Manfre spring kit

[Awk338]

Bryce,
Sorry to hear your troubles! Been scratching my head a few times wondering why in the world I would continue to put time and money into "Sic Pig" but then I look at how much they want for a new 4x4 that anyone else might buy the same exact truck and I say " oh ya, that's why"!!!
If you need any help give me a shout! I can at least hand you tools!!!!
Keep the faith!!! Tony

 

[Brycec]

Thanks Tony I know you will

 

[J Mack]

The front springs fit ok although it only added 2 3/4 " of Lift not the advertised 4" that I payed for.

This will create issues with the engine and tires you said you want to use, at 2 ¾” total lift before the springs take a set will net you 2”- 2 1/4” lift after you put a few miles on the rig. This is going to add a great degree of difficulty fitting a SBC oil pan and 35” tires.

I will make sure even if I have to make a trip to Nevada that they make this work, especially when their response is oh yes you need to use our custom shackles at 200 for the kit.

If the springs are re arched or new arched springs with the factory main leaf length and you want 4” of lift you will need to move your rear frame shackle mount forward to make them work, a shackle by itself will not correct the issue of shackle angle.

Your three options in no particular order are take a wild a$$ guess and toss a bunch of time and money and hope you get it right, use math combined with some careful measurements and sound suspension principles to buy/build the correct components the first time or take the spring packs apart so you can cycle the suspension and try some different ideas.

I’m not trying to come off as a Dick or know it all in fact I have already spent all the time and money I’m trying to save you learning this lesson and the advice I first gave you of send this kit back and cut your losses then call Kurt @cruiseroutfit and buy his well thought out, complete kit that several of us have used with success is still solid advice.

 

[Brycec]

Jack sound advice. I plan on sending it back, but I want a response from them first. I'm really thinking that there's a screw up and I got fj40 springs or something. And I do apologize to all on here for my rants. I committed to this build as a daily driver and sold my 2010 f150 to make it happen so under a little pressure to make this happen in a short amount of time

 

[scrapdaddy]

I really think you'll be far a head on time and agony talking with the guys at Cruiser Outfitters. Let them figure out what's all needed to get her right. I've bounced around with my springs and getting the right shackle angles, still not done.

Good Luck man!

 

[Brycec]

You know what's crazy is were getting into 4 link coil suspension for this kinda money. And here I'm just trying to make a leaf spring fit

 

[onemanarmy]

here is what I would do:

Go get some flat stock and make some shackles. Bolt it all up and get the weight on the suspension and see how it sits and what can be tweeked. You're not the first person to have issues with high arched leaf spring and stock shackle locations while jacked up.. This won't cost much, if any money to troubleshoot. Once the weight is on the springs, you'll have a much better idea of what, if any, needs fixing.

 

[Brycec]

I get that, thank you. I do,have the flat stock and that was what I was going to do. The problem with that is I would need to make the shackles 8" to even reach the eye of the spring. And that's at an extreme angle that interferes with the exhaust. I would think the first thing to do would be contact manafre and make sure I got the proper springs, so at this point I'm waiting to here from them

 

[onemanarmy]

Is all of the weight off of the springs? When cycling the suspension, the shackle will swing back and forth and then the spring will push the shackle back to it's static position when at ride height.

or are you saying that at ride height the spring is too short?

 

[J Mack]

or are you saying that at ride height the spring is too short

Take a second look at his photo and you’ll see the springs appear too short to work regardless of shackle length, using the rule of thumb shoot for a vertical shackle with the springs at full droop and about a 45° angle back at full compression “ideal”, he would be 45° forward at full droop vertical shackle at full compression “or less than ideal”. Even for a pavement only driven pig this would net a crappy ride. Off road you would most certainly invert shackles at some point.

 

[onemanarmy]

yea...i was thinking it was odd regardless, but by judging from the extended shocks, he's got 4-5 inches to come down and compress the springs, just was thinking to quickly mock up some shackles to see what happens when the weight is put down.

 

[Brycec]

Thanks guys the shocks aren't attached. There hanging free. The owner of manafre contacted me and wants to work with me on it so we will see. I will keep you posted.

 

[Brycec]

Hey guys update on the kit, so the owner of manafre, Brian gave me a call apparently the person that did my order screwed up and sent me fj40 kit. And he up and left the company so everything in chaos there at the moment. Brian was very helpful is pulling a custom set of springs off his personal project to send out to me. Again yes I feel like an idiot for venting and I apologies to everyone. And yes he is paying to send back the fj40 set

 

[scrapdaddy]

Hey, who else can we vent to? Our Wives sure don't want to hear it. Glad it's getting worked out.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

That is great to hear they are getting you taken care of!

 

[PabloCruise]

And I do apologize to all on here for my rants.

Are you kidding? I got so fed up with my Pig, I listed it for sale at one point. Luckily, I had already sunk so much $ into it I would never get out alive.

You know what's crazy is were getting into 4 link coil suspension for this kinda money. And here I'm just trying to make a leaf spring fit

That is what you think right now. Wait until you are half way through the fab work...

Again yes I feel like an idiot for venting and I apologies to everyone.

Man, we need a place we can bitch. Otherwise our wives will figure out we don't know what the heck we are doing!

Hey, who else can we vent to? Our Wives sure don't want to hear it. Glad it's getting worked out.

Maybe he can call Mrs. Scrapdaddy? I hear she likes to talk!

 

[scrapdaddy]

My wife has learned the art of nodding her head and keep from having her eyes glaze over. I'm the luckiest guy alive!

 

[PabloCruise]

You are lucky! She turns on the talk track, "Wow, that is really interesting!"

Inside she is thinking "I hope he puts speakers in that damn Pig for our trip to Moab..."

 

[Brycec]

Hey guys, so been awhile since an update, so the springs that manafre had were for an fj55, if you cut your hangers off and move them 5 inches closer. So Brian the owner of manafre is working on a true 4 inch lift kit for fj55s. He is starting from scratch and working with a company to build new springs that will fit with no modifications. The question is how much interest will there be for a complete 4" spring kit? And I mean kit. Springs, pins, shackles, bushings, U-bolts, shocks. Am I forgetting anything?

 

[onemanarmy]

I'm interested, mainly in the springs.

All of the rest of the stuff is already out there, and can be put together piece by piece if you wanted to.

Never understood why FJ55 springs were (a) different than 40 and 60 springs, and (b) why no one makes lift spring FJ55 specific anymore