Topic: Rear shackle nightmare(with pics) - need help.

[Yota Up]

Truck came with this.  I look at it and think bad.
I'd like to toss out the whole damn thing and get a smaller, beefier one.  BUT!-> my front is already sitting a lot higher than the rear.

So, here are the nightmares - look at those damn things!

[Wermz84]

  those things are huge.. 

[Yota Up [OP]]

So I'm thinking of putting in a brace, like the I-beam principle.
I grab some of that thicker reciever tubing leftover from my square driveshaft the other day and slice off an end.

CRAP!!  A little short here.

My problem is I got no resources, no materials, nothing that I can think of that would be a good fit for me to weld into there to give it some bracing.

Any suggestions for a cure?  I'm open to anything.
If anyone happens to have something that would fit, please let me know and I'd be happy to compensate you for it.

Thanks guys.

[Yota Up [OP]]

Wermz, ya got a little ahead of me, there.  BRACING is needed badly.

[fullthrottle]

dam swing by a few machine shops and ask if you can get some scrap from their scrap bin

[KYOTA]

kewl

[Yota Up [OP]]

Yeah, that's why I put reflective tape on them, they stick out more than the bed I bobbed.  This way, cars won't run into them at the stop sign.

That square piece of tubing is the big one of the two used for a front driveshaft.  Based on that, I think ya'll get an idea of size here, and how short I'm coming up with it.

You should see the front end on this thing, got two big bars welded in under the stock frame rail and that's where the front hangers are.  !  I'm gonna be cutting one of those bars out to drop the front end 2 inches.  Hopefully it will level me out.  I'd rather go down than up with lift.

[79coyotefrg]

where the  heck did those come from  and WHY  are they on a truck

[jimbo74]

just go to a metal place and buy some.... they will sell metal pretty cheap, especially for a little section....

i got my crossmember custom cut for under $30 and it was like 27.5" long, 3/16" thick, 2.5" OD square tube


from the way your suspension sounds liek its setup in the front, i say hack the whole thing off and relatively do an SAS on it, the right way..... it sounds like its boogered together

[Yota Up [OP]]

Boogered, you should come over and I could give you full tour of boogers!

(Since I got it, I redid the powersteering box, finished cutting and welding up the bobbed bed, cut the doors, replaced the gears in the rear[TO MATCH THE FRONT!!], replaced the radiator, redid a lot wiring, put on the driveshaft, replaced the tires and rims, and on and on)

So, why did the kid(that I got the truck from) put it on?  I don't know.  All I know is I got it now.

Here's a shot from the side, since ya'll like pics.

P.S.:  This bed bobbin and weldin deal...that was my first time with a grinder and welder.  Project #1 in my life, so forgive the ugly welds.

[Yota Up [OP]]

I had to add bracing to the powersteering box mount, I had cut away the upper bracket off the front axle because it was slamming into the radiator return metal tube, and on and on...

Here's a shot of that front driveshaft for size reference:

[Wermz84]

Wermz, ya got a little ahead of me, there.  BRACING is needed badly.

Definatly!  

[Yota Up [OP]]

Remember those front bars I was talking about?
Here you go:  The bottom one is getting cut out to drop my front.

[Yota Up [OP]]

And here's the truck overall(for the few fans out there).

Now, I'd LOVE to hear all suggestions on improvements here.

(It still needs rear shock mounts, shocks, an E brake, rock sliders, a roll bar/cage, blinkers, diff breathers, spare tire carrier - and down the road - a second xcase)

Sounds like hell, huh?  Well - it's worth it for me.  It's an 85 SR5 X cab with a sunroof, with only 95K on it.

[fullthrottle]

i would take bothe of those bars out of the frunt and use then to fix the skacals in the back

[79coyotefrg]

take the bars out of the front  and cut the rear shackles in half

[jimbo74]

i think i said it earlier, but i say take that whole thing out in front and SAS it essentially, using a marlin or sky or similar hanger

[Yota Up [OP]]

Captain, you talkin about the kit for $200, because I don't see a price for just the hanger?

[jimbo74]

the hanger is available by itself

Front Spring Hanger $85 (includes 2 bolts & 4 bushings)

[brainlessfool]

after you cut them down to size, why not turn that tube 90 deg. and cut the next to fit inbetween? would be stronger that way.

[SACD_Runner]

geez, you have a mess there. I personally would chop those down and put an AAL on it, that should even it out. only 60$ for a temp fix too. But what do i know i have blocks.

[RRMike]

If it was me I'd run it.  Brace the shackles like you're talking about and go.  The front hanger is somebody's home fabbed setup but it doesn't look bad to me.  You will have lots of clearance between the spring and pitman arm with the hanger that low.  Plus it helps with your pinion angle. 

If you raise the hanger you will probably hurt the pinion angle if you don't put shorter shackles on the front to match. 

I don't see anything unsafe up front.  It's low (hanger) but seems to be built ok from what I can see from the pics.

Only thing I would change is to gusset the front hanger back to the frame to keep it from bending backward it you hit something fairly hard with the front tires.  It may be done already but I couldn't tell from the pics.

[Rockcrawlintoy]

the shackles look typical for someone who didnt wanna run blocks and move the hanger on a chevy swap. seen it may times it just looks ugly. i would brace it tho

[Yota Up [OP]]

Damn, if I could just across one of you boys on the trail.  I'd keep a beer in your hands the whole time you gave me pointers on how to improve this machine.

Sweet suggestions, fellas.  Not sure what AAL is, but I'll look around.

[alwayzbroken]

If you cut the shackle in the rear down you will need to relocate the hanger for the longer springs. The shackles are so long because he was using the stock hanger with the 63" long springs.

[SACD_Runner]

AAL=Add a Leaf, it will give you the height you wanted but it will cut down on flex.

[Rocksurfer]

Cut them down to a resonable size and they will be better than those stilts you've got there. Then go find a load leaf out of some POS in a junkyard.

[RRMike]

Cut them down to a resonable size and they will be better than those stilts you've got there. Then go find a load leaf out of some POS in a junkyard.

There's no way to cut them down without having the shackle laying straight back.  The springs are too long.  Only way to fix it is to put shorter springs on it or move the shackle hanger back.  It looks like the hanger is about as far back as it can go on the frame.

[SACD_Runner]

The easiest solution i see is to remount the hangers more forward or find some stock toyota springs and AAL and shackle them. At least You've got some choices mine would be the relocate option cheaper/better flex.

[BoG-ToY]

not trying to voice my newbie opinion, but I agree with the long spring idea keeping him from running shorter shackles, only other thing he could to to make it "appear" more 4by worthy is to do a 1/4 eliptical, that way it wouldnt look so bad and would provide alot more flex, while still giving him the farther back spring mount, shorter shackle and increases flex......