Shackles

[AGR377]

Are these stock or extended shackles? Better question may be is approximately how much longer over stock? It is supposed to be a 4 in procomp lift already. I am running 33"s in this pic.

 

[Sasquach]

Not stock. I would guess those are about 5"+ and I think stock is 3.5" but that does not tell the whole story on lift, springs are another part of it.

 

[AGR377]

Thanks. The PO "said" that it was a 4" procomp lift and didn t mention the shackles. He also gave me the stock springs for it. I am just tring to get a feel for what I actually have.

 

[Sasquach]

Not sure what a procomp shackle looks like but I'd say your CJ looks to be in the 4" lift area.

 

[AGR377]

I thought he meant they were 4 " springs. Maybe 2.5 inch springs and 1.5 inch shackles?

 

[Old Dog]

Stock shackels are 3". center of bolt to center of bolt.

 

[dalefan88]

dont know about the shackles but i like your paint job.

 

[BusaDave9]

Here's how you find out how high your jeep is lifted.

This assumes you have OEM shackles. Stock shackles are about 3 inches long. If you have shackles that are 2 inches longer than stock they will lift your jeep 1 inch. (Lifting the end of the spring 2 inches will raise the jeep half that much)

 

[AGR377]

Measured the Shackles last night and they were 5" bolt center to bolt center. Will measure springs next.

 

[BusaDave9]

Here's how you find out how high your jeep is lifted.

This assumes you have OEM shackles. Stock shackles are about 3 inches long. If you have shackles that are 2 inches longer than stock they will lift your jeep 1 inch. (Lifting the end of the spring 2 inches will raise the jeep half that much)



I lost my picture in the above post
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[54cj3b]

love the camo

 

[AGR377]

I measured the spings by the aforementioned method and they are 4" springs. Now my next question is are the 2 inches extra on shackles enough to be a problem? I have some other things I want to do relatively soon to correct steering wander ( drop pitman arm and new bracing for the ps box). I am still considering the Shackle reversal to soften the ride up some. Any thoughts?

 

[BajaEdition]

Adding lift shackles is really common, a lot of guys get their lift and want a bit more and run the long shackles. Plus most of the H style lift shackles are way more heavy duty than the stock shackles.
Will they do anything down there? Yes they will but if it is a street queen you do not need to worry much. They increase the lever effect on the spring mounts and lead to failures there, such as ripped mounts and cracked frames.
How you want to deal with it is basically your choice, it it is a on road Jeep, I would not sweat it unless I hot rodded it, if it is a trail jeep, put on stock shackles.

 

[BusaDave9]

Sounds like you have 5 inches of lift. Those shackles are longer and stronger than stock. They have a brace in the middle holding the 2 halves together. As BajaEdition pointed out the longer shackles experience more forces because of the leverage. Although they are stronger than stock I would worry more about the shackle mounts. You could replace them with heavy duty shackle mounts such as these:

You ask if they are a problem - It's hard saying. There are a lot of jeeps running similar setups without any problem. But on the other hand you say you have wander. The long shackles could be the cause but you need to check out other possibilities too - steering linkages, steering gearbox, ball joints. With the long shackles it is even more important that the bushings are in good shape. The extra leverage is causing more pressure on the shackles and bushings.
One advantage of the longer shackles is when they are used with lifted springs they can increase wheel travel. Some people say if you lift the suspension 4 inches you should lower the bump stops 4 inches. I say increased wheel travel is one advantage of a lift. If you have higher springs they can hyper-extend the stock shackles and bang them into the frame. I like slightly longer shackles (with a reinforcement bar such as yours) with a spring lift. BUT it is important to know all other limitations of your suspension. Will your shocks, or drive shafts bottom out? Will the brake lines handle the travel?
With a suspension lift you can increase the travel but you should still lower the bump stops.
I am not sure you need to lower your jeep but before doing anything I would investigate what is causing your wander.

 

[AGR377]

Well the thing I just noticed yesterday or day before was that the stock pitman arm is still in place. I also have trouble with the power steering box loosening every couple weeks. I am considering the cross brace that is posted in another thread here. I am planning to change pitman arms hopefully tomorrow. I really appreciate the point of views brought out in the posts above.

 

[BajaEdition]

have you looked at the sticky in this forum about troubleshooting the steering? It is a well written article with a lot of help with wander

 

[Sasquach]

Well the thing I just noticed yesterday or day before was that the stock pitman arm is still in place. I also have trouble with the power steering box loosening every couple weeks. I am considering the cross brace that is posted in another thread here. I am planning to change pitman arms hopefully tomorrow. I really appreciate the point of views brought out in the posts above.

The brace is not going to solve the problems you are having, get everything right then for insurance you can add the brace for extra strength.
Read the sticky as previously said.