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Extreme shackle angle with 63" spring swap

TGrady

NAXJA Forum User
The previous owner of my Cherokee did a 63" rear leaf swap and ended up with an extreme angle for the rear shackles. The shackles sit low and are about 11" center to center. Is there any issue with it this way? The shocks are long enough to allow for the drop and flex. I've ran it on trails quite a bit with no issues but anytime another Jeep owner sees it, they comment on it. There is some room to move it back and decrease the angle but I don't know if it's necessary.

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You can answer that better than us! What does it flex like? What do they look like flexed/compressed?
 
Was the other frame mount moved inboard to? Also getting that shackle bolt out is going to be fun.
 
Popular in Toyota land. But that’s a hella extreme angle. Surprised it doesn’t bottom out.
What’s the front mount look like?
 
Not trying to be a jerk, but you can tell us better than we can tell you. Either there is enough room for the shackle to compress(fold) without bottoming against the spring/frame when the tire is at full stuff or there isn't. Put the rear tire up on a rock, etc with it stuffed all the way up in the wheel well and the axle on the bump stop and see if there is still room for the shackle to compress a little more without binding. If so then you are good in that regard.

What I WOULD be concerned about is the extreme length of the shackle. It gives the leaf spring a ton of leverage to try and twist the frame end shackle mount off of the frame either when the suspension is twisted up or if street driven when cornering. In other words the shackle is acting like a breaker bar for the spring to use to twist the frame side shackle mount off of the frame. I would expect it to flex great. Especially with no cross brace in the shackle, but I would be worried about the lack of side to side stability on the street and I would keep a close watch on that un-braced upper shackle mount for cracks. I bet if you opened the rear hatch, grabbed a hold of the hatch opening with your hands, and pushed the spring eye sideways with your foot, it moves pretty far.

Then again...if it has been working fine for you, for long enough, then I might just be overly cautious.
 
Not trying to be a jerk, but you can tell us better than we can tell you. Either there is enough room for the shackle to compress(fold) without bottoming against the spring/frame when the tire is at full stuff or there isn't. Put the rear tire up on a rock, etc with it stuffed all the way up in the wheel well and the axle on the bump stop and see if there is still room for the shackle to compress a little more without binding. If so then you are good in that regard.

What I WOULD be concerned about is the extreme length of the shackle. It gives the leaf spring a ton of leverage to try and twist the frame end shackle mount off of the frame either when the suspension is twisted up or if street driven when cornering. In other words the shackle is acting like a breaker bar for the spring to use to twist the frame side shackle mount off of the frame. I would expect it to flex great. Especially with no cross brace in the shackle, but I would be worried about the lack of side to side stability on the street and I would keep a close watch on that un-braced upper shackle mount for cracks. I bet if you opened the rear hatch, grabbed a hold of the hatch opening with your hands, and pushed the spring eye sideways with your foot, it moves pretty far.

Then again...if it has been working fine for you, for long enough, then I might just be overly cautious.

Thank you for the response. I had the same concerns. I think I'm just going to have to keep an eye on the area and check for cracks or add some additional plating for strength. It hasn't bottomed out with the flex I've put on it. The spring side of the shackle does tend to be the first thing that hits when dropping off of rocks but even those impacts haven't caused the shackle to bottom out. I tried pushing with my foot as you described and I can't get it to move more than 1/4"-3/8".
 
I think I'm just going to have to keep an eye on the area and check for cracks or add some additional plating for strength..
Some plating couldn't hurt.

I tried pushing with my foot as you described and I can't get it to move more than 1/4"-3/8".
That doesn't sound bad. How does it drive on the street? Can you feel the rear end shifting sideways at all. Hell....you may just be starting a new trend!! LOL
 
I don't feel the rear shifting on the streets. You can feel the body roll on the streets which is expected of a Jeep with a sizable lift. Fortunately it's not my DD so I'm not too concerned with the ride on the street.
 
Well it would give more room for an outboarded shock that wouldnt need the wheelwell hacked up to much and add much needed stability after moving the leafs inbound.
 
I could be mistaken but it looks like the front mounts were cut off of a MJ.
 
Well it would give more room for an outboarded shock that wouldnt need the wheelwell hacked up to much and add much needed stability after moving the leafs inbound.

I have the shocks mounted to a welded in hoop at the top which seems to allow for the most travel. Mounting them outboard may provide more stability but it seems like there would be less travel.
 
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