At what point do I upgrade/replace my rear shackles?

k4ylr · May 9, 2012

Aloha guys,

I've got a brand new to me, 2001 Sport with 96K and I'm anxious to get it built up. I'm going for a more subdued look so its only going (for the time being :hahaha

3" up. I'm pretty set on the Zone 3" Kit w/ Spring Pack because its all inclusive and will get me started until I ditch the stock parts for Bilstein 5100's and Currie Adj. CA's.

My question is, with the plan ahead should I upgrade or replace the stock shackles currently on the Jeep? and If so, do I only need OEM replacement ones or would something like the ones from RE or WP work?

I've also attached my build plan so you can get an idea of where the Jeep is supposed to go.

chiefbill1959 · May 10, 2012

Unless there is something wrong with the original shackles I wouldn't do anymore than bushings. Cracked, bent or broke, replace them. You can just pull them off and clean them up and paint them. Now if your looking for articulation I understand sliders are the way to go. Do a little search on here and I'm sure you will find some good info. I know Azzy is having an issue with his shackles and the thread touchs a little on the sliders.

k4ylr · May 10, 2012

Much appreciated Chief. The reason I asked is that I had seen something on sliding shackles but can't for the life of me find them. I'm one of those that likes to upgrade when/if I can just so things all start on the same page. I wasn't sure if there was a need for a different shackle in order to incorporate a 3" or 3.5" into my Jeep.

I'll keep poking around. Thanks again

chiefbill1959 · May 10, 2012

I installed my 3 inch Rustys kit and only renewed the bushings. And it didn't really need them but since I was in to it that far I went ahead. If you are going to do a loy of off roading and want the articulation you may want to check out your options. There are relocation kits and sliders and a couple other things floating around out there. It's kind of hard to read your do list so I'm not sure what all you have on there. Just use the search function on here and I'm sure you will find a bunch of info.

chiefbill1959 · May 10, 2012

here is a link on some sliders.

http://www.liquidironindustries.com/product.php?productid=18222

chiefbill1959 · May 10, 2012

Here is another link that explains it a little.

http://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/shackle-slider-vs-shackle-relocation-kit-122149/

k4ylr · May 10, 2012

After some more snooping I happened upon that sam Fab shop. I recently moved to Northern OK for the oil/gas companies...which means I don't have much/any free time to wheel overly hard. For the time being its going to be a "best of both worlds" jeep. In that IF I can get away it will be some light duty mud, dirt, trail riding so increased articulation isn't necessarily an important topic. The bottom end is pretty clean so I may just go with the bushing-swap if I feel like it.

I just like the idea of adding replacing older/used components if/when I can.

Thanks again!

egodfrey · May 10, 2012

Change your shackles when the angle of your stock ones suck or you need a little more boost.

Azzy · May 10, 2012

There are 2 reasons to go with teh relocation boxes... 1, mad flex. I can lift my jeep up about 2' in the air and tires still touch the ground. 2. easy height without very pricey springs. Add-a-leafs arent the greatest, and the relocation boxes will net you about 2.5" from stock, depending on how you set them up.

Biggest problem is getting them setup in the lower height ranges where you dont invert your shocks. With a 2" shackle, I bottom mine out. Hoping that a 3/4" shackle they still flex a bit and give me the tiny bit of lift (looking for around 3.5-4.5" in the rear).

Your biggest issue with going into the 4"+ range is your driveline.

Paradise XJ · May 10, 2012

Back in the day I put the RRO lift shackles (Rusty's) with poly bushings on my stock springs for a budget boost. It lifted it a bit but really put some strain on the springs as they flattened out even more. When I put the 3.5" full pack on the rear of my XJ they didn't work so well cause they hit the mounting box at the very back of the spring. So, I removed them, re-installed the old stock shackles with new bushings. That made the shackle angle perfect in the stock location. The springs "seemed" to work better and improved the ride quality quite a bit.

Now the lift shackles are on my MJ where they'll stay. There's no boxed in area for them to hit and give me better load handling, a bit of a lift added to the 3" bastard pack and the restore the ol' MJ rake.

k4ylr · May 10, 2012

Thanks for all of the information. Looks like I'll just change out the bushings for good measure unless something really looks off.

I'm going to be staying at a lift height of 3.5" which will be achieved via individual pieces:

3.5" RE Coils
3.5" Full Spring Pack
Bilstein 5100
Currie Currectlync HD Tie Rod system
Currie JJoint Adj. LCAs
JKS Adj. Trackbar
Tom Woods/AA SYE and DS Combo

The upfront cost is a little more, but I feel like it makes the suspension pretty solid from the get-go. Eventually I'll add the UCAs, JKS Disconnects with 15x8 3.75" BS wheels and 32x11.5.x15. Its going to be mostly a trail jeep and not heavily crawled since I need it to be up and running for work.

Thanks again guys, looking forward to getting a build thread rolling.

At what point do I upgrade/replace my rear shackles?

k4ylr

chiefbill1959

k4ylr

chiefbill1959

chiefbill1959

chiefbill1959

k4ylr

egodfrey

Azzy

Paradise XJ

k4ylr

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