Dammit! On my 95.5 Rodeo, the driver's side rear is sagging by about 1/4 - 1/2 inch, depending on where you measure... I'm trying to figure out what to do about it.

Here's what I've done to the vehicle so far:

1) Calmini 1/5 inch lift shackles, all new poly bushes on the rear leafs.
2) Front, new BJ's, upper and lowers, flipped the uppers (they were really shot, discovered while I was replacing the CV boots).
4) Repacked everything. I discovered that I can pull the 1/2 shafts all the way after I pulled both upper and lower BJs. New Superwinch manual hubs... (All parts except shackles from Independent4X, great shop!)
5) Installed low profile bump stops.
6) Cranked the front 6 turns to try and raise 1.5 inches to match the rear lift.

The front camber is now WAY out, with the height only cranked 1.5 inches and the Ball Joint Flip (no spacer). I flipped it in anticipation of future cranking on the torsion springs if I ever added leafs to the rear.

I've searched, but was not able to find any definative answers, and I've got lots of questions:

If I add leafs to the rear, will this make the 1/4 inch sag less noticable?

If I add leafs, and this gives me a total lift on the rear of 3", I understand that I'm going to wear out the driveline center bushing. I understand that shimming the rear axle may help with the pinion angle with longer shackles, but is this shim necessary with leafs and shackles?

I understand about having a 1-piece driveline made... Is it necessary to cut out the frame member where the center bushing resides? (It looks structural... not good) Does the axle pinion angle still need a shim with a 1 piece driveline?

This information is going to influence my final decision... I'm inclined to just leave it at 1.5 inches of lift in the rear, and possibly looking for a junkyard spring pack off another rodeo to fix the 1/4 inch sag. If I do this, I think I'm going to put the balljoints back to stock before I get it aligned, as right now it is going to need a LOT of shims added to get the camber back... But then again, if I leave them flipped, and then I crank it up on the future, it is pretty easy to remove shims to get the alignment back...

Another factor influencing my decision is that right now I'm running on some 255/70x16 Michelines that have a lot of tread left on them. I want to go to a 265 / 75 x 16, but for now if I jack it up with the smaller tires it would look kind of silly...

Anyone in the NW use Les Schuab for alignment?

Any and all thoughts greatly appreciated.

Honestly, with that small of a difference I wouldn't devote any time to it. And if you just did the lift/etc, stuff is still going to settle for a couple of months anyway... so if you change stuff around and get it 'perfect' now; its probably going to be out in some other way by next spring. You may be able to influence how level the back-end looks by messing with the torsion bars up front as well. If you cranked each side exactly 6 turns, one may have actually lifted more than the other. But to get back to my original point, 1/4-1/2" difference on a 11 y/o vehicle when the suspension has been modified is not a big issue.

For 3" of lift, a one-piece driveshaft (OPDS) will save you a lot of headache down the road. Plenty of prior threads on this; and the price seems to have a large range depending on where you live. The frame crossmember doesn't need completely cut out for a OPDS; just parts of it. As for effects on the frame's structural integrity... all I know is that a lot of 'Zu owners have done it and wheeled hard for years afterward and I don't know of anyone's frame twisting into a pretzel.

In theory, if you add the same leaves to both sides of the back-end, you'll still have the same amount of difference only with a taller overall height. Of course in the real world the leaves may have a slightly different effect from side to side, especially used ones out of a junk yard, especially once they have a few months to settle into their new application.

With no more time/effort than it takes to undo the bj flip, I'd at least give it a try to see how things look before you take it in for an alignment. It may help and make the alignment process go more smoothly; or it may do too much and throw off the camber in the other direction.

Well, I left it with the BJ's flipped and took it in for an alignment. It aligned out perfectly, shimmed out a bit. Now if I crank the T-bars in the future up to 3 inches, I'll just need to pull a couple of shims to get the camber back in..easy.

The guy at the shop said it looked to him like the leaf spring was a bit deformed and that was the cause of the sag. I hear what you are saying about unequal lifts on the torsion bars and that affecting the lift / sag in the rear...However both sides in the front are at EXACTLY the same height, and both front sides are approximately 1/4 inch shorter than the right rear. Its just that one side, driver's rear, that is about 1/4 inch lower than the passenger rear...

I'm thinking that if I add leafs on the rear to lift it another 1.5 inches, the amount of sag on the driver's side will be less noticable, as it is a smaller percentage of the overall lift... The spring acts right, handles right, it is just a bit deformed and therefore lower, so I'm betting that if it is sagged 1/2 inch now at 1.5 inces lift, it'll still be sagged 1/2 inch at 3 inches of lift (16% compared to 33% of the overall lift.)

Then again, maybe I could pick up a spring pack from a bone yard for really cheap and the problem would be solved...may be worth it, as I'm more than likely not going to lift it any further this year.

Now if I crank the T-bars in the future up to 3 inches, I'll just need to pull a couple of shims to get the camber back in..easy.

No, it is not that easy. Ride height affects toe too. As the wheel drops, (or is lifted, same relative thing) the tie rod pulls the front of the tire to the inside. If you cycle the suspension, you will see the tires toe in and toe out as wheel position changes. These things are not things you can eyeball if you want it done correctly. You can get close, but for $40 it is well worth the cost of an alignment.

Michael

Oh yeah, more...

The spring acts right, handles right, it is just a bit deformed and therefore lower, so I'm betting that if it is sagged 1/2 inch now at 1.5 inces lift, it'll still be sagged 1/2 inch at 3 inches of lift (16% compared to 33% of the overall lift.)

Well, yes, maybe. It depends on the add-a-leaves. Frankly, they are a poor way to lift the rig, but they work. New springs, added springs (like DOR's Spring upgrades) or even a rearched pack (still not a great idea) will give you a much better lift and performance (read: ride, at the least).

Frankly, I really would not worry about the difference in height. If it bugs you that much, find a donor pack (or two to keep things equal) and swap it out. But, in the end it is just a minor irritation.

As a warning, some of your front alignment is dependant upon the height of the rear. Changing that, will also change the alignment to some degree. I think you were planning on doing the move to 3" all at once, but it is something to consider.

The best plan is to decide upon exactly what you are going to do in the rear, lift it, crank the front and head back to the alignment shop. Then, everything will be correct.

Good Luck,
Michael

Thanks Michael,

Yeah, I was aware that it would need to go back to the alignment shop if I cranked the front height any further, its just reassuring to know that it can be brought into adjustment relatively easy, whereas if I hadn't flipped the BJ's I'm not sure where I'd be alignment wise.

No, I'm not planning on doing any more lifting up the other 1.5 inches any time soon, maybe in the spring. I figure I'll do that when its time for me to get new tires. Currently I'm running 255 / 70 x 16's, and unfortunately they still have a lot of tread on them. When I wear out these tires, I plan on getting a set of BFG TA/KO's in 265/75 x 16, then I'll do the lift. If I lift before the larger tires are installed it might look a bit odd.

It sounds like you are over in the Lewiston / Clarkston area? I'm in the Tri-Cities.