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BIGTYMER
Dodge Dakota
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2/03/2005
09:14:57
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 Subject: reversing shackles?
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Is it possible to take the shackle from the back of the leaf spring and put it on the front?
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Walt_Felix
Dodge Dakota
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2/03/2005
15:24:37
|  RE: reversing shackles?
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Message:
Just a question, why would you do that? It doesn't make sense and I don't see what you would gain by doing so. Ideally, you would want the spring’s pivot point to be on the same side as the driveshaft to keep driveline angles semi-consistent.
__________________
Walt Felix
http://www.MoparsinMotion.Com
http://www.Walt-n-Ingrid.Com
    
Note: I very frequently get email from people asking about the lift kit in my ’88. Typically, I will NOT respond the emails (about 90%) that ask questions I’ve already covered on my web pages (ie. Where did you get the kit?, Who makes it?, How much did it cost?, What modifications did you have to make to get it to fit your truck?. How hard was it to install? What problems did you encounter? etc, etc...)
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BIGTYMER
Dodge Dakota
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2/10/2005
09:39:35
| RE: reversing shackles?
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Look at the springs and shackles. The shackle is in the back sticking up. If you moved it to the front sticking down it would lift the truck about 4"
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Eric
Dodge Dakota
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2/10/2005
16:59:02
| RE: reversing shackles?
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It would also eat u joint's like candy. Your pinion would be pushed down because of this and the angle combined with the lift would be way to much for your average u joint. But hey go for it I could use a good laugh.
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BIGTYMER
Dodge Dakota
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2/15/2005
08:47:41
| RE: reversing shackles?
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Message:
I know you would have to use angled blocks to correct the pinion angle from the lift, but the front and back of the leaf spring would both move down the same distance...
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Walt_Felix
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/15/2005
13:45:50
| RE: reversing shackles?
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Message:
No, one end of the spring has to be stationary for it to work correctly. If you had shackles on both ends of the springs, they would move forward and backwards with the movement of the truck.
How the leaf spring works is the fixed end should be on the driveshaft side of the axle. As the spring compresses, the axle not only moves upwards, it also shifts back slightly as the arch of the spring decreases. This moves the rear of the spring back slightly and the shackle is there to allow for that movement. The slip yoke on the drive shaft also allows for the movement of the axle. If that movement wasn’t necessary, there would be hard mounts on both ends of the springs and no shackles at all. It would be possible but you’ll rattle your teeth loose because there would be little suspension flex.
If you had the shackle on the front of the rear springs with the fixed end on the rear, with compression, you would be moving the axle forward instead. With enough compression, you would be slide hammering the slip-yoke into the tail shaft.
Assuming your talking about a 4x4, why not just use lift blocks and skip moving the shackle? Or if you don’t want to use lift blocks, you can do add-a-leafs. Other options are to do a shackle flip so the rear of the spring is below the mount and not above it or replace the springs outright with a set high arched springs.
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Walt Felix
http://www.Walt-n-Ingrid.Com
http://dodgetruckworld.com/waltfelix
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