NEWS PARTS JEEP & 4x4 ATV & UTV

reversing shackles/pros and cons?

1064 Views 14 Replies 6 Participants Last post by IN2DEEP, Apr 13, 2000

G

Discussion Starter · Apr 11, 2000

So why are reversed shackles desirable, and how big a job is it? I'm swapping both rears out soon, so i'll be in that deep already. Doe the spings themselves get reversed as well? if so, will the dana 30 front end still be in the same position, or does it move in relation to locating studs on the front spring pack? Does this wreak havoc on steering angles, caster, camber and driveshaft length?

thanks folks.

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jeepgod

· #2 · Apr 11, 2000

from what i know.. you can get a bolt on kit.. or do it yourself.. have done one already.. and about to do mine. check my website out for some pics.. under the "chris's tj7" page. doing one will give you better onroad driving. since the weight of the vihcle will now be pushing on the solid mount vs. the shackles. the axle will work correctly off road.. meaning it will drop forward away from the jeep.. so you might need longer driveshaft.. but dont know for sure. yes you do switch the spring themselves around also.. hope this helps alittle..

survival is instinct, but living takes guts

G

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 11, 2000

I haven't done it, but I would be concerned with nose dive during braking, less contact pressure against obsticles, tire rubbing at the rear of the fenders (well not really, I could care less about rubbage/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif, the hassle envolved in doing the conversion, the expense of a kit (if you don't make your own), possibly having to do something about the drivshaft ($), and probably a few things I can't think of.

If your main goal is a smoother ride and you can live with the rest, then I suppose it's worth a try. I'm personally used to the relative rough ride of a SWB Jeep compared to other vehicles so for me it would be a waste of time and money (I don't see any off-road benefit), but for you..........?

jo-jo
'77 CJ5 Fozzy Locker
20 degree RTI 1250
'87 Samurai Stock (for now)

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jeepgod

· #4 · Apr 11, 2000

rubbing? shouldnt be.. the axle will swing away from the jeep body.. so you will eliminate that.. and i will tell you all of the steel we bought.. under 40 bucks.. you can buy them for around 200 bucks.. but i just made mine.. and i even made the shackles.. like i said check out the web page for a view of it..
its sturdy.. i pitty the import infront of me.. and all this included a new way cool front bumper..

survival is instinct, but living takes guts

WILL

· #5 · Apr 12, 2000

the axle only swings away from the body when dropping. when it rises, it move rearward. if it wasn't for the shackle reversal on mine, i'd have room for 35's but can only use 33's. i need some tj flares so i can open the fender well.

79/CJ-7/AMC360/TH400/Q-TRAC/d30/d44/33's/RS9000s/Herculiner/Pro-jection 2D

338

· #6 · Apr 12, 2000

The shackle reversal wont take away from tire clearance. For one it raises the front about 1 1/2", and its one of the most usable 1 1/2" you can add to a spring over suspension, Its deffinitely better than stiffer taller springs or a body lift,(neither of which helps your articulation). For another it moves the axle 2" forward. It definitely lengthens your wheel base which never hurts(in moderation), and it also provides for a better transfer of weight,especialy noticeable on steep off camber drop offs,"You can just feel it". The hwy improvements are deffinitely nice, but the off road advantages are big. I run a spring over with a helper spring, and a shackle reverse up front, in the rear SOA, 2 1/2" springs with a 1 1/4" extended shackles, I run 35" tires with no body lift and fender trimming. Its very flexy and controllable. See attachment.
Jeff,
89 Wrangler

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G

Discussion Starter · #7 · Apr 12, 2000

The shackle reversal will definately make the tires run into the fenders sooner than if there were no shackel reversal. I have installed the trailmaster kit, and it was a "bolt on" It was fairly easy, with the exception of all the grinding of the old stuff, and the drilling into the frame, I like this kit, because there is a front steering gear skid late integrated. I paid around $200for the kit I think. This is the most confusing part of the installation. You need to talk to the manufacturer of the kit, because certain kits only work with certain springs. My trailmaster kit only worked with skyjacker, trailmaster, and rancho springs, because of their geometry. By using the skyjacker springs, I gained no lift by installing the reversal, this goes along with what trailmaster said. They say there should be no net lift from the installation of their kit. If you have any questions, feel free to respond, or email me at [email protected] . IMHO, I would avoid the shackle reversal, inless the jeep is soleely on-road, and will remain on-road for the rest of its life. My front driveshaft had to be changed, but I also did a t-case swap at the same time.

Jesse

Ignorance is the first step to knowledge.

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130

· #8 · Apr 12, 2000

I'm putting a shackle-reversal from Full-Traction (if they ever send it, they are a new company and things are going slow...I dont mind too much because I dont have evertying else ready yet...) that is bolt-on and should give 2" of lift to the front. I bought 2.5" OME springs to level the rear. I'm also going with Revolver Shackles and a slip-yoke eliminator and new axles (D44 f/r) so everything like brakes lines and driveshafts will have to be changed anyhow. The ride should be cadillac quality and articulation will be very sweet I hope. I will try to do the U-Bolt flip as well, since I have stock-height JKS sway-bar disconects that I want to re-use. The tie-rod is on top of the knuckle since I'm using a D44 from a Wagoneer, and I'm counting on that to correct the steering, but I may have to go with a dropped pitman arm as well. I baja my Jeep so I chose the shackle reversal for the improved tracking and ride.

My Jeep is just a leaky submarine in disquise

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338

· #9 · Apr 12, 2000

cj7 304 If you gained no lift or travel, why did you need to replace you drive shaft???
There is absolutely no reason why you should need to replace either of your drive shafts to take advantage of using a shackle reverse. The front drive shaft will need lengthening, but any time you improve you travel you will run into that same problem. No lift with a shackle reverse ??? Ive never seen a shckle reverse that didnt raise the vehichle. The front brackets are longer than the stock shackle,the rear shackle is longer than the stock brackets.The distance between the bracket and shackle remain the same. Youve got to go up. If I was going to just drive on the road I would leave the susupension stock,no lift, nothing. If you really want to improve your front suspensions capabilities,(from extreme rock crawling to high speed bumps) I would recomend the shackle reverse. I had a chance to drive my Spring Over set up for a couple of weeks before I had the time to install the shackle reverse, and there was a very noticeable improvement in off camber body tilt, weight transfer, articulation, and wheel rub.
Jeff
89 Wrangler

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G

Discussion Starter · #10 · Apr 12, 2000

I stated in the above message, that I had to replace the driveshaft for the transfer case swap (q-trac for dana 20). Also I do get more travel, just in the opposite direction as the stock. The driveshaft I have allows for 4.5 inches of yoke travel toward the back of the jeep. It is a Tom Woods shaft. This was needed, because with the shackle reversal the driveshaft needs to collapse more than stock, to have a really reliable set-up. This was the case on mine anyway. I have the reversal, with 4" skyjacker springs on the front and the rear, and the front sits about .5 inches LOWER than the rear. Call trailmaster. They will tell you that their shackle reversal nets no lift. They may use a different style bracket than you have seen.

Jesse

Ignorance is the first step to knowledge.

338

· #11 · Apr 12, 2000

That is interesting.
The only one s Ive seem in action are the rubicon Express, warrior or home fabricated units off of the same design.They are usualy used in conjuction with a Spring Over for maximum flex, and they always net about 1 1/2" or better in elevation. My travel was gained more in a straight up and down motion with a slight bias towards the rear. but that is more than compensated for in the 2" foward placement of the front axle. Possibly the differences in better performance characteristics come from the use of a Spring Over Suspension, In that my springs are not as stiff and arched so much to gain elelvation, and can react more to the springs flex characteristics and are less affected by the rocking back and forth of the shackle.
Jeff
89 Wrangler

elusive

· #12 · Apr 12, 2000

i designed mine so i actually lost a little lift.. i am running 4" springs with a spring over and i have just enough room for 35" boggers

~~Elusive~~
it's sort of still a cj thingy....

G

Discussion Starter · #13 · Apr 13, 2000

Just thinking out loud here.. but on a SOA (or stock/wwwthreads_images/icons/frown.gif) rig, the springs are pretty much Flat right. (mine are at least) if the springs are flat, while the jeep is sitting on level ground, the axle is as far as it can be from the solid mount to the frame. When the axle moves, either up, or down, it will have to move towards the frame mount, and away from the shackle. Sound good so far? So, with FLAT springs, a shackle reversal is the opposite of what you want to do. it causes the axle to move froward when hitting a bump.

This is all just theoretical stuff, i have no real world experiance, but.....

BJ

"If you chose not to decide, you still have made a Choice" RUSH

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G

Discussion Starter · #14 · Apr 13, 2000

I've had several jeeps and I converted my jeep by fabricating it myself. It was the best thing I've ever done to my jeep.

IN2DEEP

· #15 · Apr 13, 2000

I used the rough country s/r kit. It was a complete bolt on. As stated before the hard part was removing the stock hangers. I love my s/r. The ride on the freeway is great!! No more wandering, it doesn't get thrown around by the big bumps. I gained no lift from the kit itself. I also moved the axle forward 1 1/2" to keep the tires out of the fender. I don't know if this is truely needed, still getting front driveshaft and haven't had a chance to compress the front end.

I needed a new driveshaft mainly due to tranny swap, but with the s/r, the front end compresses more than stock. The stock setup the driveshaft only extends during droop.

Btw.... I have 4" skyjacker lift and run 35" BFGs

IN2DEEP 78 CJ5 302 FORD T176/D300 35" BFGS

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