Lowering Shackles ???
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Member
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 74
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From: Middleboro MA.
Lowering Shackles ???
Hi Guys,
I think this subject might have been beat to death however. :o
Want to lower the "03L" rear just to level it a bit using
2" lowering shackles. I read mixed opinions on how the ride, handling and payload will be affected. Looks like the height of the rear went up a bit in "03" to increase the payload from 800 to 1350 lbs.
Will I suffer any losses or have any gains by this mod.
What's the real story, what should I expect.
Thanks
I think this subject might have been beat to death however. :o
Want to lower the "03L" rear just to level it a bit using
2" lowering shackles. I read mixed opinions on how the ride, handling and payload will be affected. Looks like the height of the rear went up a bit in "03" to increase the payload from 800 to 1350 lbs.
Will I suffer any losses or have any gains by this mod.
What's the real story, what should I expect.
Thanks
Senior Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 810
Likes: 1
From: Edmond, Ok.
Lower it. I did it and gained half a tenth in the quarter. I also relocated my swaybar to compensate for the drop. I used 2" shackles. I still tow my 18 foot pontoon boat with no ill effects.
Here is a write up I saved a long time ago when I did mine. Not sure who wrote it, but it is great info.
The simplest way to do it...
Determine EXACTLY how far you dropped the rear end with the shackles via measurement. If you neglected to measure the wheel opening BEFORE you turned a wrench, then you're pretty well screwed. Take the average of the two sides, as the drop probably isn't even from side to side.
If you have to make a guess, a typical 2-inch shackle (I used the BelTech items) will give you between 1.25 and 1.5 inches of actual drop.
Unbolt the endlinks (dog bones) from both ends of the sway bar. One end bolts to the end of the sway bar and the other end directly to the frame.
Anyway, measure upward from the centerline of the frame mounting hole and make a mark corresponding to the exact amount of drop you got.
Drill a big-azzed hole in the frame (big enough for the sway bar end link mounting bolt to fit through). The hole will be directly above the stock one, the distance being exactly equal to the amount of drop from the shackles.
Make sure you get the hole location EXACT on both sides.
Also, be careful when drilling the driver's side, as there is a bundle of wires and other stuff inside the frame channel near where you're drilling.
Re-mount the sway bar end links in the new holes you drilled, and bolt up the sway bar to the other end. The sway bar will be perfectly level again (or at least as level as it was before the swap).
Don't try to do one side at a time or you'll find your azz twisting on that big fat bar like a mother to get the first end link to line up (don't ask).
To answer your next question, I have NO IDEA why folks waste the time shortening (cutting and welding) the endlinks for this application, or wasting a pile of money on adjustable ones.
Sway bar basics:
The sway bar (or "anti-roll bar") is essentially a torsional spring that resists body roll. When the body tries to roll out of the plane of the axle, the bar is twisted.
Look under the rear end of the truck. Both ends of the bar are bolted directly to the frame. It's connected to the axle by bushings that allow it to rotate. When the body rolls relative to the axle, one end of the bar is pulled upward and the other pushed downward. For the body to actually roll, that thick-azzed bar has to actually be twisted.
When the axle moves up and down parallel to the body (normal suspension articulation with no roll), the bar simply rotates in the bushings. It really only exerts any force when the body rolls.
The stiffness of the bar is a function of its position relative to vertical. Torque (twisting force) is equal to (force times lever arm). At the extreme, with the bar "vertical", you would generate no twisting force on the bar at all when the body rolls - only a bending moment. This would be bad.
Here is a write up I saved a long time ago when I did mine. Not sure who wrote it, but it is great info.
The simplest way to do it...
Determine EXACTLY how far you dropped the rear end with the shackles via measurement. If you neglected to measure the wheel opening BEFORE you turned a wrench, then you're pretty well screwed. Take the average of the two sides, as the drop probably isn't even from side to side.
If you have to make a guess, a typical 2-inch shackle (I used the BelTech items) will give you between 1.25 and 1.5 inches of actual drop.
Unbolt the endlinks (dog bones) from both ends of the sway bar. One end bolts to the end of the sway bar and the other end directly to the frame.
Anyway, measure upward from the centerline of the frame mounting hole and make a mark corresponding to the exact amount of drop you got.
Drill a big-azzed hole in the frame (big enough for the sway bar end link mounting bolt to fit through). The hole will be directly above the stock one, the distance being exactly equal to the amount of drop from the shackles.
Make sure you get the hole location EXACT on both sides.
Also, be careful when drilling the driver's side, as there is a bundle of wires and other stuff inside the frame channel near where you're drilling.
Re-mount the sway bar end links in the new holes you drilled, and bolt up the sway bar to the other end. The sway bar will be perfectly level again (or at least as level as it was before the swap).
Don't try to do one side at a time or you'll find your azz twisting on that big fat bar like a mother to get the first end link to line up (don't ask).
To answer your next question, I have NO IDEA why folks waste the time shortening (cutting and welding) the endlinks for this application, or wasting a pile of money on adjustable ones.
Sway bar basics:
The sway bar (or "anti-roll bar") is essentially a torsional spring that resists body roll. When the body tries to roll out of the plane of the axle, the bar is twisted.
Look under the rear end of the truck. Both ends of the bar are bolted directly to the frame. It's connected to the axle by bushings that allow it to rotate. When the body rolls relative to the axle, one end of the bar is pulled upward and the other pushed downward. For the body to actually roll, that thick-azzed bar has to actually be twisted.
When the axle moves up and down parallel to the body (normal suspension articulation with no roll), the bar simply rotates in the bushings. It really only exerts any force when the body rolls.
The stiffness of the bar is a function of its position relative to vertical. Torque (twisting force) is equal to (force times lever arm). At the extreme, with the bar "vertical", you would generate no twisting force on the bar at all when the body rolls - only a bending moment. This would be bad.