Topic: Help fixing my marlin 4 inch lift

[donutman126]

Hi guys, I have had Marlins 4 inch lift on my truck for about a year in a half now. It has performed awesome and I am very happy with it, but I know I can get some more performance out of it. When I did the lift I welded my spring hanger a little to far forwards giving me a bad shackle angle, almost straight up and down. I cant really think of an easy way to fix this since cutting my spring hanger off would be to hard, my truck has 5.5 inch shackles on it right now and I was thinking switching to 4 inch shackles would lower it and help the angle a little? Also i put the bump stops on that were included but they are about 1-2 inches away from hitting fully flexed out so they are pretty much doing nothing and my pitman arm would make contact before the bump stops hit anyways. So im thinking a different drop pitman arm would help me? Also why does marlin include the same bump stops for the solid axle and ifs frames when they have a very different arch to them? Alright onto the rear, my rear doesnt flex very well at all and it is also because I have a poor shackle. So I was thinking about ordering new shackle mounts to fix that, at the same time making some pivot plates like big mike did, remove the axle wrap leaf in my rear spring pack and make a traction bar? Sorry about such a long post and thanks in advance for taking the time to read it.

           Heres some pics of my truck in action...











stocker...

[blackdiamond]

I don't think shorter shackles would make much difference for you.  You can relocate the spring hanger on the rear springs fairly easily, but the front, as you know, is a more difficult issue.  The only "bolt on" option would be longer springs and the Marlin springs are fairly long already.

Do your front shocks allow for any compression?  It seems to be all shock up there.

[sabenson82]

As for the front, I would build new shakle hangers. Put the shackle hangers on the bottom of the frame (instead of through the frame) just a little bit foward to correct your shackle angle and then run a shorter shackle if you dont want the lift its gonna give you.  And this will let you keep the front drop box right where it is.

As for the rear, I would go get some 1/2ton chevy springs.
Just my

[blackdiamond]

As for the front, I would build new shakle hangers. Put the shackle hangers on the bottom of the frame (instead of through the frame) just a little bit foward to correct your shackle angle and then run a shorter shackle if you dont want the lift its gonna give you.  And this will let you keep the front drop box right where it is.

As for the rear, I would go get some 1/2ton chevy springs.
Just my

I know someone who ran a spring hanger under the frame and they had two sets of springs go flat.  It's a mystery, but I would be worried about it happening to you.

[OOPS]

When I did the lift I welded my spring hanger a little to far forwards giving me a bad shackle angle, almost straight up and down.

Why did you do this?

Here are the instructions from the web site:

The front spring hanger can be mounted two ways. When using our 1.5" longer than stock springs we recommend mounting the hanger with it's spring mounts in the forward position as shown in the photo. Using a floor jack, place the hanger under the frame with the leading edge of the hanger flush with the front of the frame.
Center the hanger left to right. Weld the spring hanger in place. Weld provided frame gussets between the front hanger and frame as shown below.   

No where does it tell you to mount it forward of the stock x-member. What I would is to cut it off and replace it with a new one. It is a bummer to cut them off, I know I did it last winter to the one that had been on my truck for ten years. It was bent back and up and cracked. When you mount the new one do not weld it in place until you get a good shackle angle.

Do not mount the shackles hangers in the front under the frame, they become rock anchors and you get a bad pinion angle. Everyone I know in the past ten years that has done an SAS and put them under the frame, has gone back later and cut them off and put them through the frame.

[donutman126 [OP]]

Thanks for the comment guys! I dont think I will be cutting my spring hanger off, definatly got it welded on there very good. I was also thinking about moving my shackle hanger to under the frame, but a also heard it will give you a bad pinion angle.

[KDXSR5]

If you move the shackle hanger under the frame, you then need to cut off the knuckle balls on the end of the front axle and rotate the axle until the pinion is set right. You then weld the balls back on at the right spot to get correct caster. That is the proper way to do an under frame shackle hanger setup. Also note that the under frame shackle hanger will lift your truck quite a bit. My advice? Cut off the front hanger and weld a new one on in the correct position for your application.

[donutman126 [OP]]

O and my front spring hanger is welded on even with the crossmember in the forward position like the insructions say. Also about 6 months ago i removed the second to the bottom leaf in the rear and the bottom leaf in the front, but it didnt seem to make much difference.

[jimbo74]

you could get a custom set of leaves made that are longer than the marlins from a company such as alcan, if you dont want to cut off your hanger.....

or you could cut off the front hanger and replace it with one further back....

i understand yuo like your hanger and do not wnat to cut it off

SO

here are your options:

1 cut the hanger off and move it

2 get longer springs

3 mount the shackle hanger below the frame, which will probably net about @ least 2" more lift & have the axle cut and turned

4 deal with it

[donutman126 [OP]]

Do you think I would be able to reuse my hanger after cutting it off? Also what would be the best way, im thinking a bunch of thin cut off wheels?

[jimbo74]

just cut it off, if you trash it, a new one is only $80

[kauai_fab]

straight up and down shackle aint a problem itll just give you a stiffer ride on the road. it looka alright to me.. i wouldnt go true the trouble of cutting it off

[kauai_fab]

what size tires you got?

[jimbo74]

straight up and down shackle aint a problem itll just give you a stiffer ride on the road. it looka alright to me.. i wouldnt go true the trouble of cutting it off

on road maybe, but he has no droop or extension, its already maxxed out

[donutman126 [OP]]

Right now I have 35's but I am looking for new tires, possibly bigger. I hope to cut it off ethier this weekend or next, wont be very fun.