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autozone shackle kit

beanman1

New member
324
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Location
in the south
iknow but a jeep uses them on the very front of the springs i was just wondering if i could do that even if i could only get 2 inches of lift i will be happy
 

Cucvnut

Well-known member
3,803
56
48
Location
Carver, Oregon
no you cant really if you want 33's just trim the fenders plus jeeps are uber light cucv's not so much..so the jeep parts might not live long on your truck.
 

Sarge29

Member
170
1
18
Location
Saluda, SC
Check into the zero rate blocks and use that. Be sure to bolt them into the spring pack as recommended by the manufacturer. That is the easiest way to do what you want. You will also have the ability to adjust the axle to center it in the fender to give a little more clearance. I am planning on building my own zero rate blocks for a set of 36x12.5x16.5 tires that I am putting on my 1008. 2cents
 

beanman1

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in the south
ok i have heard about a 52inch front spring swap can i do it and what will i need to do i know the 52 inch springs r stock rear springs junk yard here dont have any where can i get them
 

WyoDeuce

Member
237
0
16
Location
Laramie WY 7220 ft.
All the objections here are right on. I can say from personal experience that lifting the front is the hard part. I have lifted several off road trucks and jeeps for next to no $. The cheap homebuilt lifts allways worked, just not well. Fine off road but scary on road. If you are straped for cash cut the fenders. I no longer own anything I lifted with scavenged and cheap parts. If you want to lift it wait till you have the $ to do it right.
 

woopyass

New member
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0
Location
Bullhead City Arizona
52 inch!

Okay, thankfully everything everyone is talking about here is EASILY researched and figured out for dirt cheap. Thank god for chevrolet enthusiasts. The 52 inch spring swap is a bitchin route. You can check out DIY4X: Catering to those who enjoy doing it themselves. and see thier "B52" conversion brackets, which are are around 160 bucks, and give you 8 different positions to mount the spring/shackle whatever you choose. I've used this method 4 times now, and absolutely swear by it, because lift springs can be expensive, and most of the ones that you get for cheap have been beat to ****. DO NOT, repeat. NEVER put blocks under your axle. You'll experience axle wrap, and break ujoints and pinion shafts/twist drivelines because of the bind angle created when torque is applied. The block acts as a lever to assist the spring in deflecting. blah blah blah.
I don't want to sound like a dork, but check them out, and do the research. Pirate 4x4 is pretty handy when wondering about anything chevrolet. GOOD LUCK!!
 
I am doing the 52" spring swap tomorrow on one of my M1008s. The springs came out of the rear of an M1009, but I removed the large bottom leaf and replaced it with two normal-thickness leafs I cut from some extra leafs I had. I'll let you know how they fit with the stock shackles. They will probably be a little long, but work just fine. It was a lot of work drilling those leafs I added. Had to use cobalt drill bit at low speeds with plenty of cutting oil.
 
Ok, I have now opened this huge can of worms with the 52" trick lift. So far, the problems I have run into are the leaf springs will not be properly centered without altering both the front and rear mounts. The article at that link previously mentioned, 52" Front Spring Swap is an excellent job. I am probably going to go about it a little different however. I will probably not move the rear shackle mount because I don't like the idea of cutting an extra 2" hole in the frame at that stress point. I have taken an extra set of rear shackle arms off one of my donor trucks, and will weld them to the inside of the shackle arms on the truck to make them 1.5 inches longer, and stronger. That will be the only mod on the rear mount for the front leaf springs. I then will airchisel the 6 rivets on each of the front mounts to get them out of the way, and will then fabricate an extra cross member and mounts for the front to drop the eye hole for the front of the spring about 1" and move it forward about 2". Believe me, this is not as easy of a lift as it sounds. It is not extremely difficult, but not for the novice either. I am just trying to keep from using leaf springs made in India on my MV.
I expect my truck to be down for at least a month, but it is also going to get a 205 TC swapped in where ther is now a 208, new drive shafts, and I may rebuild the TH400. I also will probably reseal the bottom end of the engine as the rear main is seeping a little.
 

4bogginchevys

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Location
rathdrum idaho
Here is a pic of my afore mentioned shackle idea, figured my description was a little vague. works very well...I guarantee you will not find or make a stronger shackle with the adjustable capability.
 

Attachments

4bogginchevys

New member
623
1
0
Location
rathdrum idaho
for good or bad, the springs are built as such that they will never compress or unload enough to cause any issues, and it's not a rock crawler.:p

btw: I put them facing this direction because it looked best to me, they could be turned around if any bind issues ever came up. All told they were about 14.00, and an hour to make.
 
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Croatan_Kid

Member
691
2
18
Location
New Bern, NC
That has got to be the worst shackle angle I have ever seen. That's just asking to invert itself and when it does it's gunna suck. I'm not sure how that suspension is set up, but it looks like it needs some reworking.

I'd definitely flip the shackle around so the spring can flex, as they are, the shackle is hitting the main leaf and not letting it compress.
 
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