looking for the cheapest way to get a couple of inches on the front. i picked up a set of 33" tires on an unpassable deal, now I need to make room for them, but don't have the money for a lift kit. is there a set of shackles i can just throw on? or do i have to get some add a leafs or what? 97 250 cc sb ttb 4x4. thanks

 

add aleaf kit for about $80 plus shipping on ebay. thats what I did. its a single spring with new center bolts, reuse your u-bolts and get an alignment. the alignment will probably cost more than the leveling kit as it really messes up camber so it will need different camber bushings installed which is extra above the normal alignment costs.

 

I've seen a front shackle lift on a chevy. I didn't like the looks of it at all. I suggested to him to put another bolt or something in the shackle. They look like they will just twist off.

 

Do the add a leaf. Shackles involve WAY too much other stuff on the TTB front end. 33's should fit fine on a stock rig with good springs. Problem is our 97's had wimpy springs and nearly all of them have sagged. Stick in the add a leaf and you should be in business

 

add a leafs it is. as far as alignment goes. it needs now anyway(camber too). plug i am putting on some new steering linkages and shocks. i want everything lined up so i dont shred these tires i'm putting on. guess that means i am dropping the springs, which means new bushings on the rear eyes (just did the front bushings about two months ago.)

 

! ! ! ! You can fix this in ten minutes for under five bucks. I also got some monster tires for anpassible price. As soon as I pulled out of the driveway :bumpbumpbumpbump: "wtf??" So, When I parked I saw the corner of the tire was hitting the bumper. So, I went to the hardware store:

1. Took off the front bumper.
2. Take the H thing with the two thread things and the nut with inside.
3. Look for Metric bolts (4) about five inches long. And (4) two inch bolt connecters.
4. Screwed that connecter all the way on the five inch bolt. (I had washers, too)
5. Put the bolts back in from the front. Slid it on and used the old nuts in from the back. Works great.

This setup has survived a 60-65 mph head on crash with a Lincoln, and being towed by the bumper thereafter.

I can get some pictures if you want to take a look. It looks pretty mean.

Good Luck.

 

I was thinking about purchasing new leafs with a 2" lift to them. I believe the price for the set was around $400. Would you guys recommend doing the add a leaf instead of the 2" lift springs?

I've looked into a shackle reversal as well and it looks like too much work. Maybe if there was a complete kit out there I would consider it.

 

I would do the add a leaf. its cheaper and the ride will be about the same. there is a complete kit for shackle reversal from sky manufacturing but with the TTB front end you need to get drop brackets for the center pivots and thats another $150 on top of the $500 or so for the kit. not worth it unless you going to a dana 60.

 

TJ, your way to quick! Looks like I'll do the add a leaf.

 

Shackle reversals typically give 3" plus inches of lift which means you are getting into the realm of needing center pivot drop brackets and dropped pitman arms. SKY Manufacturing has a good kit for the F350's that doesnt include the center drop brakets, but you can get those as a stand alone item from another lift manufacturer. Getting springs that have just 2" of lift while not impossible, is very difficult. Cheapest way is still the add a leaf.

!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?

Are you trying to say you scooted the bumper forward? Try to be a bit more descriptive if you can instead of "H thing and thread things"

 

Damn tj you are quick

 

so about 3 inches is as far as you can go without having to drop the pitman arm and ttb? i dont know what i am going to do, i am now afraid that the front left spring may be twisted because with new bushings on the front of the springs the shackle still hangs on an angle. i didn't replace the front spring rear bushings yet, they don't look real bad i just wonder what's causing that left spring shackle to hang like it is.

seen a lot of posts where others have shimmed out the bumper, i might end up doing that just because of all the other necessary parts i need right now.

 

Check the bushings on the axle center pivots. Those typically wear out long before the spring bushings would. There will always be a bit of a twist to the springs, that is just the nature of a TTB/Leaf spung front end. Think of what happens when you use a drafting compass to draw an arc on a piece of paper. Now, picture your front axle traveling in the same style arc. The center pivot is rigid, and the spring perch is rigid, yet the axle has to travel in an arc that originates from the center pivot bushing. What results is that the spring, the bushings on the springs, and the shackle are forced to absorb a twist that is generated as the axle moves through its cycle of going up and down. That puts super duper amounts of wear on the bushings, but also means that at any given time, depending on where the axle is in relation to factory ride height, there could be a visible misalignment in the bushings and shackles. The real indicator if there is a problem aside from checking the pivot bushings, is to check the clearance between your bumpstop and the top of the spring. 2 to 3 inches is ok, less than that and your springs are sagging and need a boost.

 

good info miker67, i'll check that stuff out, thanks. ttb, uuggghh, enough said.

 

well according to miker67 my springs are dun. i have about 3/4" space between the plate on top of spring (where the shock mounts) and the bump stop. i'm not sure about the pivot bushings. if i am going to get in there and put add a leafs in or new springs then i will just go ahead and change those bushings too.