Here are some pics of the front and rear shackles with the new 4" lift installed. They are 2" over stock. Any recommendations for a better shackle angle?
Thanks!
Thanks!
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shackle angle on new lift
- Thread starter amandap
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go to the hills and break them in.
dgangle
total rice
add weight
break them in
take leafs out
move shackle hanger inward
For me it wasn't until the last that it finally made a difference. Unfortunately this was the most difficult as well. I do not think Toyota ever intended for them to come off.
As shown in these pics shamelessly stolen from the web:
break them in
take leafs out
move shackle hanger inward
For me it wasn't until the last that it finally made a difference. Unfortunately this was the most difficult as well. I do not think Toyota ever intended for them to come off.
As shown in these pics shamelessly stolen from the web:
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rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
on the rear I cut the hangers off with a cold chisel and cutting wheel and moved them forward.
Take into account my springs are 10 years old.
Take into account my springs are 10 years old.
Flex them Leave it like that for a few hours then to the other side
- Thread starter
- #7
Recommendations noted. Thanks!!! Already flexed it as far as possible to measure for brake line hoses...didn't let it sit very long tho...I'll try it again. Will they really "break in" and sink that much lower? The posts describing hangar moving look like they have longer shackles also. Looks like the best option if I want to keep the long shackles. Would this configuration give the most flex? So, the shorter stock shackles will give more angle without moving hangers...according to peesalot. I'm not able to visualize that for some reason. Seems like it would just move the spring eye up. John, are you saying that you know this works? Not doubting your word at all, just making sure I understand what you mean and how things will move before spending the $$. Funny, usually I can "see " things moving in relation to one another pretty good. This suspension thing is just new ground for me. Thanks for the help!
amandap said:
If you end up remounting your shackle hanger, first measure the spring eye to eye distance at full spring compression to make sure that you don't run out of room and hit the frame under full compression. This is especially true for springs that have a high arch, like the ones you have, because the eye to eye distance changes much more with flex than a flat spring. In other words, there is no fixed magic angle for all springs. You just have to measure how your spring reacts at full compression and droop.
dgangle
total rice
I fail to see how this would any effect whatsoever. Please elaborate. In fact it contradicts what spring manufacturers say to do when using a spring with increased arch.peesalot said:
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- Thread starter
- #11
Pin_Head said:
If I'm understanding this correctly, I would stuff one wheel up high as possible and measure the spring? With the opposite shackle already fully "open" ie. 90* would it move as much as it should? I guess I'm asking another question on how to measure full compression and droop. Once that's known, how close should the shackle come to the frame?
dgangle said:
how do you know which ones to pull out? shortest spring first to longest?
what is the side effect of doing this to correct the angle? does soemthing else suffer or become noticable (ride, steering, tracking, etc)?
does this work for both front and rear, or should it only be done to one or the other?
dgangle
total rice
wantatlc said:
Should work for either the front or rear springs. I see no reason why one is different than the other.
Regarding your question about removing leafs, I was always told to start taking out the shortest leafs. Plus they're the easiest to get to without completely disassembling the spring pack. Some will remove others....I don't think there is a mathematical formula to determine which one(s) but opinions, experience and guesswork will help.
Side effects? In theory one side effect may be increased spring wrap but that happens when the springs are softer and isn't that what we're after anyway? I pulled 2/5 leaves out of my 4" SUA BTB's and it still rode like sheit. It wasn't until moving the hanger that it started to show some flex. I went and put one leaf back in. Of course Brian at BTB said my reasoning was all convoluted but if I listened to them, I am the only person in the universe experiencing a harsh ride from their springs. Imagine that.
remove leafs
longer shackles
relocate the hangers to get a non-vertical shackle angle
Trust me. It works.
- Thread starter
- #14
Poser said:
yup. does it make a difference?
spdwaver
Formerly Kalifornistanian
Judging by the part numbers and the shackle angles, I would say YES. I have the exact same thing, and same problem.Poser said:
spdwaver
Formerly Kalifornistanian
The difference that it does make is that the springs are incredibly stiff, as though you were riding on four pogo-sticks. They need an incredible amount of break-in time, by my experience. Mine are about 5 years old, with very little break-in time on them, because it was being built for most of that time.amandap said:
Do what they say, as far as breaking them in.
- Thread starter
- #17
spdwaver1 said:
Do you have the extended shackles also? Does it seem a bit high in front? Just comparing notes...nice to not be alone with our problems...
amandap said:
Droop is easy: Just jack it up until the tire is off the ground, but you may want to disconnect the shock and shackle if they are limiting the droop (and get longer ones). I found that just jacking up the other side did not fully compress the spring. I attached a come along cable to the frame above the axle, ran the cable under the axle and attached the other end to the frame and used that to compress the spring fully.
When the shackle angle gets to about 30 degrees with respect to the frame (90 is vertical), it doesn't take much more compression for the hanger to bottom out on the spring, which is something you want to avoid.
Once you know how much the eye to eye length changes, you can figure out what the right combination of shackle length and angle you need to get the highest range of motion out of your springs. This isn't as big of a deal with flat springs as the eye to eye distance shortens with both compression and droop.
1973Guppie
Supporting Vendor
I would think some longer shackles would solve your problem, just get some flat bar and drill some holes up.
Noah
Noah
