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I was wondering if the shackle is straight up-and-down with the weight on it, and you said, yes it is
I'm thinking about using a front shackle hanger like you have.... that way I can get 5" of lift when I remove the block, and I can do the sas, and save my $$ for some other bling bling.
Well I can't test articulation until the front bushings come in and I chop the fenders . . . probably about a week or so. But the shackle flip is known for providing great articulation. Maybe if Pro reads this he can tell us how he does on the RTI with a flipped rear.
I did get 6.5" out of the flip and the hangers are off of a Bronco but I believe all F150's and F250's from 78-97 used the same size rear leafs (as did full size Broncos which is what my springs are out of). Therefore you can pull those hangers off of practically any truck but a highboy and they'll work. I think but please don't quote me here that heavier trucks like the F350 and F450 had hangers which hung lower and would provide more lift. But I could be wrong on this.
Remember that if you do the flip and you want more lift, regardless of the kind of the kind of bracket/hanger you use, you can build or buy longer shackles. BUT longer shackles will require a different position of the hanger to maintain the same angle (as in the hanger has to move toward the front of the truck more as the shackle length increases).
Something I have been pondering before I do mine is the compression. It has occurred to me to measure the eye length before ANY maintenance. This will give you a number to go by when you are trying to place the bracket. The loaded spring length should be the same with either a compression or tension setup.
I didn't measure mine prior to the flip so I don't know if they will be equal. In theory they should be but I suspect eye to eye the spring is slightly longer after the flip because when you flip the shackle you change the whole position of the spring. The more extreme the flip the flatter the spring will be vs the stock position where the spring is relatively flat from the front hanger to the axle and then turns up fairly sharp and sits high in the back. I think when you flatten it out like that you're going to stretch it a little. Looking at the pictures however I'd guess it's less than 2".
I believe all F150's and F250's from 78-97 used the same size rear leafs (as did full size Broncos which is what my springs are out of). Therefore you can pull those hangers off of practically any truck but a highboy and they'll work. I think but please don't quote me here that heavier trucks like the F350 and F450 had hangers which hung lower and would provide more lift. But I could be wrong on this.
Two wheel drives are different they use 2.5 inch wide springs not 3 inch.
Articulation with a properly executed shackle flip is awesome, provided you aren't running majorly stiff or highly arched springs. Mine was in the 800s, which is really pretty incredible with these old trucks. I know it doesn't sound like much with the rock crawlers that get 1000+, but trust me, it is.
You are the man, ivan. That is exactly what I was looking for. I'll have to go find some hangers. So the bronco ones will be different than my F150? That's my kind of tech right there. No buying expensive parts.
Thanks Pro, i'm only using the stock springs minus the overload's, and in the front i'm using a set of springs off a the truck i'm getting the 60 from (77 f-250), minus a few leaves as well, plus some extended travel pro comp shocks.
So the bronco ones will be different than my F150?
I forgot to mention the trucks must be 4x4's for the rear springs to match as Jesse reminded me. But the Bronco hangers should be identical to the F150 hangers. This is the front hanger off the rear spring (forward of the rear axle that is). Just so I don't confuse people this is what I'm talking about when I say "hanger" vs the shackle bracket which is what you already have in the back.
The only difference I noticed between this hanger from the Bronco and my F250 hanger is my front hangers are made of a heavier guage metal. If I manage to bend these I'll spend another $5 to upgrade but I don't think it'll be an issue.
Ivan I looked at the front hangers on my 77 150 and the part of the hanger that the spring attaches to is revers yours. so if I were to flip the hanger for the rear the spring would have to attach to the top of the hanger. Did you have this issue?