Shackles

[Dirt Works]

Need some input, my 85 CJ7 has stock shackles the cj has a 2" body lift previous owner put on it. I want to replace stock shackles with some beefier ones since bushings are on the way out, but I'm planning on installing a 2" lift with new springs and hardware within a year anyway.
I've got 33x12.50 BFG's on it. I see alot of different ones available but rather ask the Pro's!! Who make a nice riding lift kit?? Thks you guys know your s&#%.

 

[Les]

Need some input, my 85 CJ7 has stock shackles the cj has a 2" body lift previous owner put on it. I want to replace stock shackles with some beefier ones since bushings are on the way out, but I'm planning on installing a 2" lift with new springs and hardware within a year anyway.
I've got 33x12.50 BFG's on it. I see alot of different ones available but rather ask the Pro's!! Who make a nice riding lift kit?? Thks you guys know your s&#%.

There are a lot of good lift kits out there, so I would imagine there will be lots of opinions on which one is best, but I've had very good luck over the years with both Trailmaster and Rugged Ridge. I do know that every rig I've ridden in that had a Rancho kit, rode like it had square wheels on it...very rough. As far as shackles go, I prefer Curie greaseable shackles. They are built quite heavy and its nice to be able to grease the bushings and use the grease gun to push out any dirt that finds its way in there. And btw, just so you know, the Curie shackles won't work with the Trailmaster kit I mentioned, since they aren't compatible with the springs, however they are compatible to replace stock shackles.

Currie Enterprises CE-9035A - Currie Front Greasable Shackle Pair for 76-86 Jeep® CJ - Quadratec
Currie Enterprises CE-9034 - Currie Rear Greasable Shackle Pair for 76-86 Jeep® CJ - Quadratec

 

[PaRenegade]

The lift kit question is relative and could result in 10 different answers, but from what I have read over the years, Old Man Emu, BDS, & Rubicon Express seem to be the top 3 manufacturers. I bought the OME springs but haven't gotten to that point in my build yet. I can tell you I had the Rough Country springs and shocks on for about 13 years and it rode like a tank after a year or so. Not the quality they were in the 80's!
As for shackles, the best ones I've seen out there are the Warrior Products line. They have the 3/8" sides but they also have the welded center block to keep the sides parallel. I don't care for the ones with bolts or tubes in the center, as they are just a pivot point that could allow racking. Greasable ones will cost almost twice the non ones but they are the way to go for a smoother ride.
Warrior Products 13120 - Warrior Products Front 1-1/2" Lift Greasable Shackles for 76-86 Jeep® CJ5, CJ7 & CJ8 - Quadratec

 

[tarry99]

PA

Your right the lift question is relative to what you have and where your standing when the question is asked..........
Here is the problem .......we all know we need lift to run larger tires & get a little more body clearance & I guess for some people it may even look better............but is that really the best answer for riding on the street and off road?

In order to get lift a spring has to do a totally different job than it was designed for IE: stiffer springs & more arch equals = Lift at a reduction of ride quality, articulation & also gets you the biggest negative of all which is a higher COG.

How do you negate the obvious negatives with a leaf spring? Easy! 1)Change over to coils. Or 2) install a longer or wider spring that has a lesser frequency as compared to the higher frequency stiffer lifted spring.

Spring rates are a simple calculation.........they are normally designed to carry so many lbs/ inch at a deflection of say 3 inches. So your now asking the spring to elevate your vehicle to a new height and then also take into consideration a softer ride within that 3 inch area in the same space or length as before.

Mechanically that just does not happen!

As you increase the lift and keep the distance between the eyes as they were before you increase the spring rate and as we all know it feels like a solid axle.

I have used the longer style leaf springs in the early short wheel base CJ's which because of there shorter length are much harder to get decent ride from than the later CJ's.
We have also found that articulation with the longer , softer spring is like night & day. In doing so we have also stayed away from the larger 12.5 inch wide tires and use either a 9.50 or 10.50 wide tire in the 32-33 inch range and see very little clearance problems and no real appreciable difference in traction.
One last thing...........most people also tend to over shock there suspension package using a stiffer shock that really needs to be which only adds to the already stiff spring and terrible ride.