Reverse Shackles

rodney eppes

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Location
Mt.Holly NC 28120
I'm having a difficult time with the ride of my CJ, on Trails. It's probably My body that is worn out, More than the CJ changing. Been longer than I can remember, that I bought Old Man Emu 2" spring package with 2 1/2" lift. Adjustable Rancho shocks were the best. Maybe 5 years back, With the D44 axles being installed, at least 1 spring leaf was replaced, or added, to bring my sagging springs back up. I'm running standard gas shocks now, which are fairly soft. Riding in Mastercraft seats. But on the Trail, I'm getting beat to death, along with tossed side to side! I considered coils & links, but reading some other forums, have decided that's too much investment, & too much make over for a Nice CJ. Reverse shackles, have been suggested to ride softer. For the ones that have done this, or have experienced this, What You say? I have a set of Stiffer shocks I can try, but I doubt that is what I'm looking for. New springs? I recall, springs still have to be broken in, to ride decent.
 
I’ve always been curious about weighing my Jeep on some four corner scales and getting custom springs made specifically for it.

Doesn’t answer your question about spring reversals. But I sure do think about it a lot.
 
Reversing shackles definitely made one of my F350s ride better. It allows the axle to move with bumps instead of trying to move against bumps.

Not a CJ I know but generally the same.
 
The shackle reversal may help with some of the bumps and trail manners, but it may also necessitate a long-slip front driveshaft depending on how much your axle moves forward through extension. Bang for the buck, a longer, softer spring will ride nicer, and combined with a high quality shock you should get a decent ride.

Beyond that, I'd look at higher quality custom springs, like deaver or alcan. More, thinner leafs with a softer initial rate and more arch. This may mean your road manners will change, if those are important, and maybe you'd want a sway bar to keep them tame. And also some high quality tunable shocks and have them tuned.
 
Time for a JK… :flipoff2:
 
I greatly prefer the ride and handling of a rear mounted spring shackle. I think the brackets add 2 or 2.5" of lift, so you could go back with a stock spring too.
 
From what I have seen, it requires the use of wedges or axle work, to get the pinion and caster angles back in check.

I wonder if better/tuned shocks might give you a better bang for buck/effort?
 
I ran these on my YJ and they performed well without breaking the bank.
www.quadratec.com

Daystar KU71090BK Long Stinger Bump Stops - 11.25" extended x 7.00" collapsed

Effective suspension travel control is a critical element to all off-road suspension systems. Conventional bump stops may be acceptable for stock street applications, but off-road enthusiasts need something tunable and much stronger than conventional stops.
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