Custom shackles, anyone has done this?

[mp3deviant721]

The Expo leafs might not yield as much flex as you want. They are stiffer to handle more weight, but with what you use your truck for that may be a good idea, but then again might not be because of you wanting more flex. Ever thought about doing the 64 inch Chevy leaf spring swap and shackle flip? That's what prerunner guys do for travel in the rear.

Edit:

After reading about how it works in the Tech Library, it's gonna be exactly what you need, will give you travel and allow you to get rid of your lift blocks. Just re-arch the springs to get more lift outta them. And with your body lift, you will be able to clear the flipped shackles easier. I say do it this way. It sounds easier than fabbing up shackles.

 

[bobbywalter]

i would use 2wd f100 or 150 springs
from an 80's early 90's truck in that case bud.

you need to enlarge the holes a bit in the hangers or sleeve the 150 eyes...lil nylon sleeve or metal one for the ranger bolts.

they in 4 pack 100 form ride better then the explorer springs and take similar load to oem ranger stuff..

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

ill give it a try at the F150 leafs since i dont need to move the front hangers for those

thats why i refuse the chevy leafs, i dont want to mess with front hangers amd dropping the gas tank. thats too much hassle LOL

u think an 80's silverado leafs might work? its a 2wd.
i assume it needs to be a reg cab SWB F150?

 

[bobbywalter]

ill give it a try at the F150 leafs since i dont need to move the front hangers for those

thats why i refuse the chevy leafs, i dont want to mess with front hangers amd dropping the gas tank. thats too much hassle LOL

u think an 80's silverado leafs might work? its a 2wd.
i assume it needs to be a reg cab SWB F150?

i run the chevy springs on my front axle currently. the 52's are center pin. i dont remember if the 56 in springs are center or offset like the ranger/150 types.

seem to remember them being center as well for some reason, but they wont bolt up regardless and work right.


i understand the hassel issue, as it would be with a busy schedule.

 

[mp3deviant721]

Wait. You can get more travel with F150 leaves and the shackle flip? And you don't have to mess with the front hangers? This is news to me.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

Yeah the F150 leafs start to seem more interesting...

 

[mp3deviant721]

They do. LOL

 

[bobbywalter]

Wait. You can get more travel with F150 leaves and the shackle flip? And you don't have to mess with the front hangers? This is news to me.

no shackel flip. just looking to dump blocks...a s/f will lower the truck unless you really drop the shackel hanger.


on my truck...decent 150 springs get me 1.75-2.5 lift


sploders run .75-1.5 lift...sometimes over 2 initially but that dont last long.

150's hold 1.5 plus...

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

time to get some F150 leafs then.
they dont need any front hanger work right? and a ny F150 leaf will do?

 

[mp3deviant721]

Couldn't you build a set up with F-150 leaves and a shackle flip for travel though? Or do you have to have the longer leaf spring to get more travel?

 

[ES894x4]

Wait. You can get more travel with F150 leaves and the shackle flip? And you don't have to mess with the front hangers? This is news to me.

Couldn't you build a set up with F-150 leaves and a shackle flip for travel though? Or do you have to have the longer leaf spring to get more travel?

Idk how your not getting this. Flipping the shackles increases droop not travel. prerunners do it so that the wheels can "fall" into holes and stay in better contact with the ground so that the shocks can do they're job. It also has nothing to do with the flex as the springs will be the limiting factor since they are whats flexing. Adding longer shackles as a way of gaining more suspension movement will not work because youll negative arch the spring till its destroyed on bump at up-travel or your going to separate the packs hard at full droop. spring= your travel. shackle = allowing spring to work. Shackle doesnt equal more travel unless the one your using is to small for the spring.

If you actually read the 64" swap from racerangers thread youd answer your question about "longtravel" stock f150 leaves. He has alot of time in tuning the leaf packs, you cant just slap a 3 leaf 64" on the back and go out to the desert, it takes time to build them up good enough and then theyll still never be anywhere near as good as deavers or nationals. Im sure even a stock ranger shackle flipped is enough to negative arch a stock 150 spring if your trying to use it like a LT in the dirt. This is all desert stuff and almost NONE of it applies if your trying to ditch your lift blocks.

Its entirely possible to bolt 64's up and not flip the shackles so all you end up with is better springs in a close to stock set up out back which is more what the op is after but has already stated it isnt worth it to him, which brings us to 2.5" wide 150 springs because they will bolt in with out hanger relocation.

 

[Boggin]

i would use 2wd f100 or 150 springs
from an 80's early 90's truck in that case bud.

you need to enlarge the holes a bit in the hangers or sleeve the 150 eyes...lil nylon sleeve or metal one for the ranger bolts.

they in 4 pack 100 form ride better then the explorer springs and take similar load to oem ranger stuff..

Yeah the F150 leafs start to seem more interesting...

i thought f150 leafs were 3" wide? i know they are on my 79 bronco which would be the same as the f150s, unless they changed over the years, or its just 4wds with the 3"ers?

 

[prerunnerwannabe]

1997-03 F-150 leafs are 2.5" wide... At least on my 2wd.

 

[mp3deviant721]

Idk how your not getting this. Flipping the shackles increases droop not travel. prerunners do it so that the wheels can "fall" into holes and stay in better contact with the ground so that the shocks can do they're job. It also has nothing to do with the flex as the springs will be the limiting factor since they are whats flexing. Adding longer shackles as a way of gaining more suspension movement will not work because youll negative arch the spring till its destroyed on bump at up-travel or your going to separate the packs hard at full droop. spring= your travel. shackle = allowing spring to work. Shackle doesnt equal more travel unless the one your using is to small for the spring.

If you actually read the 64" swap from racerangers thread youd answer your question about "longtravel" stock f150 leaves. He has alot of time in tuning the leaf packs, you cant just slap a 3 leaf 64" on the back and go out to the desert, it takes time to build them up good enough and then theyll still never be anywhere near as good as deavers or nationals. Im sure even a stock ranger shackle flipped is enough to negative arch a stock 150 spring if your trying to use it like a LT in the dirt. This is all desert stuff and almost NONE of it applies if your trying to ditch your lift blocks.

Its entirely possible to bolt 64's up and not flip the shackles so all you end up with is better springs in a close to stock set up out back which is more what the op is after but has already stated it isnt worth it to him, which brings us to 2.5" wide 150 springs because they will bolt in with out hanger relocation.

Well it was kind of my fault for not reading more into it, I was just curious. Thanks for explaining though, now I know. And I think I was confusing droop with travel that may have caused some issues.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

well i finally removed the front sway bar. so far im liking it.
i drove on a bumpy gravel road and it deff rides and handles bumps better(at least to me)
the suspension doesnt seem to push down the whole truck on holes and bumps.

ill drive it like this a few more days, and if it drives ok on pavement ill keep it this way.
i drove on a small ditch and it felt good that the truck didnt tipped the whole front end along with just a tire.

also removed the little C things that held the primary and secondary leafes together.
not completly removed, just cutted the tabs that held em together when the leafs flexed up or down. they still hold em from moving sideways
as soon as i did it the rear absorbs bumps a bit better too. and seems like the leafs have a bit more flex, since the primary leaf bends alone, instead of pulling the secondary one along.


ill test that too, and if i need to fix it, ill just make new C tabs.
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