When installing new rear shackles

[ATiredExplorer]

Where are you supposed to jack up the car? Because in my head I dont think you can lift it by the axle 'cause since you're putting stress on it, it would be kind of difficult to install the extended shackle.

and here s dumb question, when I get the shackle, I'm supposed to take off the old one right? or do I add it on to the old one?

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

yes you need to jack up the car put the truck on jack stands putting them on the frame. Then once the truck is in the air put a jack under the axle and jack it up a little bit to get stress of the shackel, and yes you replace the whole shackle.

 

[PRS]

your gonna want someone to help u put em on too, its not mandatory but it makes the process a hell of alot easier. Those leafs got some fight in em.

a couple of 2x4's wont hurt either

 

[JIGAWHAAT]

your gonna want someone to help u put em on too, its not mandatory but it makes the process a hell of alot easier. Those leafs got some fight in em.

a couple of 2x4's wont hurt either

I had my buddy use a long pry bar, using the bottom of the bumper (with a rag in between) for leverage to push the spring down while I aligned it up and slipped the bolt through. This is probably somewhat dangerous but it worked like a charm.
JIGA

 

[PRS]

exactly what i did - works great

 

[DixieOnMyMind59]

I put my 2 1/2 ton jack on four cinder blocks and jacked it up by the bottom of my trailer hitch ball (in the bumper) until i got the tires about 3 inches in the air (you only need the rear tires 2-3 inches in the air - no higher) and put two jack stands on cinder blocks underneath each frame rail and suspended my X by the frame rails on each side. Then all i had to do was un-bolt my old shackels and which came out very easily. One tricky part of the whole thing is that the stock shackles are threaded on the side closest to the head of the bolt and when you loosen the nut off the bolt and pull it through the shackle, you have to turn the bolt through the those threads on the other side of the shackle to get it completly off. I figured this out when i hit the bolt with a hammer and it wouldn't move. Need any more advice?

 

[JIGAWHAAT]

One tricky part of the whole thing is that the stock shackles are threaded on the side closest to the head

On my 97 xlt the stock shackles (or bushings) were not threaded as yours were.

 

[naxel86]

Where are you supposed to jack up the car?

Post some picts or something, I ordered some shackles for 1 1/4 lift but havent put them on yet. I wanna know what it looks like.

 

[badge49]

After getting it all up on jack stands and such, spray the bolts with some penetrating fluid:

These are what I put on mine:

Simply replace the old shackles with the new ones. I had someone help flex the spring packs while I slid (tapped with a hammer) the bolts through.

REALLY easy to do, but make sure the truck is on the jack stands right and have a jack under the rear axle to releive the weight. Above all, be safe!:navajo:

 

[PRS]

Autozone shackles

-Stock

-Lifted

-With 31's

-after about 1000 miles, so far so good

 

[cgriffin_5139]

Here the how to on the install!

Dead Link Removed

 

[badge49]

Lol, I pulled mine off an old Datsun in the wreck yard...I wondered who made them

 

[Dan Whitaker]

I put my 2 1/2 ton jack on four cinder blocks and jacked it up by the bottom of my trailer hitch ball (in the bumper) until i got the tires about 3 inches in the air (you only need the rear tires 2-3 inches in the air - no higher) and put two jack stands on cinder blocks underneath each frame rail and suspended my X by the frame rails on each side. Then all i had to do was un-bolt my old shackels and which came out very easily. One tricky part of the whole thing is that the stock shackles are threaded on the side closest to the head of the bolt and when you loosen the nut off the bolt and pull it through the shackle, you have to turn the bolt through the those threads on the other side of the shackle to get it completly off. I figured this out when i hit the bolt with a hammer and it wouldn't move. Need any more advice?

I wouldn't trust a cinder block as far as I could throw one. That's just asking for loss of limbs or life.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

I wouldn't trust a cinder block as far as I could throw one. That's just asking for loss of limbs or life.

I agree.

If used properly, they are plenty strong- but most people use them on their side instead of upright, and they break.

 

[DixieOnMyMind59]

I wouldn't trust a cinder block as far as I could throw one. That's just asking for loss of limbs or life.

Actually since the type of block i used was such a small detail of my "install process" I simply said "cinder" block - The blocks i used were actually blocks used for building a retaining wall, each weighing 68lbs a piece - very solid. I believe that these blocks were safe enough to hold the weight of my X.

 

[KPT]

I took the u-bolts off when I put my shackles on. More work but then it is extremly easy to get the shackles on.

As has been said USE JACKSTANDS. I had one under the frame right by the rear bumper. Frame was not on it, maybe 1/4" above it. The force of the spring moving when I hammered the shackle bolt out knocked the truck off the jack. It would have fallen on me if that jackstand wasn't there...

 

[Mounty 09]

When I did mine I put the floor jack under the front leaf spring mount and jacked it up. Then took off the tire and put a bottle jack between the frame and leaf pack. Worked like a charm and did it all by myself. Took me about 2.5-3 hours only because my bolts were really on there even after putting pb blaster on it. Makes it make the x look alot better.

 

[naxel86]

I tried this past week, but 2 of the bolts were rusted shut. I think i need an impact wrench to break them free

 

[Calvynandhobbs]

I just received my new shackles the other day and will put them on my X in the next week or two. I have done a bunch of shackle replacement stuff on my CJ7 and I found that penetrating oil every day for a week before the work begins helps a bunch. I usually hit the bolts with my little propane torch to get them nice and hot also. I use a couple jackstands under the frame and a jack under the axle itself to take the pressure off the shackle. I'm not a big fan of pry bars and usually end up doing everything by myself in the garage so I use a couple ratchet straps or even my vehicle tie down ratchet straps to properly align things when putting the bolts in. Breaker bars and leverage are your friend when replacing shackle bolts.

Roger