- Joined
- August 26, 2004
- Messages
- 3,031
- Reaction score
- 126
- City, State
- West Virginia
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1993 2dr
Before I start on the install I would like to say that PB Blaster is our friend, and should be used liberally days prior to any work.
I started by gathering all the stuff I thought i might need, this included a 1/2" drive ratchet, socket, the new shackles, blue loc-tite, a cheater bar, bottle jack, the new hardware, and a med. size flat head screwdriver. not pictured are the jack and jack stands that i already had under the truck and a 3 lb mini sledge that i used to tap out the bolts.
Last week I sprayed down all the bolts and nuts with PB Blaster and went out this morning and soaked them down again. After jacking the truck up, placing jack stands under the frame, and removing the wheels I placed a jack under the U-bolt perch to hold up the rear end.
Next I loosened the nuts on the stock shackle bolts but did not remove them so that I could tap them out with a hammer w/out damaging the threads in case I needed the bolts later on.
I tapped out the bottom bolt first and then the top. Do not be surprised if the spring jumps up slightly after removing the bottom bolt. Next I victoriously removed the old stock shackle and was left with this.
If you lay the old shackle next to a new one you can deffinetly see a difference in construction, strength and length.
I attached the the upper part of the shackle first snugging the bolt and nut but not tightening it to allow for movement when aligning the bottom bolt hole and the spring.
A bottle jack placed between the frame and the leaf pack makes it easy to align the spring and the shackle to fasten the bottom bolt and nut.
After snugging the bottom bolt I went back and tightened the both the top and bottom. The instructions say to tighten to 35-45 ft lbs but not overtighten to the point that the sides of the shackle buckle or bow inward. You want to keep the sides parallel for the best strength and longer life of the shackle.
Here are a couple pictures of the finished product. Overall the time it took to install the shackles with basic hand tools was 30 mins. My dad was close by watching in case I did something unsafe. Use the buddy system.
This is my first write up with pictures, hope it is helpful if you are planning on installing the warrior shackles or any shackle for that matter. Before beginning this morning I called Rough Country and ordered front ext. coils that should be here in the next couple days. If all goes well and the rain stays away I will try to have a write up on those also.
I started by gathering all the stuff I thought i might need, this included a 1/2" drive ratchet, socket, the new shackles, blue loc-tite, a cheater bar, bottle jack, the new hardware, and a med. size flat head screwdriver. not pictured are the jack and jack stands that i already had under the truck and a 3 lb mini sledge that i used to tap out the bolts.
Last week I sprayed down all the bolts and nuts with PB Blaster and went out this morning and soaked them down again. After jacking the truck up, placing jack stands under the frame, and removing the wheels I placed a jack under the U-bolt perch to hold up the rear end.
Next I loosened the nuts on the stock shackle bolts but did not remove them so that I could tap them out with a hammer w/out damaging the threads in case I needed the bolts later on.
I tapped out the bottom bolt first and then the top. Do not be surprised if the spring jumps up slightly after removing the bottom bolt. Next I victoriously removed the old stock shackle and was left with this.
If you lay the old shackle next to a new one you can deffinetly see a difference in construction, strength and length.
I attached the the upper part of the shackle first snugging the bolt and nut but not tightening it to allow for movement when aligning the bottom bolt hole and the spring.
A bottle jack placed between the frame and the leaf pack makes it easy to align the spring and the shackle to fasten the bottom bolt and nut.
After snugging the bottom bolt I went back and tightened the both the top and bottom. The instructions say to tighten to 35-45 ft lbs but not overtighten to the point that the sides of the shackle buckle or bow inward. You want to keep the sides parallel for the best strength and longer life of the shackle.
Here are a couple pictures of the finished product. Overall the time it took to install the shackles with basic hand tools was 30 mins. My dad was close by watching in case I did something unsafe. Use the buddy system.
This is my first write up with pictures, hope it is helpful if you are planning on installing the warrior shackles or any shackle for that matter. Before beginning this morning I called Rough Country and ordered front ext. coils that should be here in the next couple days. If all goes well and the rain stays away I will try to have a write up on those also.
