is that what happened in this picture?
http://www.tacomaterritory.com/sub.p...d/index&id=117

I've heard endlessly the dangers of the blocks but never have seen the carnage from it.

 

I assume the pinion flange was ripped out when the blocks broke and power went to the driveshaft.

 

yeah, blocks do tend to spit out, thats why you should use steel ones and weld them to the spring perches

 

Saw this exact scenario this weekend on an older toyota pickup. He was in the worst possible place too. Broken blocks, unusable u-bolts, broken pinion flange, snapped u-joint, torn e-brake cables, torn brake cables.

Makes me feel better about my coil suspension!

 

Downey has made springs so affordable, I don't know why anybody uses blocks. I'll even take an add-a-leaf over a block, maybe stiffer but won't cause damage.

 

Dont mean to hijack, but how stable are shackels?

 

I have no personal experience but a lot of people seem to prefer shackles. I haven't heard anything bad about them other than having to reroute the exhaust...

 

Shackles are good for a small to moderate amount of lift. Since you only get roughly 1/2" of lift for every 1" of additional shackle length. Stock is 3.5" center to center and once you get over about a 3" longer shackle it starts getting pretty long. More info on shackles on my web page:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/Shackles.shtml#FAQ

A shackle has an advantage over a block in that you typically gain lift + travel in the suspension. A block will only give you lift (and increased axle wrap - bad) with no increase in suspension travel. A shackle will give you the lift, plus if your springs allow it, you should be able to compress them back to where they compressed in stock form, so what you gain in lift you also gain in travel.

A longer shackle is a good option when combined with a soft add-a-leaf (Rancho Soft Ride AAL kit is a good option). Instead of going with a stiff 3" lift AAL or a 3" block, combine a soft 1.5" AAL and a 1.5" lift (3" longer) shackle. Soft AAL still allows for decent flex, shackles gives lift and travel and no increased tendeancy for axle wrap that a block would cause.