[Mikehw17]

New to the club, but been reading all the posts for a while. First I just want to thank every one on this forum for providing the reviews and knowledge for some one like me to pick a lift system. Now here is the quesion, I ordered what I thought was a lift kit with shackles, but AC sent me a kit with AAL (I thought it shipped kind of fast considering they fab the shackles per order, at least that's what the lady told me) :scratch: , no problem, still usable. But I don't want to wait for AC to ship me the shims and from reading Walrus' thread ealier this year it sound like 2 degree shims aren't enough anyways. So I am curiouse as to where I can find shims in the local market, I am in the NYC metro area and I have searched the major auto supply stores without success. Anywhere else I should be looking?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[Walrus]

Look for a place that does spring & chassis work for large trucks.

BTW - the 3 deg shim I put in still isn't enough, but better than the 2 deg from AC.

 

[Mikehw17]

Thanks for the quick reply Walrus, so you think I should go for a 4 degree one or some thing like 3.5 (do they even come in half sizes?) I'll call around tomorrow if I can't find any then I'll just return the AAL and order some shackles. Bummer that I am on vacation this week and was hoping to get it done before the new year. Oh well, if I have to wait I have to wait.

Thank again,

Mike

 

[Bruzer]

Did you ever find a local place that sells shims? I used the 2 degree AC shim on my install ( 3 Leaf AAL ) this weekend and it was not enough to eliminate vibration.

Did you come up with a number for the degree that eliminated the vibration for you?[/url]

 

[Walrus]

I am still running the 3 deg shim, and I still get vibration around 40mph.

I also got sick of the garbage ride of the AC front springs, so I removed them 2 weekends ago, went back to stock. So I am riding a little high in the rear, but it looks fine and rides great.

 

[xterrock]

So for those that have AAL's, what is the degree shim that would eliminate
vibration?

 

[Xtrem]

I am running the 2 deg. shims with my AC AAL, and no vibration at all.

I'm probably lucky ???

 

[Bruzer]

Yeah I bought the 3 Leaf AAL pack, and removed the overload leaf. Using the 2 degree shim I do find vibration from about 25 to 35 mph. I am guessing that 3 leaves create slightly more lift than one and need more than 2 degrees to fix the problem.

I called AC about the problem and they have not got back to me yet. I spoke with "customer service" and they said this was a question for the "technician". I gave them my work and cell numbers, we will see if they call me back.

I contacted a shop out of town and they have a set of 4 degree shims in stock, for $7.99, so I will try to see those work better.

 

[Mark]

I have 3 degree shims with my deavers. Its been just fine. Perfect now with my shrock works stuff.

 

[Mikehw17]

I ended up ordering both 3 and 4 degree shims from a local truck parts dealer. My installer did some quick calc and eyeballed the leaf pack, then recommended installing the 3 first. So far so good, no vibrations and it has been over 5 months since install.

Mike

 

[Bruzer]

The 4 degree shim worked for my application (AC 3 AAL). I no longer have vibration of any kind.

It was a lot of driving to find the right U-Bolts, center pins, and shims. Not to mention the hours of learning by experience the hard way to install them and taking it all apart to do it with another degree shim. I have no desire to work on my truck for a LONG time!

 

[Rich W]

I also have an 05 OR with the soft rear springs and have been following the various options since I tow a trailer. I currently have Timbrens but am looking for better options. Lift induced vibration was a common problem on late model Jeep Cherokees (XJ) and shims along with transfer case drops were considered bandaid fixes. Are we looking at slip yoke eliminators for the X to get longer rear drive shafts? Maybe some more experienced former/current Jeep owners can comment on this.

Rich