Is this something a normal guy can install or will I need special tools or skills?

I can't find the instructions anywhere and I can't visualize how it goes on.

http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts...tKeyField=7815

Also, will a 2" drop affect the driveline or handling at all? Are there any drawbacks?

Thanks!

 

Those are simply extended shackles, and yes they are easy to install and you can do it with common hand tools. Just loosten the bolts tha hold the old shackle in, and lift the rear of the truck to remove the weight from the leafs, and the bolts can be removed. Then remove the shackle and lower the truck until the new shackle fit. A drop hitch works wonder here. The springs are under a fair amount of tension so be carefull when removing the bolts. If too much tension is left on the spring it will snap one direction (up / or down) and could hurt you, so be carefull.
Now the downside. By adding length to a tension shackle (actually any shackle) you will lose some side stability. May never notice this in a truck, bit it will lose some side to side stability. In compression applications I have seen the shackle fold over sideways. This is less likely in your application (tension) but the posibilty is still there.
You will not see a negative effect on the driveline angle. It will try to point the pinion down a bit, but in a lowered vehicle a little additional pos. pinion angle only adds foward bite, and this is a good thing. Don't make those things too long (I think they only come in one size with two holes as options) or the angle will become a problem.
The way I see it, the price is right, and you could always go back if you don't like them, but I think you will keep them.

 

Wow! Thanks for the reply. I went ahead and ordered it.

Now that I understand how the part connects and functions:

- Is the end result of doing this the same as if I put X pounds of weight in the back to get the bed to lower? If so, would that explain how the driveline would be okay, since the truck is designed to carry stuff?

- Some threads I read mentioned shinning the pinion gear. I don't understand what that means. I do know I have a two piece driveshaft so any angle change I make is going to be more pronounced on the second driveshaft than if it was one long one.

- Since the part I ordered is kinda a Ford product (Ford Racing Products) do you figure they kinda endorse this as being okay, or are they just rebadging stuff to make a quick buck?

- How much payload capacity do you figure I will lose?

I'm hoping the truck will have just a little bit of rake when it is done. It looks cool now but I think just a little less nose down will be really nice.

Again, thanks!

 

Well the spring is actually remaining the same so you are not losing payload capacity from that. You re loosing a little because the axle is closer to the bumpstops and the length of the shackle is now the weak part. The weakest link is the part where the two holes are that attach to the spring. It s possible, (though not very likely) for the shackle to bend here.
Now the end result in ride heigth will be the same, but this type of lowering is entirely different than putting weight in the back. By putting weight back there, you are compressing the spring and really making it longer and more flat. This gives the shackle a different angle to help support the weight. While the new shackle will still work the same way, the concept of ride heigth is not the same,
This kit is does not much more than cjange the mounting location of one end of the spring. Because of the shackle configuration, the longer shackle locates the mountimg point higher, thus lowering the vehicle. Changing the mounting point on one end without moving the other end will change the driveline angle and cause some problems, but the small amount you are doing will not hurt.
Do you remeber a long time ago when cars ran super long shackles to "jack up" the rear end making room for extremely wide tires? This is almost the same concept, just not as extreme. Because of the added length to the shackle, there is the possibilty of side to side movement. Keep the lebgth of the shackle to a minimum and this will not be a factor.
The tapered shims are placed between the spring and the spring perch to rotate the pinion angle towards the output shaft of the transmission to correct the pinion angle if vibration occurs.
Lowering a vehicle with just a shackle (tension style) will rotate the pinion down slighlty which should not present itself as a problem. Might even provide a little more bite for those stop light to stop light runs.

 

Just a followup:

I received the kit today. I plan to install it tomorrow.

Even though it is a "Ford Performance Product" it is really just a "Ground Force" kit. I have no idea whether or not this is a good kit, but it looks and feels hefty.

It has shims with it, so I will have to drop the axle and put therm somewhere on top I suppose. (I haven't fully digested the instructions yet.)

You can read the instructions here:

http://www.teamprimerib.com/pdf/rear-drop-shackle.pdf

Tomorrow will be interesting!

 

The pictures say it all. Make the truck look like the pics, and it will be just fine. You will be removing the entire load off of the springs, so do be carefull and use good jack stands.
Those shims, or wedges,,,there is probably more than meets the eye there, and they have a bunch of opinions on Positive pinion angle, but I might be interested in trying to run the truck without those wedges. Of course I would inspect the u-joint at the diff, after the shackle install, to verify that it will not bind up, then I would try it. See when the truck is accelerated, it will try to rotate the pinion up, and I think a little additional pinion angle would not be so bad. Heavy braking might be another issue, but I might be willing to try it. Running the pinion angle a little bit down will provide a bit more foward bite. If you are not too sure about what I am talking about, just follow the directions just to be on the safe side.
Good luck with the install, I hope it is what you expect. Sure it will look good.

 

Thanks for the encouragement!

I'm going to do the shims because I'm not too sure how to check all that stuff you mentioned.

The shims are, I think, 2.5°.

Just in case anyone else is doing this, I lookud up the torque values for the various bolts involved. They are not mentioned in the PDF.

• Upper & lower shackle bolts = 98 ft-lb
• U bolts = 22 ft-lb then 85 ft-lb, both times criss-crossed
• Lower shock mount = 66 ft-lb
• Wheel nut = 150 ft-lb

 

Oh yeah.

Real dumb question:

Where do I put the jack stands in the rear, to get the whole axle up?

The manual shows the "authorized" jack point as the axle.

I looked at the frame and it is flat for a while around the middle of the truck, and then it slopes up to a point right before the front of the leaf spring mount.

So, do I put them at the top of this "V" or earlier on?

I've used jack stands before so I'm not totally retarded, and the ones I have are real safe. They don't drop by accident and are oversized. I've just never jacked up the whole rear end at one time before.

 

Well, I got the drop shackles installed!

Last night I laid out all the tools I needed and made a list of the ones I needed to buy. I checked each bolt on the truck to make sure I had enough room.

Tools:

• 2 Chock blocks for front tires. (I also put the removed rear tires there too. The parking lot wasn't 100% level so I was being very cautious.)
• 2 3-ton jack stands.
• 2 1/4-ton floor jack. What a piece of ****. I should have done the right thing and spent some more money. It was $30. I have no garage and no room to store stuff. This jack was barely able to lift the truck. It is fine for lifting the diff or the rear wheels though.
• 3 10x2x30 pieces of wood, for the jack stands and for the floor jack, since our parking lot is so soft.
• High temperature wheel grease for the bushings and stuff.
• Rubber mallet, for when I got pissed off, so I could whack random things without hurting anything.
• 150ft-lb 1/2" torque wrench for lug nut tightening and for tightening the shackle bolts and the U bolts. (The torque for the lug nuts is 150ft-lb so theoretically I should have used a larger torque wrench.)
• 100ft-lb 3/8" torque wrench for the shock mount.
• Lug nut breaker bar from in the cab.
• 21mm, 18mm and 15mm combination wrench. (6 sided box)
• Deep well 21mm 1/2" socket. (Lug nuts, one set of shackle bolts, U bolts, all using torque wrench.)
• 18mm 1/2" socket. (One set of shackle bolts using torque wrench.)
• Lots of, um, hydration, cause it was freaking hot, and there was no shade, and the parking lot was black, so it was like an oven. (I know, I'm a whiner!)

The install took 4 hours. Most of that was spent getting the truck up on the stands, stable, and on installing the pinion shims, which were a real PITA to install. The shackles only took maybe an hour. Lining up the registration pins on the shims was crazy. I'm sure there is an easy way to do it.

I could do it over in about 2 hours, if I had a better floor jack and if the work was done inside a shaded garage.

The end result:

I don't have a picture yet, but the drop is very noticeable. With the old shackles I could fit my head in the fender wells. Now I cannot. I can now reach into the bed, especially the back of the bed, much easier. The cab is noticeably lower. The mirrors had to be readjusted. I suspect my headlamps will need the be readjusted.

Driving was interesting. The truck definitely feels more "planted" and turns better, with less "scrubbing" noises. It rides just a little harsher in the rear.

Did I mention how good it looks? Simply stated, it looks like a truck instead of a top fuel dragster.

I can't wait until I can get some 265s or maybe even 285s to fill in the fender wells.

And finally, a question:

I'm 99.9% sure I reassembled everything okay. How can I test the install to make sure it is good? I did a pile of really fast takeoffs today and nothing caught on fire. Takeoffs do feel a bit different, but I don't know enough to tell what is different. It just feels more "connected".

Does braking stress the system?

Just curious, as usual!

 

I guess I kinda left you a little high and dry regarding the lifting points. I usually remove the tires and install the stands under the axle and then lift the truck from the reciever hitch. See most of my trucks are pretty tall so getting a jack way up there is tough. I then use another set of jacks under the frame in case the truck falls it will fall on the jacks. Some guys do the opposite. They support the truck, and use the floor jack to lower the axle from under it. If I am at the shop, I just use the lift and stick a modified trans jack under the axle. yes it is cheating. Also should have given you a pointer on the shim install. The springs are easily held together with a pair of "c-clamps", and them the center bolt can be removed, and mothing will move. Then the pin can vome out, and re-installed very easily. Water ubder the bridge I guess. I am glad you are pleased. If nothing fell off, and it did not catch on fire, consider it a job well done. Drive a couple hundred miles and re verify your torque values and you should be good to go for plenty of miles. If the truck rides a little more firm, you may be niticing the poly bushings used in the new shackle, or the shackles are alittle too tigh, so check them in a few miles just to be sure.
Good job, now sit back and have a beer! Cheers!

 

I didn't have to mess with the springs, the shim sits on the bottom of the whole set of leafs, between the axle and the leafs. Now getting the axle back onto the leafs was hard but once i figured out I could rotate the axle (Duh!) it became a lot easier. (I actually ended up, for this part, jacking the diff up in front of the diff, so it would rotate up and back a bit.

Attached is a picture. I suck at photography.

 

I did this kit install today. Took about 6 hours. You are correct it does take the most time getting the truck jacked up and the wheel off. The kit was easy to install the shims were a little tricky lining it all back up. My problem was with the drivers side top shackle bolt it would not come out there was a ballast or damper of some sort between the frame rail and the bed. It was about 12" long and seemed to be held on with rubber bushings it apeared to be lead or iron. I ended up having to cut the head off the bolt and I replaced the top shackle bolt with a Gr8-1/2"X6" bolt nut and washers. It took the longest to cut the bolt off. Other than that the truck looks great now.