Shackle (sideway) angles after lift???

[65reissue]

Hey all...Do you guys care to look at my attached picture and let me know what is going on with my shackles? I put a 2.5" suspension lift on last summer...haven't had much time to mess with it since then but the kicked out angles of my shackles is bugging me to death. Can anyone tell me if it was something I did wrong...is it something I can correct...and if there is potential problems with anything as it is? I was going to take it down and get it aligned but figured if I'm going to have to re-do something I better wait. Any help would be much appreciated as always. Thanks!!!

 

[Torxhead]

With that length of spring shackle I would hope that you are using poly bushings on top and bottom, and those shackle bolts should be just snugged up and not tightened down too much. The springs can also get twisted up a bit from off roading, possibly affecting that angle you mention. You should be able to do your own alignment with a tape measure, wrenches, and a protractor/level to check castor. Those spring shackles will affect castor and hopefully you can deal with it. With a bit of off road driving and flexing the suspension, it can break a spring shackle mount, btw. Aftermarket mounts will hold up a lot better than the stock ones as they tend to break at the rivet clearance hole. A lot of guys just trash that steering stabilizer shock after banging it up on the rocks. Thanks for sending in that pic.

 

[65reissue]

With that length of spring shackle I would hope that you are using poly bushings on top and bottom, and those shackle bolts should be just snugged up and not tightened down too much. The springs can also get twisted up a bit from off roading, possibly affecting that angle you mention. You should be able to do your own alignment with a tape measure, wrenches, and a protractor/level to check castor. Those spring shackles will affect castor and hopefully you can deal with it. With a bit of off road driving and flexing the suspension, it can break a spring shackle mount, btw. Aftermarket mounts will hold up a lot better than the stock ones as they tend to break at the rivet clearance hole. A lot of guys just trash that steering stabilizer shock after banging it up on the rocks. Thanks for sending in that pic.

Thanks for the response...those were the shackles that were on it when I bought it so I don't know much about them. Do you feel like it is a shackle problem? Would you suggest any? Since I put the lift on it it has has zero off-roading. Actually very mild driving...probably not even 20 miles total. If I loosen up the shackle bolts...would that help? Sorry for my ignorance. Also...do you have any suggestion on spring shackle mounts? thanks again...

 

[BusaDave9]

Did you put the lift on yourself? Did you replace one spring at a time? That may have something to do with it.
If you could lift the front so the axle is suspended. Then loosen up all bolts, especially the axle U bolts. See if the front of the springs come together. Maybe even pull on them. Re-tighten everything when it looks good.
I really don't think its a big problem.

 

[PaRenegade]

My guess would be your shackle mounts are cracked or twisted. If you placed your centerbolt head in the axle perch hole I don't think anything shifted on the axle itself. Weak rubber bushings can do this but you said you just put the lift on so I'm guessing you put new bushing in too. Poly bushings are better, as was said.
Theres a few replacement mounts available out there. These are either solid billet ones from CrabTree Tool or several places make ones with welded angled sides such as the ones from Mountain Off Road (M.O.R.E.) or Warrior Products. The stock mounts are just a piece of strap steel with a loop rolled in the end. They're not even welded closed, so they either unroll some, twist on the flat in front of the bolts, or brake across the sides of the hole left that the rivet sets in.
This is a fairly common problem btw.

 

[tarry99]

Hey all...Do you guys care to look at my attached picture and let me know what is going on with my shackles? I put a 2.5" suspension lift on last summer...haven't had much time to mess with it since then but the kicked out angles of my shackles is bugging me to death. Can anyone tell me if it was something I did wrong...is it something I can correct...and if there is potential problems with anything as it is? I was going to take it down and get it aligned but figured if I'm going to have to re-do something I better wait. Any help would be much appreciated as always. Thanks!!!

Looks like it has early springs which are 1.75" width....those aftermarket shackles look to be for a later 2" inch wide front spring. You may be able to shim the difference. Is that a Dana 30 front end with open knuckles? Or a closed knuckle D-27? Can't tell from the photo's...................perhaps your spring mounts and bushings are also worn out. take it apart and check it.

 

[65reissue]

Looks like it has early springs which are 1.75" width....those aftermarket shackles look to be for a later 2" inch wide front spring. You may be able to shim the difference. Is that a Dana 30 front end with open knuckles? Or a closed knuckle D-27? Can't tell from the photo's...................perhaps your spring mounts and bushings are also worn out. take it apart and check it.

The front end is a Dana 30 ...original as far as I can tell. The springs are 2.5" lift rough country but don't know the width of them. Can measure tomorrow...springs and bushings are practically new. The shackles were on it when I bought it so don't know anything about them. The shackle mounts seem to be original ones. I really do appreciate all the help you guys give. Thanks.

 

[65reissue]

I measured the actual spring width at 2"...the inside gap in the shackles is 2.5" which is accounting for the bushings. The shackle mounts are 2" as well.
I will try to post a closer picture. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Torxhead]

Another slight possibility would be that the leaf spring centering pins are broken, which would be easy enough to check.

 

[yellow85cj]

Think Busadave9 has the right idea.

Bet if you measure the distance from spring to spring at the frame mount and the distance close to the shackle, you will find that they are farther apart at the shackle.

My centering pin is considerably smaller than the hole in the plate, so they don't exactly center the spring. A quarter inch off at the spring plate on each side, or one side translates to more at the shackle.

Maybe the spring plates aren't exactly where they were originally contributing a bit more.

Think of the springs as having a bit of toe out.

 

[PaRenegade]

Could be that those shackles aren't the correct ones. A quarter inch on each side for the bushing shoulder seems like an awful lot and would explain the picture and the lean. I'll measure mine tonight (if I remember) but I know they aren't that thick. That space should be tight.

 

[PaRenegade]

Yep, they are 3", actually a hair larger then 3". Those are Warrior Prod. shackles. And the springs, at least the EMU's, are 2 3/8" wide. It just looks like a lot of room on yours.

 

[dschwab]

I would as well check your front cross member and make sure it
Is not cracked where it mounts to the frame. Mine did the same thing when my crossmember cracked through and caused my frame rails at the bottom to twist outboard.