Isn't the body set at a slight rake on the frame? That would make for different frames of reference when looking for "level".
I can't go check. Damn gf is off running around in the jeep again like its hers...
As to your question- i prefer some rake so my jeep doesn't look like a dog itching its b-hole on the ground when i haul stuff.which is often.
After looking at this photo I thought you were right, but it turns out it's just because the frame narrows toward the front so it looks like the frame draws up under the tub. I measured next to the LCA mounts and just like the tub, it's 1/16" higher in the rear than the front (20-1/16 in the front, 20-1/8" in the back).
I don't have any truly flat ground to take a photo outside, my garage is too messy to be able to see the whole thing, and my cell phone camera is skewing everything, but this photo, while it doesn't look squatty, does maybe shed some light on why my brain is interpreting it the way it is.
1. The frameless top slopes toward the back, as can be seen comparing it to the line between the topmost panels on the garage door.
2. The rear wheel arch is about 3/8" lower in the back, which looks squatty next to our 4Runner, where the rear arch is higher than the front by 1-5/8".
At some point I might load all my gear back up and take another set of measurements to see how much it sags in the back. At this point though I think I've convinced myself that it's just my eyes playing tricks because of the roofline and the comparative wheel arches to the other vehicle that I often see it parked next to, so maybe I'll just leave it alone.
I wish they weren't $284, but I am growing more fond of the idea of swapping my rear springs for other reasons. These springs free length kinda sucks, and actually fully unload about half an inch before the shocks reach full extension. The bump stops are long enough that they won't ever fall out, but they're not doing anything at that last bit of travel, either. I don't know how it translates to an offroad 4x4, but I know some thought is put into suspension tuning for passenger and race cars front vs rear which could make wildly disparate rates undesirable, and I can't rule out that the loss in ride quality I experienced when I switched everything from TJ to LJ might not have been entirely due to changing the weigh distribution, but could be related to pairing completely different springs to the same dampers.
