Cj7 lift

Hi everyone , I’m new here but not new to the world of Jeeping. I am in the process of “ building a cj , but I can’t get past the every time I drive it breakdowns , to even start on the “ build “. The current problem is it has started to collapse ( leaf springs ) on the drivers side rear . It’s gotten to the point where it’s so bad that it is impossible to shift into 2nd gear . It’s leaning so bad that the shifter hits the tub and it won’t go into second . Needless to say it’s a little bit of a pain to shift from first to third lol.

This Jeep has a 3” body lift on it that was installed by the previous owner . It also has what I believe to be maybe a 2.5” suspension lift on it as well , but I’m not totally sure . It has Skyjacker shocks on all four corners. It has 33x12.50x15s . The fenders have been butchered by the previous owner, and I do mean butchered . I’ll need to address the fenders on a later thread .

I’ve measured from the ground to the top of the windshield and it measures 6 feet . I’ve also measured from the ground to the bottom of the tub on the drivers side and passenger side and it measures about the same on both sides ,which is 24 1/2 inches .
The leaf springs on the drivers side rear look pretty flat . The rest of the springs have a slight arch still . The shackles look stock as near as I can tell. Bushings are visibly bad .

I’m wanting to fix this leaf issue , but without knowing for sure how much lift , if any is on it , I don’t know how to go about fixing it. I have plenty of clearance for my tires , and it doesn’t ride all that bad for a Jeep as far as Jeeps go . I hate to have to spend 600.00+ on a lift kit , but if that’s what it takes, so be it , I just want to get it straightened out and looking good. I took some pics today to give you guys an idea of what I’m talking about . Any help is greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long post .

 

Welcome to the forum @cjcruiser .
Just my opinion. If your not concerned bout spending the cash to replace the leaf springs and whatever lift you have installed. Why not just do that? Even if you find a fix for the issue. Your eventually going to have to. Which obviously....your laying out more cash.
Don't fix it. Replace it. Just my.....

 

My first suggestion would be to ditch that awful body lift. I would first recommend no more than a 1" body lift. The lift will affect many things like everything that is between the body and frame, many times the installer will not correct the problems it causes. For example the steering as your vehicle was not designed for the distance when the steering shaft gets stretched out that far, it requires a spacer to lengthen the shaft. The radiator height must also be compensated for as the lift moves the radiator up too high. Clutch linkage adjustment is another one as the geometry of the linkage is not designed for that alteration. There a quite a few other changes that have to be made to correctly accept a body lift of that height. A correct way to set up your CJ with a 33" tire would be a four inch suspension lift with alterations to both pinion angles, transmission drop, Steering adjustment and wheel alignment. Another suspension weakness is the tie rod bending when off road. A differential gear change and brake system modification should also be done with a tire of that size as it will make your vehicle start out harder and make it harder to stop, a speedometer gearing change should also be done. I am surprised about the leaf spring going flat, although in the last picture, I do see what looks like a stretched rivet at the spring alignment guide. Like maybe some damage was done before you purchased it.