I have 63" 3 leaf plus an overload and 11" shackles...
Only problem is it doesn't have any flex in it. I was thinking about removing one of the leafs and the overload but then I'm worried about axle wrap since I'm turning 40" boggers... Any ideas on what I could do?

 

bro your shackle angle is so far off you want 45* angle that will make a huge difference in one. second pull the overload leaf you dont need it. your truck weights maybe 1800. just an idea. im doing this swap now. move your rear hanger forward inch or two and change ur shackle angle. so your shackle is doing what its supposed to. not straight up n down. its probably just lifting your truck. also check how tight you put your bolts maybe the shackle isnt moving.

 

x2 that angle just looks like it is holding the rear susp. in place.

 

im doing a 63 chevy leaf swap and front sas. i know exactly where to place what ive delt with this stuff alot and built a few rigs with friends. the shackle angle matters 100% i could have mine straight up n down and have it huge. but the idea is to have flex.

 

Looks like its time to get the welder out...

 

wait, so let me get this straight guys, you want your shackles at an angle? so kinda like an L with the shackle sideways?
i did not know this, because i am trying to get more stretch out of my rear on my truck, and i was gonna get new shackles, is there any ways i can leave the stock leafs( it has a add a leaf) and get new shackles and do that? or would i have to move the mount back? and i love your truck drillin!

 

you want 45* angle.

 

oh ok, and is there a way i could do that with just leaving the mounts where they are right now? stock..would i just tightem them down a lot, so then they wont move and they will stay at the 45 angle?

 

you want a 45* angle with weight on it. at flex it moves so that changes.

 

Thanx man, I like it too. It's a beast, but it does really well out in the rocks and dirt and once I get this rear flex problem fixed it should do a hell of a lot better!!! least I hope so..

 

dude, i know you didn't build this truck and are dealing with someone else's fab work, but do you have any better pics of your f/r suspension setup? both f/r look pretty...homemade...and mounted a couple inches below the frame for additional lift that you would get with proper lift-leafs that have better flex. i'm sure the system used works great - but from the pics they look like they're not properly supported/gusseted for all the additional leverage, being so far from the frame. the front hangers look to be at least boxed in/gusseted, but from the pics those rear shackle hangers don't seem to have any at all. they just look like a piece of tube welded on without any gussets of any sort and look downright scary if you're gonna bust out the welder, i'd suggest you do it right and brace that hanger or buy a pre-fabbed one and use that.

i agree the rear definitely looks like it's being held up by those vertical shackles and is contributing to the lack of flex. might not be a bad idea to put a brace in the middle of those massively long shackles while you have the welder out. so yeah, a couple tweaks with what you've got and i'm sure that rig will lay some smack down

good luck. all us sac guys should get together and do a run this winter.

 

You need the spring rate in the back to match the weight on the rear end. Without a bed on there, the back end is probably very light, so pull out a leaf and see how it works. And if wrap is an issue, you can implement an anti-wrap leaf:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/4R_suspe...l#Update-part2
Or add a traction bar to the rear axle, there are bolt-on and weld-on options available.

For the shackles, you could move the shackle hanger forward a few inches and run a shorter shackle to get a better angle:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...l#Applications

 

Looks like there is also a BL which visually makes the suspension seem really far from the body/frame.

 

whoa holy long shackles!

 

X3

that rear is in bad shape. I would take out that body lift and cut those front fenders to clear, the axle looks like it is pushed pretty far forward, and has at least an extra 1.5"-2" with that tube in between the hanger and the frame.

 

Hey drillin_guy-
Is that upper shackle mount made from the end of an old leafpack? If so, that spring steel does not weld to the mild steel frame very well and will crack and break away in no time.

 

Zuk has a really good point too.

If i were you.

Go to sky buy all there full size mounts for toyota. make this truck worth driving bro.

 

Does that thing get driven on the street? If not, I would move that rear hanger, get smaller rear shackles, redo the front spring hanger and remove that body lift to get the truck as low as possible and then just cut to fit those tires, that way you get flex and bring the COG lower than it is now, and reworking that front hanger will increase your approach angle.

 

Holy booty fab, Batman!

 

Yeah I have my work cut out for me. The front suspension is a whole other thread, I'm going to totally refab it. Who ever built it put the long side of the leaf forward so Im flipping them around, building new front spring mounts and moving the shackle mounts back about 6". Doing that will leave the front axle in the same spot and make my approach angle way better...

As for the rear, for now I'm going to just move the shackles forward and throw some bracing inside to get a better angle but once I save some money I think I'm going in a whole different direction... Once I start workin on it I'll start a build thread...