Determining Leaf Spring Lift

I have a leaf spring question. I have a 72 CJ5. It has a spring lift installed by a previous owner. The springs have no markings. The left rear is weak and sets noticeable lower than the others.

The question is; is there a way, method, formula, to determine what lift these springs are? I like the current lift and want to retain it at it’s current height. I don’t want to buy a new set only to install them and end up too high. I use this Jeep for light trails. No crazy stuff. Also, anyone know who sells a sway bar for this narrow frame CJ? Thank you for any info.

 

A factory sway bar/ brackets can be used off any narrow track Jeep. Regarding lift it's likely going to be either 2.5" or 4" these were the most common aftermarket heights. A current side shot, measurements to the bumper may get you in the ballpark.

 

Good question and I have the same question. Hopefully someone with a stock CJ5 can let us know the bumper to ground measurements and you can get an estimate from there.

 

Here’s a couple picks. 25” to the rockers. 31” tires. 3-1/2” shackles.

 

Oh forgot. 1” body spacers.

 

I would say you have 4" lift springs. Also of note, your shackles look like they are longer than stock by about 1".

This is what new BDS 2.5" lift springs look like on my '71 with 1" longer shackles on the front and stock shackles on the back:

 

Fireball, Thank you for the info. I’ve been shopping springs. I’ve read Ranchos are stiff, Skyjackers are weak And so on. I heard one guy say the lift on the BDS he got were much higher than he expected. How do you like them? Did they give the the height you expected? Also, what size are your tires?

 

FinoCJ. Thank you. That’s very comprehensive info. I’m running 31” tires, which I’m going to stick with. The shackles are 3-1/2”. Based on Fireballs pics, I have more well but less tire. Could this be a 4” lift or do you think it’s a 2-1/2”? I don’t want to go higher but if I lost an inch I’d be okay with that.

 

The tires on the Jeep pictured are actually 32x11.5-15. I feel the BDS springs ride a little rougher than the Procomps I have on another Jeep but the Procomps are no longer available.

Of the choices that are out there, BDS is likely the best riding option. One complaint I have with the BDS springs is the front sat about an inch lower than the rear so I put longer shackles in the front to level the Jeep.

 

Thank you for all you input.
So let’s see if I got this right. I like my 3.5” shackles and I’m staying with the 31s.


If stock height is 18” to the rocker panel with stock 29” tires and I have 31” tires that puts me at 21” to the rockers. Add 1.5” for shackles and body mount pads and I’m at 22.5.”

A 2.5” lift would be 25” vs a 4” lift would put me at 26.5,” taller than my current height.

As I compare the pics of my Jeep with Fireballs Jeep It appears I have more wheel well clearance. Where is My math going wrong?

 

I would agree with the info above. Those guys are making pretty smart educated guesses, not knowing what springs are really under there. And there will always be some variation with the same spring too.

As noted, the 2.5” kits were far more common and today I think only Skyjacker makes an off-the-shelf 4” spring set for the 55-75 CJ. If you do an image search you’ll find pics of Jeeps with it. At one point there was 3” kit made by Black Diamond…now out of production.

I have around 3” of suspension lift and 1” body lift on a custom set-up with rear springs up front. I sit right around 25” at the rocker on 33x12.50x15’s.

Keep in mind your shackles, measuring the bolts off center, will yield 1/2 the lift of the length over the stock shackle which is 2.75”, bolt to bolt. So a 3.75” bolt center to bolt center (1” longer) shackle provides 1/2” lift.

I also agree that the BDS 2.5” option is great for your application. They ride well, flex well, are military wrapped and have a great warranty. After that many of us would then suggest a custom installed YJ suspension.

 

All my Jeeps for reference:

• 1968 CJ-5:
  • Unknown 2.5" lift springs (PO said it was a house brand for one of the major 4x4 supply houses 20 years ago)
    
  • 1/2" longer shackles front/rear
  • Extra weight with rollbar and tire rack but nothing else
    
  • 32" tires
  • 22 3/4" to the rocker
• 1969 CJ-5:
  • 2.5" ProComp lift springs (No longer available as of last year)
    
  • Stock shackles front/rear
  • Extra weight with winch, full cage, and tire rack.
    
  • 31" tires
  • 22 3/4" to the rocker
• 1971 Cj-5:
  • 2.5" BDS lift springs
  • 1" longer shackles front, stock shackles rear
  • Extra weight with Buick V8, truck 4spd, roll bar
  • 32" tires
  • 23" to the rocker

 

This is great info.
I have ...

• 2.5" BDS lift springs - excellent choice for these rigs as supported by many members here!
• 1/2" longer Warrior shackles front & rear
• Stock Dauntless, Ford T18 4spd, Ramsey REP8000 winch
• 33" BFG KO2 tires
• 23+" to the rocker with 30 PSI.

I can drop the ride height about an inch by going from 30 PSI (highway) to 12 PSI (trails) all around.
Don't forget tire pressure can affect this measurement.