FJ40 shackle angle/ Do I need new springs? (20 Viewers)

[jim land]

this is the other way for breaking in stiff springs

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

4" Skyjacker, stock shackles.

Bottomed out.

 

[JohnnyC]

Used to get a lot of wheeling in ... they broke in kinda quickly

Here I am getting all flexed ... ahhhh I had a lot of good wheeling trips

before full time job... wife ... kids

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

Krondor,

Ideally the shackle should meet the spring at a right angle. Your front doesn't look too bad; the rear is definitely bad. I don't think adding longer shackles will do anything to improve that, but if the truck is not yet at its full GVW I'd load it first and then evaluate. I suspect it will still be sub-optimal.

 

[DSRTRDR]

you have skyjacker springs

you will need a longer rear shackles .... skyjackers arch has always been tight like that... you will get alot more weight on the back besides 100 lbs... spare tire carrier.... spare.... needless junk... people... and its the overall weight as well... they will settle a bit as well

make sure shackles are not tight either

I have had my skyjackers for over 20 years with maybe 200,000 miles on them... its a VERY nice soft ride now

not sure your statement on the Skyjackers being naturally tight is correct - I have never had a problem (inherited my truck from the PO with 4" Skyjackers, and also installed a new Skyjacker set of 4" springs in the rear several years ago) - my shackles are the anti-inversion-type from 4-Plus (not all that much longer than stock)

 

[jim land]

Hangers on the frame are 42.5" c-c
4"skyjacker springs is 45.5" c-c
Stock shackles is 2.75" it is too short and bottomed out and stop compression before the spring get flat , not good ,its the bump stop job to stop compression ,not the shackles job.
3.5" - 4" c-c shackles is ideal

see the place where it hit the hanger with stock shackle like @rkymtnflyfisher point erlier

 

[jsand1313]

Current setup, extended rear shackles, 4" Skyjacker, Add-a-leaf still there.

View attachment 2177853

What size tires are shown in this pic?

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

What size tires are shown in this pic?

33x10.5, Maxxis Razrs

 

[Buffchief]

What is causing this? I have a new HFS lift from cool cruisers and with the leveling block it still leaned a bit, so I made one 5/8' thick for the RR passenger side and it is better but still off about 1/2 inch. What I've noticed is that the LR shackle angle is a good bit more than the RR shackle angle and bottoms out on the spring and starting to dent it. The shackles I have are the "H" type from CCOT. I measured the springs CC and they are the same as well as the spring mounts left and right and they are the same. swapped the springs around and it's the same result....Left rear doesn't change! Should the Left rear be re-arched a bit?

 

[peesalot]

Slight slope in the ground, load in truck, tightness of shackles. If you say you swapped springs side to side and got same then its either the front hangers are in fact not in the same spot or there is more load on driver side, or that pass side shackle is tight. I will say that a slight diff on the lawn will do that to mine and I always look and think " why is that shackle so diff from the other, but if on flat ground its load.
Curious what the front shackles look like when the backs are diff like that ?

 

[Buffchief]

No, it's on perfectly flat shop floor, shackles are not overly tight, measurements from front hanger eye to rear are the same on both side as well as the springs before installation. Front shackles have the same angle. It sat basically the same with the 33x10.50x15 BFG mud spare installed. Spring mounts have never been removed and all measures seem to be equal.
Very odd to me

 

[rlong]

That sux, that would drive me nuts. I did not see if you measured center of spring bolts on each side to compare?

 

[cruisermatt]

Spring mounts have never been removed and all measures seem to be equal.

Can you take some better pictures of the welds and rivets on your spring mounts?

 

[peesalot]

I looked at that too Matt, it appears to be in stock location none the less. I say again, if you have swapped springs side to side and still same result . it's load.
It was posted that a shackle should be at a right angle to spring, lets be clear, thats not striaght up & down, thats at a 90* angle to the surface of leaf

 

[Buffchief]

Can you take some better pictures of the welds and rivets on your spring mounts?

Ok, I will this evening

 

[Buffchief]

That sux, that would drive me nuts. I did not see if you measured center of spring bolts on each side to compare?

I did but will again this evening

 

[Buffchief]

Ok, so I was wrong about the very rear shackles hangers not being ever being removed it looks like!!! But the measurements are the same from center pin to center pin. The forward have the original rivets, rear are domed bolts with nuts welded to gusset. Looks like the rear gussets were replaced.

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

Looks like that welder used a caulk gun and black spray paint............looks like.

 

[Buffchief]

Looks like that welder used a caulk gun and black spray paint............looks like.

Yeah I agree, I did push on it with a pick. Took the frame years ago for blasting and powder coating. Never looked at it that hard. Just took measurements lately trying to figure out the problem

 

[cruisermatt]

looks like I nailed it.

Take same good measurements and see if your shackle mounts are actually square with your other mounts.

I bet mounts aren’t welded in evenly with each other. Those are not rivets, they are button head bolts (a common use for a replacement when changing frame components).

the welds are not original, or properly done either.

If you do need to move them, I make and sell new replacements that use the later/larger/better +80 bushing. There are period correct replacements that use the smaller bushing available from other vendors though.