Stock length boomerang shackle?

The shackle angle thread reminded me how close my shackle is to the back of the box. I've never heard a noise but I'm sure it hits when the suspension compresses. I have Old Man Emu 2" light duty leaves.

So I have two questions:

1) Doesn't every XJ with those springs end up like this? If so, why doesn't OME/Arb tell you that you need a boomerang shackle?
2) Is there a boomerang shackle or some other design that increases clearance, which adds no lift? I want to stay at 2", because I don't want any driveline vibes.

I had a similar problem to you after I installed new leaves. I found a set of MJ shackles and they solved the problem and only added about 5/8" of lift.

Thanks for the tip. I bet MJ shackles are impossible to find though

Does anyone sell stock size MJ shackles then? Is the benefit from the smaller arc they have to move, or are they boomerang shaped?

Edit: Found one http://4by4connection.com/jksresh.html
They say you can put them on an XJ for 1", I guess they're fudging.

alex22 said:

I had a similar problem to you after I installed new leaves. I found a set of MJ shackles and they solved the problem and only added about 5/8" of lift.

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i used MJ shackles with my 4.5" springs to improve my shackle angles. the spring eye would strike the back of the shackle box with my stock shackles. now they dont with the MJ shackles and ride quality smoothed out quite a bit.

winkosmosis said:

Thanks for the tip. I bet MJ shackles are impossible to find though

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not so. i found myself a set at the junk yard and also pulled two more sets at different times to sell. i still have one set available. on all sets that i have found the bushings needed replacing since it did come off a 20 year old vehicle but Daystar has bushings to fit them. you could also use a "lift" shackle for about 1". you may see less lift from them if your springs had yet to settle (like mine even after two years of running them).

winkosmosis said:

Does anyone sell stock size MJ shackles then? Is the benefit from the smaller arc they have to move, or are they boomerang shaped?

Edit: Found one http://4by4connection.com/jksresh.html
They say you can put them on an XJ for 1", I guess they're fudging.

Click to expand...

the stealerships sell them for $70 each. but you could look at various retailers on here and look in their suspension components or budget boosts. you might have to call them in order to get just a single component instead of the whole system, but it usually can be done. again, the amount of lift can vary due to the leaf spring issues (like settling).

Does the MJ shackle end up being more vertical instead of angled back like normal?

The MJ shackle is more vertical than the stock one.

JKS makes a set of MJ shackles if you have the coin.
http://store.jksmfg.com/merchant2/m...ES&Store_Code=JKS01&Category_Code=Leaf_Spring
I found my stock MJ shackles in the for sale section here, check with your local chapter to see if someone has a set laying around.

alex22 said:

The MJ shackle is more vertical than the stock one.

JKS makes a set of MJ shackles if you have the coin.
http://store.jksmfg.com/merchant2/m...ES&Store_Code=JKS01&Category_Code=Leaf_Spring
I found my stock MJ shackles in the for sale section here, check with your local chapter to see if someone has a set laying around.

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I might buy those and have the mechanic put them on, since I need the shackles removed anyway to put in nutstrips for a hitch (stupid stupid stupid design)

Will the angling of the pinion upward reduce the chance of getting vibes (vs my 2" lift), or will it be worse since it won't be parallel to the tcase output?


Would rubber bushings give a better ride than the poly and is it possible to install them on those JKS shackles?

Why do you need to pull the shackle to put in nutstrips?

bdiamond said:

Why do you need to pull the shackle to put in nutstrips?

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Can't get the bumper mounts out without getting to those nuts inside the shackle box

winkosmosis said:

Can't get the bumper mounts out without getting to those nuts inside the shackle box

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The nuts are welded from the factory.

They do tend to break off though.

So if they are not broke than no need to remove the shackle.

CanMan said:

The nuts are welded from the factory.

They do tend to break off though.

So if they are not broke than no need to remove the shackle.

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Oh OK. I couldn't tell because they are so rusted. I bet they do break...

My upper shackle bolts took a lot of force to get them off but the inner nut did not break away from the unibody. I had one foot against the tire and was pulling on a 2 foot ratchet, when the bolt came loos I went flying into the garage door; just a heads up.

For a few days prior to attempting to remove the bolts I sprayed the bolts with PB Blaster. One of the holes for the trailer hitch has a line of sight to the nut that is inside of the "frame."

Go to the bone yard and get some chevy 1/2 ton or ford shackles..the one's that are about 4.5"s long. not the drop shackles..they both look just like the mj's.same length also. "search" chevy shackles and you will get all the particulars!

builder said:

Go to the bone yard and get some chevy 1/2 ton or ford shackles..the one's that are about 4.5"s long. not the drop shackles..they both look just like the mj's.same length also. "search" chevy shackles and you will get all the particulars!

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I want the boomerang shape though.

Any input on the vibration with 2" vs 3" lift in the rear? Better or worse with the new height and pinion angle?

Edit: Oh they ARE boomerang shaped.
http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=978252&highlight=chevy+shackles

Looks like they'd give more clearance than the JKS actually.