Introduction and Suspension Help
- Thread starter John Alderman
- Start date
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- Tags
- shackles suspension
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Hot damn, I'm gettin' a magnetic angle finder!
Those magnetic angle finders are awesome. Did you read my shim install thread?
Ok , I'll probably start WWIII for this , but with stock springs , hangers and shackles every spring under setup works at it should through the suspension cycle . The whole problem starts with incorrectly designed lift springs and longer shackles - it changes the angle at which the spring sits versus the horizontal chassis line . Once you dip the leading edge of a normal spring setup on the front axle , it does not allow the spring to compress in it's normal pattern - hence the ramming effect so often argued about with shackle reversal kits and their fans . If you look at any stock leaf spring setup , the shackle end is always slight higher than the fixed mounting point or dead level with the horizontal chassis line on the front axle . Once you change that horizontal line the spring no longer works the way it should .
In my opinion , shackle reversal can cause more brake dive than it's worth unless you are willing to run quick-reacting gas shocks . With a nice set of soft shocks , the nose can dive terribly and even change the brake proportioning which in turn causes the rear axle to unload more than normal . I've dealt with several aftermarket kits on different 4x4 solid axle trucks and hate them . The key to making springs work right is paying attention to that horizontal chassis line - very few suspension kits available address this when using leaf spring-based kits .
Sarge
In my opinion , shackle reversal can cause more brake dive than it's worth unless you are willing to run quick-reacting gas shocks . With a nice set of soft shocks , the nose can dive terribly and even change the brake proportioning which in turn causes the rear axle to unload more than normal . I've dealt with several aftermarket kits on different 4x4 solid axle trucks and hate them . The key to making springs work right is paying attention to that horizontal chassis line - very few suspension kits available address this when using leaf spring-based kits .
Sarge
Mike, thanks for the link. I'm gonna need all the help I can get when I start on this!