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Rides like a tractor!

2K views 31 replies 9 participants last post by  jamiedrchiro 
#1 ·
Need some help guys. I bought a94 yj in January. Was told it had a rough country 4 inch lift. It also has a shackle reversal done on the front. It rides worse than a tractor.. removed trac bar front n rear and new shocks. This helped some. But now I notice my front shackle has inverted (probably always been like that).
It looks to me like my springs are not long enough. I measured from shackle frame mount to front spring mount. I got almost 45 inches. Looked up stock distance should be about 2 inches less. My springs are nowhere near flat either.
Am I correct in assuming the po who installed shackle reversal made it too long?? Any ideas to fix it besides moving the mounts?
 
#3 ·
I agree.. but have ridden in others jeeps with the same setup and mine is horrible compared to theirs.
Also the leaf can't flex at all because the shackle is hitting the frame. I can jump on the front end and it may move 2 inches. My rear leafs more much better but they are not binding.
 
#4 ·
I do not have a SRS, but from what I have understood they are suppose to ride better than a traditional leaf spring Jeep.
These are the instructions from M.O.R.E. they have a couple of different kinds of SRS. Check on the other set ups if this one does not apply.
https://www.mountainoffroad.com/media/instructions/8795-5is.pdf
 
#10 ·
You may be surprised at how easy it'll go back. The leaf *might* be bent & if so it'll go into inversion even easier next time.

To get it set-up correctly, my guess is that longer leafs need to be used or maybe move the shackle hanger forward so that the shackle angle is corrected.
 
#12 ·
Yeah, that's not good. Leaf is bent in the back. How does the front look? axle is way too far forward judging from your driveshaft slip yoke
 
#20 ·
Its about a two foot crow bar. Im putting it between the shackle and frame and also between shackle and brace.
Don't think I can get one much longer in here. It hits the axle. I can get it to move til the shackle is parallel with the spring. Any further it tensions the spring.and it still has to move quite a bit further to get the shackle past vertical.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Ill try again this evening.
 
#21 ·
I just want to interject before going to far into repair of the leaf springs.

How good of a ride do you want and how much do you want to spend? Will you be ok with a mediocre rough country ride after you solve the shackle inversion issue? It should ride MUCH better than it does now, but still won't be great.

Remember that even if you can't get the shackle inversion back with a pry bar, you can always just pull the shackle bolts and reset it manually.
 
#22 ·
Im OK with it being rough. I mean its a Jeep, I dont expect a whole lot, but Its almost unbearable currently. Not looking to put a new suspension kit in right now.

Yes thats my plan. Im going to remove the shackle and see if I can get the springs to lengthen out to restore the shackle angle. If so, I will make some sort of stop on the shackle to keep it from inverting again.
 
#23 ·
Sounds like you've got a good cheap plan for the time being.

You could also go with some boomerang shackles and new well greased bushings for a sort of ~$200 range improvement. But getting your current shackle fixed is the best place to start. It's good practice for a future swap anyhow.
 
#24 ·
On the side that's not inverted, what's the shackle angle look like statically?

Also, does it look like each shackle hanger that was welded to the frame is an exact mirror image of the opposite side as far as position, size etc?

Another item....are the front mounts a mirror image as well in all aspects?

Quality pics of everything may help.
 
#25 ·
Both front shackles are inverted. It appears all four mounts are lined up the same. I will take a few pics and post back in a few.

The thing is, the jeep drives great except for the suspension. Steering is tight. No wobble or bump steer at any speed. Pulls straight ahead etc.

Another thing I noticed was the shackles are not 4 inches. They are only 3.5. I've never heard of a short shackle.
Ill snap pics and post back in a few.
 
#31 ·
When I first looked at your pictures, my gut told me the front hanger should be pointing the other direction (i.e. towards the middle of the Jeep). I looked around and couldn't find your exact model, but most shackle reversals point to the front like yours does...


That's a long winded way of saying no help here. Other than agreeing that your springs are bent or too short for the application.
 
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