it.

This seems legit, so perhaps I have a 2.5" lift and not a 4". It sits level. I emailed BJ's to ask if their 2.5" front springs (made by deaver!) are longer than stock to improve shackle angle. That's probably the route I'll take. Then reduce the rear a tad.

Anyone have insight on those Monroe MA730 air shocks and what replaced them or something very similar?

[JeepManiac]

Just read this "This Gabriel 49127 HiJacker Air Adjustable Shock Absorber replaces Monroe MA730 and is perfect for replacement or a performance upgrade."

So looks like I should be able to rock Gabriel 49127's in all 4 corners