Blocks be gone

[CasterTroy]

Saturday and sunday I spent the majority of the day replacing my block lift with a sky-shackle flip

I'm trying to put together a rig thats NOT gonna kill me or anyone else, and part of that is getting rid of alot of stuff that was done wrong to begin with (like the blocks)


There is however a noticable difference in the rear handling....seems a tad loose compared to before. Is this common?

I have to say...Ohio rust is a major bitch (previous owner lived in Northern Ohio) making for a wrenching nightmare

 

[Rich]

Or, did you actually have some tech to post in here, perhaps asking why the rear suspension feels "loose", in hopes of a reply?

 

[doc]

Any trouble going on other than rust?

I'm wanting to replace the block lift on '76 F-150 & thinking about this product...

Thanks!
Doc

 

[shawn]

There is however a noticable difference in the rear handling....seems a tad loose compared to before.

Yep. Lowered roll center.

 

[CasterTroy]

asking why the rear suspension feels "loose", in hopes of a reply?

Yes...sorry if that was unclear


I was hoping to see if others who had flipped their shackles, or had otherwise made modifications eliminating blocks, had experienced similar effects

 

[Rich]

Loose as in wallowy, like it rolls side to side? Or more like more body roll?

I always have a hard time figuring roll center with leaves, but Shawn is probably right.


P.S. I'm just busting your balls.

 

[drkelly]

I did not notice a difference in mine.

 

[CasterTroy]

Or more like more body roll?

Yeah body roll....kinda like when I removed the sway bar..THAT feeling


PS I know

 

[wbcarver]

Shackle flip = longer radius between shackle mount and spring eye.

Like putting longer shackles on a Nova with airshocks.

Which

A) lets the rear of the spring move aprox 2x as far in relationship to the mounting while bushing eye only moves the same as before.

B) exerts twice as much load on the shackle (& spring eye) bushings.

(Allow me a little lattitude here - as 2x is a generalization - and could really be 1.5x or 3x or... but I hope you get the idea)

So....

Any existing looseness in the spring mounts or bushings will *feel* exagerated in the "seat-o-the-pants-ometer"

Check / repair / upgrade spring eye bolts, bushings, mounting etc.

Consider upgrade to poly type bushings.

 

[shawn]

Yeah body roll....kinda like when I removed the sway bar..THAT feeling

Lowered roll center. It'll also mean more anti-squat, which *usually* leads to more hopping and spring wrap issues... but to what degree you'll have issues depends greatly on which tires, shocks, springs, WB, etc are on the rig.