any suggestions
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
any suggestions
well after searching the internet for ideas to lift my truck, i think i found one. i found this guy in Utah that owns some offroad store and he fabricates hangers. so i called him up and talked for awhile and he told me that if i run these 3inch hangers with my existing leveling kit( leveling kit added 3 inches in the front) that i could have 6 full inchces in the front and in the rear all i would need to do is a three inch block. the rear already has an add-a-leaf. he siad that with this setup i should have no problems clearing some 37's. im not real big on putting a block in the rear but i guess i can manage. what are yalls input on this? is it worth it or not? thanks for your help.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 3
From: Spokane, WA
I wouldn't do the block. With a shackle flip you can fain those 3"+. Other than that, however, the drop hangers are a great idea. Just make sure he doesn't rip you off and charge an absurd fee for them.
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
thanks for the advise. i talked to him for quiet awhile and got prices from him on the hangers. the 3" is 210 and the 5" is something around 330 i think. also i think he said i needed some relocation bracket for something, Ill check and let you know. this shakle flip you are talking about, how much is it? where can i find one of these deals. thanks for your help.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 3
From: Spokane, WA
Those hanger prices sound a little high, but not horrible. You can almost buy springs for $300 a pair though. The plus to the hangers is you'll keep a factory ride instead of having stiff springs.
I ran a search for the shackle flip so check out some of these threads . . . all the info you need will be here. Just remember than you won't want to be throwing a ton of weight in your truck if you do the flip. But if you don't use your truck for a heavy hauler it'll be the way to go. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...earchid=353155
I ran a search for the shackle flip so check out some of these threads . . . all the info you need will be here. Just remember than you won't want to be throwing a ton of weight in your truck if you do the flip. But if you don't use your truck for a heavy hauler it'll be the way to go. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...earchid=353155
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
ivan-
thanks for all your help. most of the time i have dirt bikes or our hunting four wheeler in the bed. hopefully thats not to much weight, but i dont haul anything to heavy: double jet ski trailer, a little utility trailer sometimes. i clicked on the thread in your post and it said that there were no messages on that subject. maybe i was doin something wrong. oh ya one more thing, am i goin to need to get new shocks? i have them ranchos that come on the fx4 package. im not sure what model they are or if they will be long enough. if i do need new shocks which do you recomend. thanks again for all your help.
thanks for all your help. most of the time i have dirt bikes or our hunting four wheeler in the bed. hopefully thats not to much weight, but i dont haul anything to heavy: double jet ski trailer, a little utility trailer sometimes. i clicked on the thread in your post and it said that there were no messages on that subject. maybe i was doin something wrong. oh ya one more thing, am i goin to need to get new shocks? i have them ranchos that come on the fx4 package. im not sure what model they are or if they will be long enough. if i do need new shocks which do you recomend. thanks again for all your help.
Last edited by 250jl; Oct 31, 2004 at 12:47 AM.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 3
From: Spokane, WA
Punch this into the search feature at the top right of the 4x4 forum: +shackle +flip That should pop up the search feature and show you all the topics I linked.
Stuff like the bikes and 4 wheeler will be fine. Just don't plan on any heavy loads of gravel or trailers that have a heavy tongue.
It's difficult to say about the shocks. Most likely you'll need a new, longer set but that may not be the case, depending on the amount of travel they have. You might also be able to just move your shock mounts, depending on how much work you want to do and how your fab skills are . . . not that it takes a lot. For instance, you could weld new tabs to the top of your rear axle and mount the shocks up there, instead of to the stock brackets. This would allow you to keep the rear shocks you have now.
Do a search in this forum regarding shocks . . . lots of info here. I'll be going with Rancho 9000's myself but there's a lot of options.
Stuff like the bikes and 4 wheeler will be fine. Just don't plan on any heavy loads of gravel or trailers that have a heavy tongue.
It's difficult to say about the shocks. Most likely you'll need a new, longer set but that may not be the case, depending on the amount of travel they have. You might also be able to just move your shock mounts, depending on how much work you want to do and how your fab skills are . . . not that it takes a lot. For instance, you could weld new tabs to the top of your rear axle and mount the shocks up there, instead of to the stock brackets. This would allow you to keep the rear shocks you have now.
Do a search in this forum regarding shocks . . . lots of info here. I'll be going with Rancho 9000's myself but there's a lot of options.
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
aight ive been looking on the forums for about an hour now so i have a rather good idea of what it consists of. is all i need to do is a shackle reversal to get those three inches? also should i use the factory shackles or would it be better to get some aftermarket ones? i went to sky's website and saw the products they have and i didnt see anything that was a three inch shackle flip, i saw some that gave you 4.5 to 5" but that was it. maybe i just missed it or something. thanks for all your help. it is greatly appreciated!
Trending Topics
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 3
From: Spokane, WA
I did a temporary shackle flip on my truck this morning using stock brackets. If you do this it will give you right about 3-3.5" . . . whatever the length of the shackle is. When I get home tonight I'll snap a picture (if it's not too dark) so you can see what I mean. I will be using a Sky bracket when I put the Dana 70 in and get rid od the stock block. I was going to use stock hangers but it will put me too high with the lift springs I'm using.
Last edited by ivanribic; Oct 31, 2004 at 06:01 PM.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals
Joe Kucinski
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
thanks for all of your help, it is greatly appreciated. hopefully ill be able to order the hangers sometime this week and then i gotta order some 37's also but first i need to sell the tires i have. i shouldnt have to worry about anything bad happening to the stock shackles once the flip is done, should i? also i have a set of 16x8 aftermarket wheels, if i run a 37.12.50 on these wheels do you think ill have any wear problems? thanks for all of your help.
-josh
-josh
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 3
From: Spokane, WA
You won't need to order the hangers if you're going with a 3" lift. You'll see what I mean when I post pictures. Hangers will give you more like 6" of lift. For what you plan to do you shouldn't have to worry about buying anything at all. You shouldn't have any problems with stock shackles unless you're hauling heavy junk or jumping your truck. You can reinforce them or build your own if you're concerned about strength.
8" wide wheel should be fine for 12.5 wide tires but double check the manufacturer's site to see what they recommend. My tires are (were) 33x12.5 on 8" rims.
8" wide wheel should be fine for 12.5 wide tires but double check the manufacturer's site to see what they recommend. My tires are (were) 33x12.5 on 8" rims.
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
What i meant about ordering the hangers was for the front of the truck, my fault for not explaing. but im goin with your advice and doin the flip in the rear with the stock shackles. i saw a thread on fte somewhere that was talking about tires and widths. a couple of guys were talking about super swamper tires and said that they advertise a certain width but when you measure them out they are slimmer then they say they are, if this is true them in not worried about a thing with my 8" wide wheels. im think im goin to order some super swamper ssr's. ive heard pretty good things about them like good road wear(considering that the tread is so radical), and obviously good offroad.
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 5,871
Likes: 0
From: Coutts Canada
I'm doing a shackle for some lift as well, only instead of using the stock ones i'm using these:
Those are the brackes that hold the shackles off an early 60's ford 1ton (1 tons and up use those), and other that drill some new holes the brackets have to be widened a 1/8" on each side for my shackles to fit.
Those are the brackes that hold the shackles off an early 60's ford 1ton (1 tons and up use those), and other that drill some new holes the brackets have to be widened a 1/8" on each side for my shackles to fit.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 3
From: Spokane, WA
Thems some beefy looking brackets Mustang! I wish I could find a set of those floating around.
250, here's a picture of the stock shackle setup on the driver's side:
And here's a pic of the flip on the passenger's side. All I did was remove the rivets and turn the bracket upside down:
As you can see this moved the spring end from almost at the top of the frame to almost at the bottom, about 3.5-4". Ideally you'd want the bracket about 2" closer to the front of the truck, so the shackle is angled forward. I didn't do this because I will be switching to Sky's bracket when I swap axles and get rid of the block. I didn't want a bunch of extra holes in my frame. As you can see from Fishy's pic below the Sky bracket will lift the truck about another 3", or in my case allow me to ditch the stock block.
250, here's a picture of the stock shackle setup on the driver's side:
And here's a pic of the flip on the passenger's side. All I did was remove the rivets and turn the bracket upside down:
As you can see this moved the spring end from almost at the top of the frame to almost at the bottom, about 3.5-4". Ideally you'd want the bracket about 2" closer to the front of the truck, so the shackle is angled forward. I didn't do this because I will be switching to Sky's bracket when I swap axles and get rid of the block. I didn't want a bunch of extra holes in my frame. As you can see from Fishy's pic below the Sky bracket will lift the truck about another 3", or in my case allow me to ditch the stock block.
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
thanks for the photos, they helped me out alot. also thanks for helping me out. one last question: do you think that i will need to get a trac bar recolation bracket or no? i was told that i might need one but the guy wasnt 100% sure. thanks for all your time.
-josh
-josh
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 3
From: Spokane, WA
I don't know a whole lot about the newer trucks but if you don't relocate the trac bar and you lift the suspension you will shift your axle a little to the side. I think you'd need a relocation bracket if you plan to keep the trac bar. Do you have a solid axle up front or TTB? If it's a solid axle with leaf springs you really don't need a trac bar. If it's TTB someone else will have to answer whether or not you need the trac bar. But either way if you keep it you should get a relocation bracket.