Topic: Additional Lift on a Shackle Reversal Kit

[Bounty Hunter]

NO, forget the stock shackle.  Your reference points before and after the lift are the spring eyes at the end of the spring.

The front spring eye moved up 1.5" (okay, here you don't forget the stock shackle, you use it as a reference compared to the frame hanger that goes in its place, THEN YOU FORGET ABOUT THE STOCK SHACKLE).

The rear spring eye moved down 5".

That's it, as simple as it gets.

[jonzjeepyj]

Draw an imaginary line between the spring bolts, nothing looks wrong to you?  The deviation from level is how much you changed your pinion angle and caster angle

OK, but wouldn't that imaginary line, in proportion, be the same if you added 2"
lift shackles to the front of the spring in a stock set up???

[jonzjeepyj]

So your saying...

my front spring eye mounted by stock methods was originally 6" off the frame and now its 4 1/2 inches of the frame.  A difference of 1 1/2 inches closer or 1.5" higher

The rear spring eye mounted by stock methods was originally 2" off the frame and now it's 7" off the frame for a difference of 5 inches. 

Now draw a line in between the spring eyes and compare the stock set up and the SRS system setup and this would be the difference???

[jfrabat]

I think this should clarify the points by others; look at the line between the spring eyes in your Jeep and mine; the angles are completely different, and this causes all the problems that the others are mentioning (and to this, you have to add the position of the shackle mentioned previously).  The difference in the angles is the problems (and I should point out that my angles are still out of whack, which means I get vibrations on the front at high speed from the angle difference; you would not notice this unless you used 4WD because you have the 2 piece front axle).





And like others have stated, our intention is not to mock or to say that you Jeep is junk; rather, our intention is to make sure you have a vehicle that is safe and that you will enjoy for many years to come...

Felipe

[Jeffy]

Removing the track bars will not improve ride quality, it will only improve axle articulation.  I would at least leave your front on.

Well, actually it will improve the ride since it allows the suspension to move/articulate.

Although with a SRS, it's supposed to soften the ride so it might be too soft if the trackbar is removed.  Then again those are some stiff looking leafs.  I'd remove it and drive around the block or so and see how it feels.  Punch the brakes a few times to see if there is a lot of bumpsteer...

[jonzjeepyj]

I just want to say that i like discussing the pros and cons of what i did wrong as long as it's done without bashing one another.  I welcome the chance to improve on a design and take constructive criticism and I welcome "Friendly" honest debate/opinions

I guess the object is to keep your angle as flat as possible.  I could use a through bolt pattern 5/8 shackle style bracket and use two bolts to secure it to the front of the frame.  This way I could lower the front of the spring eye a bit and shorten the length of the shackle in the rear.  This way it would be through bolted up front with two bolts and through bolted in the rear with a true shackle like the rear axle shackle as well as flatten out the axle angle.

[Bounty Hunter]

Yes, if you could safely extend the solid spring hanger at the front and shorten the shackle, your suspension and steering geometry will greatly improve.

If it were me, I'd remove it all together.  SRS's aren't all they're cracked up to be, especially a poorly designed one.  I still can't believe they market those.

[jonzjeepyj]

Let me ask another question... 

Could I shim the leaf packs to rotate the axle and straighten out
the angle up front.  I did this on the rear and used 4Deg shims to help out.
I still have an extra pair I could use if it would help.

I guess this would be another option instead or remounting the perches. 

[oldjeep]

Let me ask another question... 

If I were to shim the leaf packs to rotate the axle and straighten out
the angle up front.  I did this on the rear and used 4Deg shims to help out.
I still have an extra pair I could use if it would help.

I guess this would be another option instead or remounting the perches. 

Possibly, but I think it would take a bunch more than 4 degrees.   Get a cheap angle finder, and see where you are at.

[jonzjeepyj]

I know they make 4 / 7 / 8 deg shims.
I'm not claiming to get it back to stock but it has got to help.
And like I said, I have an extra pair of 4 deg shims in the garage laying around.

[Bounty Hunter]

Did you initially install the SRS to make the ride more smooth?  This is a common misconception about the SRS and is generally only a bandaid fix.  A proper fix would be a smoother rate spring and/or better shocks.

Most YJ lift kits are designed to maintain their lift even with a heavy 6cyl engine, that creates a stiff ride for us 4banger owners.

I wouldn't botch it up any worse by adding shims, that mistake of a kit should really come off (mistake by design, not your fault).

[FourbangerYJ]

Don't forget the longer center pin. Make sure they are steel ones not AL. Shims are not what you want if you can avoid them.

If it were mine I would take off the rear spring hanger and drill the frame and put in a crush sleeve and run the top shackle bolt thru the frame. Then you would have a better angle for the spring and can move the hole so you have the proper angle on the shackle. But then again I am not a fan of the SR so I don't and won't run one.

[jonzjeepyj]

Quote:
Did you initially install the SRS to make the ride more smooth?  This is a common misconception about the SRS and is generally only a band aid fix.  A proper fix would be a smoother rate spring and/or better shocks.

Yes,  I wanted a smoother ride quality not additional height.  That's why I added a 4" suspension lift for the tires.  The SRS was for ride quality. 

Quote
Most YJ lift kits are designed to maintain their lift even with a heavy 6cyl engine, that creates a stiff ride for us 4banger owners.

When I ordered the springs, they asked if I had a 4 or 6cyl jeep.  I assumed it was for the proper spring rate for the different weights of the Jeeps.  I could be wrong.

I could still salvage the parts in this kit, follow me and give me your opinion....
Excuse the crude drawing

If I retained the SRS bolt on bracket up front and then mounted the 5" SRS shackle arm to it up front, it would be the equivalent of a 2" shackle lift and putting the moving shackle back up front while mounting the rear spring eye back to it's original position.





 

I

[Bounty Hunter]

I understand what you're saying, and that's the equivalent of a 4" longer than stock shackle at the front end of the spring.  The combination you suggest is a lot of side-to-side leverage on the shackle hanger welded to the bottom of the frame, especially without the cross-bracing common to most SRS kits.

This would also give 2" additional height to the 4" springs, not to mention decreasing caster and pinion angle.  Those lift springs are designed for stock shackles in order to achieve the proper caster and pinion angle.  Any deviation and things get messed up, especially by an increase of 4" at one end.

From the looks of it you don't need any more lift, so I wouldn't try to salvage parts from this poorly designed kit just for the sake of putting them to use.

[jonzjeepyj]

Even though the pinion angles got screwed up severely, the kit only lifted the jeep 1" over the 4"s after the suspension lift was installed.  If the SRS bracket was kept, I welded a support bar in between the brackets, made shackles that were 3"s center to center, that would be only an addition of 2"s over stock  ( 3"s up front and 1" in the rear  ) for a total of 1" of lift over stock giving me a grand total of 5 inches of lift.   That would only put the suspension and pinion angles 2"s out of whack   I could also drill and sleeve the frame for the rear spring eye and move the mounting bolt slightly forward so it's already pointing rearward for the smoother quality ride?  Is this what is expected if I wanted to keep the SRS?