The shackles are coming!! The shackles are coming!!

[skender]

Well I ordered my warrior shackles today and they should be here in about three weeks. I've searched and found a ton of useful threads on how to do a painless install. This is what I plan on doing and tell me if I'm wrong or if there is an easier way...

1)Jack up the rear diff so I have enough clearance to get atands under the frame just in front of the rear wheel.

2) set her down on the stands so that all the weight is off the leaf springs and the wheels are about an inch or two off the ground.

3)undo the top bolt of the old shackle first then the bottom.

What I don't understand is how the bottle jack comes into play during the install. I read it in an old thread but I just can't get a picture of it in my head. How will it help me in the install..

 

[wabbit]

After your frame is up on the jackstands, as described, and you have removed the stock shackles, you can use your jack to move the axle/diff up or down to line up the shackle bolts. The leaf ends are flexible with no load applied so you can easily line up the bolt holes.

 

[leebo]

You will need a bit more than a floor jack...but not much. Get some wheel chocks(big pieces of wood) and put them under the front wheels. This is a MUST. Jack up the rear by the diff as far as you can go. All the weigh must be taken off the sprins. Put a set of jack stands under the truck in front of the rear tires. Lower the jack till you can get the bolts out easly. Put in the new shackles and you're off. When I said you can do this with a floor jack.....I wasn't thinking. You can do this with a floor jack and the tools you should always use with a floor jack. Sorry, it's not much more though.

You can raise or lower the rear diff to help take the preasure off the bolts if you need to. I would suggest spraying them with WD40 now and doing it daily.....those bolts are a pain to get off....or use air.