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YJ Front Shackle Hanger Relocation

11K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  ssyj94 
#1 ·
Well I'm in the process of rebuilding my Jeep from the ground up right now and I want to do something about my front shackle angle. At rest the shackles are near vertical which is affecting my droop and approach angle. Chrysler also did a Shattastick job on welding the front hangers to the frame so I'd like to fix that as well. How far should I be moving them back? what rest angle should I be shooting for? These are the best pics I have of rest and full droop. The shackles are 1.25" lift ones and the springs are 4" RC's (the newer ones that are less prone to bending)







I realize this could cause some conflict with my steering box location, any input?
 
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#5 ·
Most all shackles I've seen are vertical which I'm pretty sure is how they're supposed to be.
no. at ride height they should be angled with the bottom end forward. if they were perfectly vertical they would cause the suspension to have a bump in the cycle and they would invert constantly. one reason why so many "lift kits" ride and flex poorly. the springs are just too short compared to the arch.

Boom shackles aren't for adding droop, but to help keep shackles from inverting.
actually they were designed for exactly the opposite. the angle helps the shackle clear the rear crossmember and allow them to swing farther on compression. the inversion protection was a by-product. there are simpler ways to keep regular shackles from inverting.

It could be the shocks limiting your down travel,
how do shocks cause shackles to ride at an undesirable angle? with such a vertical static angle there is only a small amount of swing left for the shackle when drooping. they are maxed in the pics.
 
#4 ·
I know that the shocks are limiting travel by being over extended so I'm correcting that but what I want to correct with moving the hangers is to achieve a less vertical shackle angle when at static load. This should help increase droop, ride quality and approach angle. I'm curious how far I can move the hangers back though before I run into clearance issues with the steering box. So far I've been really happy with the RC springs they are much better quality then their last generation of springs and flex very well.
 
#7 ·
instead of moving the front hangers, id move the rear forward. this will give a bit more wheelbase and put more angle in the shackle.

because sua springs favor compression over droop you could get aggressive and move both hangers and put the shackle at around 40* or so and allow for more droop.
 
#9 ·
instead of moving the front hangers, id move the rear forward. this will give a bit more wheelbase and put more angle in the shackle.

because sua springs favor compression over droop you could get aggressive and move both hangers and put the shackle at around 40* or so and allow for more droop.
I moved both of mine for a little more wheelbase.
What ever you do get rid of those front shackle hangers. They will eventually break.
I do not think you will be able to move the front shackle hanger back.
The steering box is in the way.
 
#8 ·
I would be looking at doing a reverse shackle install if you are going to keep those springs.
 
#11 ·
I got a set of these after I broke my right side front mount.

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=20&products_id=132

The OEM ones are junk. After the right one was fixed, I removed the left side, with a hammer and a chisel. It had to be moved slightly forward on the left, to prevent interference with the steering box. But older, (and maybe newer) XJ's have a spacer between the steering box and the frame. Since we use the same box, the spacer should work. I have one in my garage, and I think I might put it on to help with the interference.

 
#12 ·
Thats pretty much exactly the fix I'm going for

What exactly is the shackle interfering with on the steering box, could it be cause of the kink in the boom shackle?

How much would you say it moved the eye forward or backward from its original position?

Thanks for the help :cheers2:
 
#15 ·
It is not so much the shackle but the clearance between the shackle hanger and the steering box.
The shackle hanger darn near sits flush with the steering box.
I moved both my shackle hanger and the rear mount foward 2" without any problems with my steering linkage.
Something else you could do was to move the front one foward and use Waggy springs.
 
#13 ·
I used the stock location b/c my shackle angles are normal. I would be taking a look see at the springs to make sure they are dialed in correctly. These are chrome mollys I got from Currie. A little pricey, but since they are chromos, I did'nt mind. :)



WRM :cheers:
 
#14 ·
It was the top bolt of the shackle, and possibly the center bolt too. But here is a pic of that spacer I was talking about. I got it when I pulled the steering box off an '86 XJ, when I did my power steering conversion.

 
#16 ·
FRATIS hit the nail on the head.

Your problem is one that RC has and will never adress which is they make thier springs too short. I'd either run a stock length shackle that will give you a hair more angle or move your rear hangers about 2" forward. Another option is just deal with till those springs sag out or bend and change to another company's springs that are usually longer(RE xd, BDS).

What kinda steering changes would i need to make if I were to move the rear hangers forward?
None the steering will be fine with that small bit of stretch. My jeeps set up is 3" forward and thats about the max without moving the box froward.
 
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