Building my own shackles
03-06-2010, 07:54 PM
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CXrank ur tb"s and ur gonna ride rough i had mine cranked (bad idea) on my 90 and its bad you can only get and inch or a little more out of em id just save all the money sas it and be done rund ur rear springs up front and 63" chevy or t100 rear with an xtra spring it would be well worth it in the end all pro sells a great kit complete with directions and everything needed but the axel pick up an 84 or 85 sfa and ur good to go if you do crank them make sure your tires are off the ground and saok ur tb bolts fwith pb blaster 2 times a day for a week b4 even picking up a wrench or theyl snap right off you can buy after market tb's pretty cheap if ur wanting to stay ifs that lift the truck also with out sacrificing ride quality
03-06-2010, 08:00 PM
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Shackles are measured eye to eye
I think stock is 3.5".
7.5" shackles should give you 2"+ of lift. I think that would be close to the front lift although that is getting a bit long.
You may want to run a 5.5" shackle and add a leaf into the pack.
I think stock is 3.5".
7.5" shackles should give you 2"+ of lift. I think that would be close to the front lift although that is getting a bit long.
You may want to run a 5.5" shackle and add a leaf into the pack.
03-08-2010, 06:40 PM
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Correct, you gain aprox half of the shackle length in lift, however, you do not want the shackle to be straight up and down. It will ride rougher than a dump cart.
Lift the front and then measure what you're gonna need for the rear. Make/order shackles after that.
Good Luck,
Tye
Lift the front and then measure what you're gonna need for the rear. Make/order shackles after that.
Good Luck,
Tye
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03-19-2010, 11:37 AM
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Building my own shackles
Ok, so I'm gonna build my own shackles for my 89 PU just for fun. I'm gonna post pics as I go in case anyone else is interested in doing the same. I'm hopefully going to be completely building these this afternoon. So far I bought 10 ft. of 3/8x1 1/2 in. steel(enough to build a few sets)for $14.40 at my local steel yard. I then bought a Cobalt 1/2" drill bit from NAPA for $25. I'm planning on making these shackles 6" Bolt hole center to bolt hole center to hopefully match the BJ spacer lift up front, if that doesn't work out I'll just make another set of shackles. I was thinkin of building these without braces for max flex, but this is a dd, what you guys think about that? 
I will also be welding up my steel BJ spacer plates that I snagged off CL for $60.
And here's a pic of my truck dead stock suspension:
And my bike just becuz...lol
I will also be welding up my steel BJ spacer plates that I snagged off CL for $60.
And here's a pic of my truck dead stock suspension:
And my bike just becuz...lol
Last edited by Bridger5228; 03-19-2010 at 06:15 PM.
03-19-2010, 02:18 PM
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03-19-2010, 05:55 PM
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Oh and ya, I meant 1 1/2 obviously, not 1/2 wide steel...
Hey, 4crawler, do you have any other useful tips on shackle building? Thanks in advance...
03-19-2010, 06:23 PM
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How to build shackles
Does anyone have a link to a good shackle building how to? Searches didn't turn up anything good.... I already have 3/8x 1 1/2 stock to build them from. I was gonna go 6" bolt hole center to bolt hole center. Any thoughts? good bad? Would I be a lot better off just buying the plates for $35 and then using some washers for spacers? I would appreciate some input. BTW, my truck is an '89(wide shackle).
03-19-2010, 07:18 PM
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Some tips at the end of this section of my web page:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...l#Introduction
Grade 5 hardware is fine for shackles, assuming you are using full size hardware. But you could use Grade 8 if you wanted to.
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...l#Introduction
Grade 5 hardware is fine for shackles, assuming you are using full size hardware. But you could use Grade 8 if you wanted to.
03-20-2010, 05:46 PM
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I built these shackles today, tell me what you think!
I built these today out of 3/8" steel. I think they turned out pretty good for a first time! Anyways, I drilled 1/2" holes in my plates. I got grade 8, 1/2"bolts for free from my buddy's shop, so I'm hoping I can find sleeves to make these bolts work. If not I will get metric bolts. 18mm?
Last edited by Bridger5228; 03-20-2010 at 06:43 PM.
03-20-2010, 06:45 PM
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Ya, that may be a good call. They are 3/8 which is pretty thick stuff. 5 3/4" from bolt hole to bolt hole. I was thinkin' they'd be ok, but I dunno for sure. Definitely good for flexing on the trails, but this truck is a dd as well.
03-21-2010, 08:30 AM
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And here they are after a few coats of "hammered gray". So, a stock 89 would have an M18(~3/4")bolt shank on the top and an M14(~9/16)bolt shank on the bottom right? Can somebody confirm this plz?
