adjustable shackles/leafs

[rockin86ranger]

im wanting to lower my ranger its a 1986 reg cab short bed. my problem is i cant afford a bag setup right now, i am going to lower it 4-5" in the front, in the back im gonna do a flip kit but i want it to be adjustable. i was thinking about building a shackle with 3 different setting, so i could set the truck at 3 different heights and do it with just 2 bolts, i was think one that put the truck at about 4" drop one that put it at about 6-7" and one that almost puts the bumper on the ground. the last one will be just for shows and not for alot of driving. my concern is there is a lot of difference in those heights, so that would be a long shackle.

does anybody have any ideas or thoughts, i want to be able to tow my trailer with it a few times a year, not a heavy trailer just a 1978 c10 bed with some scrap metal shouldnt be to bad, and i want to be able to lay it out for shows, and drive it with a lower stance too.

im a broke college student just trying to build something to cruise in, itll be a rat rod style for awhile til i can bag it.

i know most people are gonna say jsut wait til you can bag it but i know there has to be a way to do this.

 

[Insanejughead]

Umm... Well... Unless you cut out the bed and do a c-notch like a bagged guy, you're not going to be able to do this.


I flipped my shackles and only have about an inch left before my spring hits the underside of the bed.

I also had a flip kit at one point. The axle was about 2" from the frame. Anything more than a mild bump jounced my ass pretty hard. So that's why the c-notch is important in introduce to this incontinent idea.

Then think about your pinion angles... I'm no mathematician... and I don't care to think up all of that sh!t.

 

[rockin86ranger]

yeah i was planning on a notch, and as for the pinion angle im gonna set it for the medium setting since thats what would be used most often, then i figure the higher setting it should be to far off and be fine for the short time i use it, and the lowest setting wouldnt be used very often and if the angle is off a lot probably not driven more than few blocks.

another thing i didnt think of is shocks, can i use the same shocks the bagged guys use and be ok with them?

 

[Insanejughead]

Here's an idea. Have two sets of shocks installed and use quick release pins to keep them in.


When you're not using the other set, just tuck them up under the bed with a clamp of some sort.

 

[rockin86ranger]

that could work if i found really cheap set of drop shocks, but since im thinking about bagging it in the future then i would have to buy shocks again when i bag, which i probably would have to do anyways.

so just for my information what do the bagged people doa bout shocks, everyone says bags ride like crap without shocks but what do they use that give a suitable ride at such exteme heights.

ps, any insight is welcome. just trying to figure a cheap way to have adjustable suspension. which is needed if i lower it to far due to the fact that i live 3 miles down a dirt road