ok, this is what i have. I bought an 83 cj7 with a 3 " bodylift and 33x12.5's. I'm tossing the bodylift and got a 3" black diamond lift. My factory shackles are rusted pretty bad so i ordered heavy duty shakels and without thinking i ordered the part # for 1.75 lift shackles. Now the BDS kit doesn't come with a drop pittman arm so i ordered one and extended brake lines. now my question is should i buy/make a t case drop or will my cj be ok without one. i know for a yj it should be dropped due to the slip yoke. This is my only running vehicle at this time so i am trying to get everything sorted out before i start the project so i'm not left without a jeep for a few days.
shackles and springs
- Thread starter 83mudjeep
- Start date
currupt4130
VT Hokie
Fantasy Football advice.
yea you need a t case drop because your not running a cv shaft, the angles will be to great on those single u joints. and i think the black diamond kit coems with a t case drop cuz my friend has a black diamond kit and his t case is dropped
yea you need a t case drop because your not running a cv shaft, the angles will be to great on those single u joints. and i think the black diamond kit coems with a t case drop cuz my friend has a black diamond kit and his t case is dropped
Snitty
New member
i'm not sure on the length of the Tcase on that particular model... but if it is short, you may be able to get away without the drop... though... since you are putting in lift shackles, your pinion will be pointed slightly up... and it would be a good idea to point your Tcase output slightly via a drop
TwistedCU
New member
I would agree with Laniac on the shackles. They will add a lot of caster to the steering by rotating the pinion upward. 1" lift shackle would be alot less noticeable. If you don't need the extra clearance, I'd go with stock length.
I'm surprised the lift kit doesn't come with a transfer case drop kit, you very well may need one. I think, but don't hold me to it, that anything over 2.5" needs at least a small drop to avoid driveline vibration and prematurely worn U-joints. It's close, maybe try it without it first. It will be easy enough to add one if you need it.
If you keep the 1.75" lift shackles I would suspect that you'll definately need to address vibrations.
I'm surprised the lift kit doesn't come with a transfer case drop kit, you very well may need one. I think, but don't hold me to it, that anything over 2.5" needs at least a small drop to avoid driveline vibration and prematurely worn U-joints. It's close, maybe try it without it first. It will be easy enough to add one if you need it.
If you keep the 1.75" lift shackles I would suspect that you'll definately need to address vibrations.
I'm running a 4" spring on my 77 with 1/2" lift shackles and no Tcase drop, with a T-176 and D300. You can or you can't....either way if you have a manual trans. I think the automatic has to have one. A TC drop would be easier on U-joints.
Your shackles are going to screw the geometry of the front axle up and cause some steering/tracking issues. An inch of shackle lift is about all you want to go unless you lower the hangers too. With 1.75 inches of lift, you're talking about shackles that are 3.5" longer than the factory ones are! That's not good for the springs either.
Your shackles are going to screw the geometry of the front axle up and cause some steering/tracking issues. An inch of shackle lift is about all you want to go unless you lower the hangers too. With 1.75 inches of lift, you're talking about shackles that are 3.5" longer than the factory ones are! That's not good for the springs either.
Holy crap were you guys right about the shackles causing problems. i just got the time to install everything today and i figured i'd give the shackles a chance. i took it down the road and when i hit about 30 MPH it wants to go all over the place. I'm gonna swap them out with the factory ones tomorrow and i hope it gets better.
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