Interest in shackle flip for 05+ Taco???

OK. Went wheeling today and did the best I could to get a good comparison shot with a similar truck. In this case the blue truck is NYCO's. This is how is rear is built so far:

Rear suspension
. -Fox 2.0 w/ resi 10" travel
. -Dakar 3" leaf pack
. -All-Pro U-bolt flip
. -Slee Off-road extended brake lines
. -Wheelers SuperBumps




My rear suspension is:
-Billy 5110 shocks
-All Pro EXPO leaf packs (11 leaves)
-All Pro U Bolt Flip
-Wheeler extended brake lines
-Factory bumps weld to the top plate of the U Bolt flips
-Shackle flip with stock shackles



It performed as I suspected. EXPO packs appear to be limiting some movement. Bumps stops stuff short of full shackle extension (can be seen in pic 2). But bump stops stop the stuffed shock 1/2" short of full compression which in IMO is good. Leaves get a little negative on the stuffed side but it is livable. Wheel lifts on the flexed with roughly 1.5" of shock left.

So for now this set is working as I wanted it to given my EXPO style build up. No binding on the shackles and at some points on the trail the springs drooped in full because we could hear the shackle touch the forward holes in the flip bracket. At some point a longer shackle might be in order but I think I would have to look at some springs with more flex to really take advantage of that. I am impressed with it and believe it or not the ride seems to have improved. I don't know if it is the larger valved Billy's or the shackles but I feel noticeable improvement.

Great job and great product Travis!

 

Thanks for the update. Unfortunately with the different shots its tough for me to actually notice a difference of droop between the 2 trucks.

I think a good comparison would be if someone used a hi lift and jacked up on one slider till the rear tire starts to leave the ground, then take a picture. Then do the shackle flip and take a picture the same way to actually show the difference it made.


I have allpro expo springs too so I do feel that they will limit my droop, just like you said.

 

Aren't you running expo's? If you are your shock is now your limiting factor and you need some straps (from what other reputable members have said when they measured). I was told when researching the expos that 16/27" is the shock needed for that set up. If you add in a 2-3/4" shackle it makes your shock short.

I could be wrong, but no one wants to see your suspension blow out if that is true and I do not remember anyone actually stating any real life measurements without the shocks.

Screw pictures. Every truck is different and set up differently. I think a good comparison would be getting out a tape measure and measure from fender to center of hub compressed and drooping. Should of taken before and after measurements as well for marketing. Measuring is a KEY part of testing and pictures are worthless IMO.

 

Yeah unfortunately the picture taker was 2 different people so the angles were off. Also too I didn't realize we both were on the same part of the rock so technically I should have tried to go higher up on the rock to see if I could extend further before the wheel left the ground.

I still like the set up and the feel of everything. I will continue to play around with it to see what else I can get out of them.

The shock was my limiting factor before I put the 5110's on. Now the factory bump stop stuffs before the shock reaches full extension. Which I am fine with because if I trimmed it down I would only put the compressed spring further into negative arch. Am I limiting my droop a bit yes but this is where I want to be with my build. It is a drastic improvement over the setup I had before.

If or when I decide to go with a longer shackle I will also be considering - the leaf pack, bump stops, and shocks all over again. But this current set up works very well for my wheeling and I will enjoy it for now.

Yeah I agree the pictures are deceiving since we did not get the same angles on each one. We were too busy having fun and forgot about a tape measure. Looks like I will have to take another trip out 4 wheeling. Also it is hard because his truck has the full rear fenders still and mine does not. So it might appear as though my tire is drooping further.

Let the record state that I am a paying customer for Freelance Fabrication. The pictures I posted up are of my install and my first experience with this set up. They are not intended as a marketing tool for his product. I am sharing my experience so far and I am impressed with what it as done for me.

 

Need some of these then



different truck but same use of limit straps... Not so sure I like the bolt either mount either - just for reference of straps. actually the install kinda sucks, but you get the idea.


I'd grab some so your not killing your brand new suspension.

 

I understand where you are going but if my bump stop stops the flex before the shock is fully extended (which this is what it is doing) and on the compressed side I have a 1/2" more of compression (I was able to measure the dust ring) the only reason to get these would be if I wanted to completely limit negative arch in the compressed springs or if I trimmed the bump stops further which might allow the shock to fully extend or fully compress (bottom out) on either side. Since for now I have no intentions of doing this would I really need a strap?

Yeah if I were to do this the strap would be on it's on set of brackets or holes and not attached to the shock.

 

If you look back through the thread we did just this with the prototype, but the opposite tire was on a car ramp to help with extension on the side being jacked up.

 

Looks good man! Sorry to miss the run... is that empty seats I see?.?.?

 

Ha no. Just my wife hiding from the camera.

 

I got mine on and did the measurements. The All Pro brake lines work well. My shocks are now too short. And I had to unclip the ABS connector and let it hang.

ALL PRO EXPO Leaf Pack
ALL PRO Ext Brake Lines
King OE Rear Shocks ( Extended Supposedly )

@ Full Droop:



Shock is a tad bit short:


I jacked the truck up from the wheel until the leafs stopped moving. ( Leveled out ) Seems I will be needing longer bump stops to prevent the pack from going into negative ARC.

Compression:



I am no expert by any means, so I am posting this up for any insight.

Measurements I got were: 28.5" @ Droop & 21.5" @ Compression ( Leaf Pack Leveled out ) I could be wrong, but I measured from the top mount ( area between both rubber bushings ) to the eye at the bottom as I was instructed from King.

 

Did you write down the measurements and can you share?

So whats your plan of attack/dialing it in?

IMO:
*Looks like you need to strap the axle until you get new shocks.
*Your up travel was effected and you will loose a good deal of it when you get new bump stops so your leafs aren't going negative arch - if that matters to you.
*I'd also throw some washers on shackle bolt so it doesn't turn free by itself.

You might wanna think about messing around with an aftermarket shackle to dial it in where you want it.

 

Yeah I posted it at the bottom.
-Hoping to get the new shocks soon, but I was quote 4-5 week build time! so straps may have to be put in for now.
-seems I will loose some to keep the springs from negative arc
-only 1 was included per side, I will add another for the bolt itself.
-I did have an aftermarket XJ shackle ( 1" lift ) in but it seemed it was too long and the ride seemed harsh.

On a side note the mounts are not lined up perfectly they kinda sit angled down toward the ground if you're looking from the rear.

 

Oh I meant lift/ride height...Sorry I should of been specific. I'm wondering how much lift this kit is good for. I'm guessing 1" but it's hard to guess without the fabricators measurements.

Yea, build time is what it is with King unless you go with another company that has something close to that on the shelf. Ill be trying to use Billy when I do mine (cheap and quick - hopefully).

On the loss of up travel it actually looks like you haven't hit the bumps in a while because the strike pads are covered in mud. Luckily you can throw whatever bump stops in there you want and they are cheap. Sucks that up travel is lost, but it's hard to add travel one way without effecting the other.

Hmmm... weird the longer shackle would ride harsh. It's usually the other way around.

Good luck and keep us up to date. I think most that get into this mod have no clue whats going on so the more info that's aired out the better for people following. Learning from others pros/cons is always best for the wallet

 

yeah, thanks for the tips, hoping us less informed can learn from each other and get this all dialed in.

 

That's why I'm hanging in this thread. My flip kit is being produced by someone I know and all my parts and pieces are on order for the leafs.

I have made this comment in the past and got flamed for it by others, but the shackle hanger needs to be strait with the springs. If you can see by eye that it's off like you said it was, it's more then the OP stated it was. Do you have an angle finder you can test it with and see how far it is off?

I would love to see a picture referencing this issue. You can always elongate one of the lower holes in the mount and shim the back of it between the hanger and the frame to correct this issue.

Maybe OP can chime in.
Unless you can both talk about it constructively the rest will be made the same way.

 

Yea, here's a picture when I had the longer JK shackle in:

 

Looks like it's leaning towards the pumpkin and down on the tire side...

That's not what I was expecting to see.

Did you use the same width shackle as the inside dimensions of the hanger? I know the previous guy said he didn't and he sucked his in with torque. That could throw it off.

 

lol, both of my stock hangers are bent towards the outside and look like this // \\

 

It was the same width as the OEM shackle, but I did notice when Tightening it, the mount did get pulled in a bit, maybe I can stick some washers in there to keep it straight?