ok.. so i can get a set of either.... which will lower the rear of my truck 2 inches... with both its 4... but first... if i drop my truck 2 inches in the back will it be level??? and if so which is better to use... the hangers or shakles

 

if you go with one set, it should be pretty close to level, not perfectly, but very close.

as for which to choose, i think its really up to you, but remember, either way you still lose some towing and payload capacity. might not be too big a problem for you, but its something to consider.

 

The shackles only lower our trucks 1 inch, because the shackles will hit the bed if they are any longer. The hangers if im right give us right at 2 full inches. If you don't tow heavy stuff you can take one of the leaf springs out and it will level the truck out. My pic is with a 2/4 belltech drop with 2 inch drop springs and 2 leafs taken out of the back and it sits about 3/4 of an inch higher in the back now with 2 full tanks of gas. If you want to see before and after drop go to
http://hometown.aol.com/sporttruck95f150/index.html

Mike

 

VERY nice truck there Mike! really makes me wish i had the cash for the drop springs in the front.

did taking those leafs out cause you any ride problems, i.e. is it rougher riding? if not, its something i may consider doing before school starts, im always on the lookout for free mods.

 

I just recently put 2"drop shackles in the rear of my 96 f150. It did not level it out, however, it came close and looks good. If you are just looking for your truck to be level I would suggest getting a pair of those shackles and taking out a leaf. This wont affect your ride it will make it a little smoother if anything. It will give the rear end more play. Now if you are looking to drop the whole truck Mike did it the proper way. Check out what he has done.

Derek

 

yes very nice truck indeed... beautiful at that... and you did do it the right way..but i am on a tight budjet... how hard is it to remove a leaf... or how many should be taken out to level the truck out... im very interested in removing a leaf... i asked a guy today at the shop about lowering my truck and he said i shouldnt do it... it costs alot cuz his labor is 45 an hour and the last truck like mine he did was 8 hours... yeah you do the math.. i dont have that much extra cash layin around... so if taking out a leaf is easy enough then hell im all for it... just let me know how you did it and ill give it a try... what tools you used precautions etc... etc.. thanks for the replys

oh yeah mike is that the stock color scheme for that truck or was it painted tealish like that?

 

Thanks guys, when I took one of the leafs out to make it level at stock height it rode a lot better....now that I have taken out another one its alittle more bouncier in the rear....It is not hard at all to take a leaf out all you got to do is jack the frame up then put a bottle jack under the rear end and unbolt the springs from the shackle and hanger then pull it out...These trucks have 5 leaf springs I took out the second one from the bottom the one on top of the overload(the short one at the bottom). The green color is the stock color, a boy where I lived had the same exact color but it had a 302 and everything stock one the truck.
To take 8 hours doing that is rediculous it took me and a boy a total of 4 hours to put spring and take another leaf out on my truck.


Mike

 

If you change the front hangers will this change your pinion angle? One of my friends put a 2"/2"and under moderate exceleration his f-150 started to viberate.He took the front hanger off and everything is back to smooth.

 

We're all adults now arn't we? Please act like one. I think some of us need to read the forum guidelines, or re-read them if ya missed it. Here I'll post it for you:

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Lets get on with the thread, shall we?

 

95_Ford XL...

so are the hangers the pieces that just connect the rear springs to the frame?

what are the shackles?

I want an actual 2" drop for my truck too, I am going to be tossing on 351W lightning springs or Eibach fronts (both ~1" drop) also.

 

yeah the hangers are on the front of the leaf spring and the shackles is on the rear of the leaf spring

 

thanks mr moderator... im sorry for the troubles here... you said it best... were all adults here...

 

I'm 19, I shouldn't have to babysit you guys. I think we can all act civilized if I can do it, all of you can do it...thanks for the appology knocturnal.