Chance to get shackles cheap...

[Joopin]

1062857

I found a deal on 4 shackles, they said it gives 2" lift. They don't look that bad on the jeep they had pictured. The only thing is they don't come with bushings, and they have regular bolts, not greasable. Should I just throw the extra money in for the greasable ones? I guess it's to keep them from siezing up... [addsig]

 

[west747]

1062859

depending on " how cheap " these shackles are...cheap being like 40 bucks.. i would buy em and then buy a set of greasable bolts off ebay..[addsig]

 

[L33TJ33P]

1062861

Loctite will stop them from seizing no?[addsig]

 

[Joopin]

1062898

Actually the shackles are off ebay! I can get them for 55 bucks for 4... Do I NEED bushings? I found bushings and greasable bolts on ebay too... I should add it all up and see how it compares to just buying 4 all ready to go... thanks![addsig]

 

[Joopin]

1062904

Okay, why would these

have 2 offset center braces and 2 Non-offset center braces? And these

claim to have the same 2inch lift but all 4 have offset center pieces. Why the offset? Which ones should I buy? For some reason the first ones look a little stronger, but they are more expensive too... Any input would help![addsig]

 

[bluebelle]

1062931

joopin,

The shackles look strong. If you grease them up with plenty of silicone grease when you install them, which should be sufficient. bluebelle doesn’t have greaseables. A matter of choice.

Any thought of doing a reversal shackle kit?

blue
[addsig]

 

[Joopin]

1062939

bluebelle, to tell you the truth, I don't even know what a reverse shackle lift is... probably just what it says but no one ever explained it to me, I've just seen it mentioned on this site... Care to explain it to me? What are the benifits? Do you get even MORE of a lift? Thanks for the info.[addsig]

 

[bluebelle]

1062940

joopin,

Certainly, reversing the front shackle for the back on the front axle. It requires welding a mount for the stationary point of the front leaf pack on the nose of the frame and drilling mounting holes for the rear mount for the leaf - the shackle end.

It makes perfect sense to me that the jeep would handle much better with the shackle on the rear of the leaf so when the leaf flattens out, the tire moves back rather than forward. This moving back would increase the castor effect on the steering.

There are some complications of a SRS Shackle Reversal System; increased braking nose dive, possibly needing a longer front drive shaft ($$) quite a bit of work (getting the rear mount off the frame has got to be a bear without a lift).

I'm seriously considering a SRS for belle. But i'm waiting for the moment.

Take a look at any of the on-line sellers for a kit. They’re around $300 ish and appear to be rather simple - requires welding, though. Kind of hard without a welder . . .

You can get them with or without lift.

blue
[addsig]

 

[jeepngeo]

1062951

The offset ones are for the rear and that is because of the frame. When you try to install them you will know. The set of four with the offset seem to be interchangeable with all four corners. The first set has the pair of symmetrical ones for the front so the look - well - symmetrical withe the springs. At least that's how mine are on my 89 - gives me about 1" on lift (I'm just starting to go up). Hope that this helps. [addsig]

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

1062979

They look like a decent product, at a good price. Either kit will work, jeepngeo explained the offset center brace well.

Remember that the 2" lift will require a shackle 4" longer than stock. This will look horrible, the shackles will hit everything, they will help flatten the spring quicker, they will decrease caster and increase wander, and may cause rear driveline vibrations. Need I go on? I'm not a big fan of shackle lifts, can ya tell :lol:

They do have their place, like slight shackle lifts used in conjuction with a spring lift.

Don't do a shackle reversal, not worth the money and trouble. To do it right requires drilling and sleeving the frame for the shackle, a lot of work. The cheap kits hang the shackle below the frame, looks like hell and spring and shackle hit everything. Also, as the suspension compresses and the axle moves rearward, this unloads the pressure on the front tires, resulting in less traction. You decide.[addsig]

 

[Joopin]

1063055

I didn't realize that shackles affected the jeep that much... I just thought it would be a quick way to get an extra 2". I saw a pic of the jeep with the shackles on it and it didn't look that bad.. but they might have been smaller shackles... I guess I should rethink this... has anyone had good luck with shackles? [addsig]

 

[jeepngeo]

1063072

:-D I like mine, like I stated I only have about an inch of lift. I very much like the look of them compared to the stock two-piece ones. Also like Bounty Hunter, said too much shackle lift is not good but a bit lift used inconjunction with a lift kit (springs) is very nice. To answer your question - I have had good luck with them and have put them on a total of 3 different jeeps. Go for it! [addsig]

 

[west747]

1063076

The shackles on my jeep look fine and i have not had too many problems with wandering...plus the added strenght of the cross member is a bonus [addsig]

 

[Joopin]

1063086

So Jeepngeo, what size shackles do you have? Do you have a suspention lift as well? I plan on doing an SOA soon so maybe I should just go with an 1.5" Shackle for now... have you 2 (west747 and jeepngeo) have any driveline vibrations like BH was talking about? Thanks for the info![addsig]

 

[jeepngeo]

1063191

No vibrations to date and none ever on two other YJs. Like I said total lift 1" = 2" larger shackles. Currently no other lift but I'm planning a 2.5" in the near future (rubicon express or rough country like Tug) As long as you dont go over three inches you should be good with most lift kits. I do like 1 - 1.5" shackles - did I mention that. Good luck with eveything. Geo :-D [addsig]

 

[jps4jeep]

1063210

I was told in a previous posting a while back not to excede 1 " in shackle lift because under stress it could cause the axles to "sway" side to side possibly crushing a bushing which in my mind kind of made sense.[addsig]

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

1063211

IF you want 1.5" to 2.5" of lift, I'd get an add-a-leaf (AAL) kit. It's just an extra long leaf to each spring pack and it will not decrease your approach/departure angles like a shackle lift will. If you plan on SOA later, the AAL will help prevent (lessen) spring wrap and spring fatigue that often accompany a SOA conversion.

There are several posts on AAL, so search this forum. I gained 1.5" by adding an extra YJ front leaf to each pack, for about $50. Easy to do and you can keep the main leaf bolted to the jeep, a plus when the spring bolts are frozen in the bushing (I know a lot of jeepers can attest to this headache) :-D [addsig]

 

[Snitty]

1063259

I know ALL ABOUT the bolts being frozen into the bushing.... torch, hammer, pipe wrench, bench vise, cutting wheel, recip saw, profane words, and a lot of time can take care of that problem[addsig]

 

[jps4jeep]

1063289

Snitty,
You forgot about the crow bar and bloody knuckles lol

Johnny[addsig]