I got my BellTech 2" shackles yesterday and tried to install them before I left for the track. Thought it would be 'easier' to do with the wheels off(I install my M/Ts before leaving for the strip), so I jacked her up(diff. pumpkin) and went to place the jack stands under the 'frame'(as per instructions). WTF, my stands aren't THAT tall! I've got what I thought were pretty decent stands but they wouln't extend up to the frame--at the rear. The closest I could see placing them was at the frame near the doors? What am I missing?--besides brain cells???

Dan

 

Dan if you have a real good heavy duty floor jack you can jack the truck up by the trailer hitch. Leave the tires on, jack it up just enough to relieve the tension of the shackle bolts. then remove the bolts, put the lower bolt on the new shackles then lower the truck slowley and then put the upper bolt in.

This will only work if you have a big floor jack, and a helper would help.

If not find a friend with some taller Jack stands, and go with the instructions.

good luck
Don

 

what DonC said, leave the tires on and don't jack it up at the axle at all. Lift the truck off the axle until the tires are about to clear the ground, keep checking to see when the shackle bolts are unloaded when they will turn pretty easy with a ratchet tap the lower one out with a drift pin and hammer. Now you may have to lower the truck some to remove the top one because it comes out the other direction and you have to clear the frame. When you get the top one out put your new shackle on then raise the truck up until the bottom bolt hole matchs up again. The entire job took me about an hour. I did one side at a time also.

 

You can also put the jack stands on some pieces of wood to help give you the extra height you need. That is how I did mine, took 30 minutes to install the shackles with tires on truck...

 

Just got them on with the help of a 'gear-head' neighbor--same guy that broke the OEM bolt loose on the stock lower pulley.

We used two floor jacks-one to raise the body(in the 'hitch' area), and one under the spring/Truck-Trak area. Thought we were screwed when we saw the upper bolt wouldn't 'clear' the frame--but by raising the spring, we got the bolt above the frame and were able to remove it.

It 'dropped' about 1 1/4"(at the center of the wheel arch), but I swear, you can tell it's lower just by walking around the rear of the truck--just seems 'funny' you can see that small amount of lowering. Will launch it next Fri. at the track.

Dan

 

Good thing you have a neighbor.Might need to buy him a steak.

 

I blocked my jack stands up on 4x12 blocks. Make sure it is stable before you start working under it.

 

You're right! He's a client too--he's going to get a 50% discount on his next stock trade.

Dan

 

Hey LIGHTNINROD,

When I put my shackles on I just jacked up the truck and used my jack stands on the frame rails in front of the rear tires where the rails "bend" back down and run under the doors. Then I jacked up the pumpkin and went to work. Did the whole swap in about 25 minutes.

BTW....my stands wouldn't reach the rails where they tell you to put them either

Hope that helped.

Joe

 

We ended up with the stands under the frame at the doors, two floor jacks--one to raise the diff. and one to raise the rear end of the spring(pieces of 2x4 on each jack pad). Truck 'looks' cool! Thanks to everybody.

Dan