hey guys I want to do a shackle flip onthe back end of my 78 f-150 shortbed and then in the front I want to lower the spring towers. My question is so i have to beef up the frame in the front end once I lower the spring towers in the front? Remember I am going to be taking this truck off roading also going to drive it on the street also. Also after i lower the spring towers and flip the rear shackels what should I do about shocks? Right now I have a 3 inch lift on the truck. I gues I would need to buy new shocks correct? I heard doing shackle flip will give you 2.5 inches higher. That means I would want to lower my front spring towers 2.5 inches. That means then Iwould need 5-6 inch lift shocks for the truck correct? Please let me know. Also please let me know what you guys did to the frames once you lowered the sprign towers to beef them up.
thanks,
Jimmy

 

check out sky-manufacturing for a shackle flip. cons - Yes you have to spend a few bucks, and it will move your axel placement an inch or 2 forward(but thats not really that bad. Pros - you get new brackets that are easily twice the thickness twice the strength, bolt directly to where your old rear shackles were. Only took me a couple of hours, the job was clean, simple, fast and feesable. This ill lift your rear 4.5" total i believe. The front hangers, personally i wouldnt lower them. Where they are on the frame is essential to the geometry of the truck. Lowering to me would mean less strength, it seems just as hokey as putting blocks on the front axel and weldin them in place, jus not kool. Sure it works but theres plenty of other options that are safer and more reliable. Just buy an adaleaf for the front and be done with it, springs are decently priced for the 70's, skyjacker even makes a soft add-a-leaf for a less stiffened ride but an 1" or 2" of lift. Personally i would think your spending way more time making a shackle flip on your own and reconfiguring the local of both the front and rear shackle for the back of the truck as to where sky's is fast, reliable, tough(theres more gussets on their shackle brackets than the factory) and will probably save you a couple hours of work. As for your shocks go, just add however many more inches to the travel(of how much your lifting) that you already have at least thats my assumption, but i could be wrong. Anyways good luck man, gotta love those 70's

 

Umm 78 150 = coils in the front, not leaf springs, so an add a leaf is out of the question.

 

Oh yea my bad i should have caught that, ive jus been workin with 150's and 100's soo much i neglected to think about that...well if you have coils you can get a new pair for somewhere in the vacinity or 200 big ones

 

what would you guys sugest for me to get a cheaper way to lift my truck two more inches then it already is?
thanks,
Jimmy

 

Probably some sort of coil spacer in the front and blocks in the rear. OR a new set of springs from summit are about 150-180 i have new c bushings, i couldnt buy a whole bushing kit with 7 degree bushings so i had to buy them seperately and i have an extra pair of 4 degrees that are good for 1 -4 inches of lift that i would like to get rid of for prob $30 thats 10 under and ill even ship em. I have some blocks for a 6" that im probably gonna get rid of as well havent decided yet, im switching my rear to a non block but i may need them for setup untill i get new springs, not quite sure. Or just go wth an enormous body lift but those look hokey.