Jeep Wrangler YJ Junkyard Lift

Jeep Wrangler YJ Junkyard lift - This is a poor mans suspension lift. Money invested including Junkyard springs, new U-Bolts and centering pins came in just under $150. Of course prices may and will vary depending on your salvage yard and where you buy the new parts.

Jeep Wrangler YJ Junkyard Lift - Time to lift mine

Aside from simply wanting to lift my Jeep to accommodate larger tires in the future. I also had a serious spring de-arch issue. Meaning, my leaf springs are so worn out that instead of being shaped like a smiley face :-) .. they were a frowny face :-(.

To do a Jeep Wrangler YJ Junkyard lift you will need some donor springs. General Motors S10 trucks, Jimmys. S15 and Sonomas all have the same width of 2.5" leaf spring packs as Jeep Wrangers and Cherokees. The difference is, the GM leaves are much thicker! So therefore much less susceptible to de-arching.

Only leaves you need to use in the GM packs are the top main leaf (the one with the bushings in the ends). Then, the next leaf down or 2nd leaf. You will cut the eyes/loops off the main leaf to the proper length to go in the front of the Jeep. The 2nd GM leaf goes in the Jeep rear packs.

You will need to remove the 2nd leaf from each Jeep pack. As I stated above, after you cut the GM main leaf to the proper length it will replace the 2nd Jeep leaf.

In the Jeep rear pull the 2nd leaf, replacing it with the GM 2nd leaf.

When I did this I got about 2" of lift. But most notable, I got a smoother ride because my leaves were no longer bottoming out on the bump stops.

Now keep one thing in mind. How much lift you get will depend on the condition of all the used leaf springs. If they are in very good shape with plenty of arch, you will get more lift. If they are de-arched and weak, you will get less lift. Same goes for ride quality.

Jeep Wrangler Junkyard Lift needed parts:

You will need:

  • Both rear leaf packs from Chevrolet or GMC S10/15 or Jimmy/Sonoma SUV.
  • 1 set of new rear U-bolts for a Dana 35 (if you still have that rear diff).
  • 1 set of front U-bolts for a Dana 30 (if you still have that front diff).
  • 2 sets of leaf spring centering pins for the GM truck you got the leaves from.

Here I'll include the links of the parts I used on my Jeep.

Now, if by chance you get enough lift that your drive shaft starts vibrating. One option is doing a transfer case drop. Click here to check that out.

Jeep Junkyard lift videos:

Junkyard lift - Part 1

Junkyard lift - Part 2