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lions, tigers, shackles, and leaf springs - oh my!


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hey gang

 

 Ok so i got the general leaf springs all  in (thanks for help all) - 2.5" of lift (!), way more than  i'd like to have or want - but honesty i also put in a set of the JKS shackles in too that are about an inch taller than the stock ones - so i'm thinking if i can get a set of shackles w/ original dimensions (and good bushings) i'd can live with 1.5-1.75 inches of lift and try and balance out the front in the next few weeks

 

does anyone know the actual real part number of the Chevy replacement ones that are the same size - my old shackles are wasted - bushing totally shot  - and i'm thinking new ones would be easier than trying to fit bushing in the old clapped out ones

 

anyway thanks as always

 

mike

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Question for you all. Don't.mean to highjack ur thread. If I buy the 1700lb spring pack. And do a SOA, will I be netting more than 5.5". Or will the 1250lb and a SOA be less than or right at 5.5". If anyone knows that would be great thank you. Also if I get 6.5 in lift coils for the front will I need to go to long arms?

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More like a year. That's how long it took my GS MT leaf springs to settle down to closely equal the front with OME 2" lift coils. It sets just right now like I wanted originally, so it all worked out fine in the end.

 

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Question for you all. Don't.mean to highjack ur thread. If I buy the 1700lb spring pack. And do a SOA, will I be netting more than 5.5". Or will the 1250lb and a SOA be less than or right at 5.5". If anyone knows that would be great thank you. Also if I get 6.5 in lift coils for the front will I need to go to long arms?

 

Start a new thread.

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wow  - thats a beautiful truck! bet the camper helped too

 

 

More like a year. That's how long it took my GS MT leaf springs to settle down to closely equal the front with OME 2" lift coils. It sets just right now like I wanted originally, so it all worked out fine in the end.

 

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Are you guys talking about the heavier springs making the truck ride higher than stock or just higher than that truck's previous ride height meaning that the "lift" is just correcting sag? From the pics I have seen and posts I have read it is my understanding that the metric ton trucks sat at the same ride height as the standard payload trucks. If that is true thenwhy would a correctly made aftermarket spring add actual lift that the stockers did not? Just curious.

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Somewhere, sometime, there needs to be a sticky thread on springs.

 

What is, what was, what should have been........is becoming a bore.

 

 

 

Mike,

 

The JKS shackles are good shackles, it is difficult for me to spend $100 on something of quality to just toss them aside. XJ shackles are still available and should work to lower it down for you.

 

 

I posted already about the Moogs in the front, you'll have to decide for yourself. They will settle in the first 30 days, about 1 inch.

 

The GS springs will offer you a firm ride, the Moogs will give you a very soft ride. The OMEs are very compatible with the GS springs.

 

One thing you'll notice is that you can toss 500lbs in the back and not notice it a bit, ride will soften a bit but will have little effect on hight.

 

 

 

 

Only reason I'm posting to you is this- You'll drop the front axle once or twice before you realize what a pain in the @$$ it is. If you really want to level it out, you'll have to guess at how many isolators to stack, wait to allow the Moogs to settle, do it again.....or maybe again.

 

The OME with two Isolators will get you where you want to be.........first time.

 

The JKS shackle can be mounted either way, one will give you 1" lift and the other will not.

 

 

 

I personally like a VERY firm ride. The other components of the suspension will have a great effect too on how the truck handles and the quality of the ride, don't dismiss those in the process.

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yeah Jeep D, you got me thinking about the OME springs very seriously now....  especially as like you said i don't want to keep repeatably dicking around and i do like a firm ride -

 

i'm also less worries about tossing the JKS shackles - as actually i'm looking for a 2 door early XJ  to play with -  but i didn't realize i could reverse them for difference in height - i may try that this afternoon as the top  bolt on the passenger shackle is barley fouling the exhaust pipe so it has to be dealt with

 

i take it though that no one knows the actually Chevy year/model shackle that will work

 

 

also put bilstein shocks in about a month ago, was a bit better but wanted a better ride and figured all the old stuff was due for updating...

 

i primary use the truck for hauling my motorcycles, so a 2.5 inch height  increase makes pushing a 500lb bike a bit higher, and increases the chance of catching the bikes bottom frame at the top because of new angle -  my main concern

 

anyways thx all for input!

 

 

 

Somewhere, sometime, there needs to be a sticky thread on springs.

 

What is, what was, what should have been........is becoming a bore.

 

 

 

Mike,

 

The JKS shackles are good shackles, it is difficult for me to spend $100 on something of quality to just toss them aside. XJ shackles are still available and should work to lower it down for you.

 

 

I posted already about the Moogs in the front, you'll have to decide for yourself. They will settle in the first 30 days, about 1 inch.

 

The GS springs will offer you a firm ride, the Moogs will give you a very soft ride. The OMEs are very compatible with the GS springs.

 

One thing you'll notice is that you can toss 500lbs in the back and not notice it a bit, ride will soften a bit but will have little effect on hight.

 

 

 

 

Only reason I'm posting to you is this- You'll drop the front axle once or twice before you realize what a pain in the @$$ it is. If you really want to level it out, you'll have to guess at how many isolators to stack, wait to allow the Moogs to settle, do it again.....or maybe again.

 

The OME with two Isolators will get you where you want to be.........first time.

 

The JKS shackle can be mounted either way, one will give you 1" lift and the other will not.

 

 

 

I personally like a VERY firm ride. The other components of the suspension will have a great effect too on how the truck handles and the quality of the ride, don't dismiss those in the process.

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