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Post by mulover on Sept 2, 2005 20:55:27 GMT 11
Hi all, so as some of you saw in one of my other threads i have folding shackles that i made. So heres the guts. 1 they are not certified, but i have been through several warrants with them pinned and the warrant guys even asked me who builds them and they still pass. 2 They are welded by a certified welder at work. 3 On a articulation ramp (20degree i think) i score 741 with them pinned and 841 with them open, thats with factory shocks with modified lower mounts, and cut bump stops up front. 4 they let the suspension flex and move a whole lot better, as even when the wheel is fully compressed they open up a little. 5 they are simple and strong, but are very effective As for selling them, i have a old set that has been hardly used that work fine, but are not as good as my current, i'll put up a photo and you's can make me an offer, These are the ones for sale: photobucket.com/albums/b327/mulover/Folding%20shackles/?action=view¤t=folding3.jpgAnd here are some photos for you all to look at. photobucket.com/albums/b327/mulover/Folding%20shackles/?action=view¤t=folding1.jpgphotobucket.com/albums/b327/mulover/Folding%20shackles/?action=view¤t=folding4.jpgphotobucket.com/albums/b327/mulover/Folding%20shackles/?action=view¤t=folding5.jpgI am going to make another set that are just a wee bit different. In one of the first photos you can see the bottom arm rubs on the springs, So i'm going to put a bit more angle into the mount. In this photo you can see what i'm talking about, but the bottom arm still needs just a little more angle in it yet. photobucket.com/albums/b327/mulover/Folding%20shackles/?action=view¤t=folding2.jpg |
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Gobbles
Isuzu Junior
92' 2.8L TD MU - Black + Panel Damage
Posts: 121
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Post by Gobbles on Sept 2, 2005 23:14:21 GMT 11
How much lift does the set you have spare give? I'm about to grab a set of 3inch shackles for $150 or thereabouts which is a bit $$ apparently...
Kurt.
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Post by mulover on Sept 3, 2005 9:55:12 GMT 11
They don't give any lift, they only open out when the wheel wants to go down. When the vechile is sitting on level gound they are approximately the same size as the factory hangers, 110mm centres, but open out to 220mm centres. I'm going to put some photos up soon and you should see what i mean. They will be in the first posting.
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Post by mudgrip4 on Sept 5, 2005 16:40:33 GMT 11
Shackles look good. Be great if there was an easy way to improve articulation to this extent on the front!
I have extended shackles on my bighorn - 70mm extra length and much heavier construction - which gives a height gain of 35-40mm for the rear. Extremely useful and passes warrant every time. The company in Christchurch provides them plus bolts for $80 per set, excellent value. Can provide details if anyone wants them. Mike.
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Post by mulover on Sept 5, 2005 20:08:21 GMT 11
Hey gobbles, that price on the shackles is a rip off, unless they are coming with pins and nolathatne bushes, if i wasn't so bussy i could do you a set for $50 plus pins which are about $40 all up from repco and are greaseable (They are normal hangers but i flog the pins as it is not worth the effort to make my own.
Hey mudgrip, the only way to improve the articulation in the front is to set the torsion bars properly and cut the bump stops in half!! Sucks aye.
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Post by geeves on Sept 6, 2005 9:20:37 GMT 11
Ball joint flip also helps in the front Also fixes wheel alignment issues. You can go further with spacers but you then start breaking cvs unless you lower your diff which is self defeating
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Post by mulover on Sept 6, 2005 18:36:15 GMT 11
Not as much as what you would think, you can only lower the diff 20mm max with a standard set-up and then it's not that much lower than the cross members. Stay tuned as i will be making a low profile front cross member that doubbles as a bash plate for the oil sump and one for the gear box alot like himuzulux's one.
And the ball joint spacer is a good thing for the wheel alignment, even if you don't want the extra travel as you can always pack out your bump stop a little.
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Post by mudgrip4 on Sept 7, 2005 9:08:42 GMT 11
Quite a while back I did the 70mm shackle lift, ball joint flip, torsion bar raise, trimmed upper bump stops a bit and put 32 muds on mine (88 swb bighorn) - all of which has given it very useful ground clearance. Haven't bothered with 35mm body lift as current height works well - and would have to modify garage with any more height!
With these basic mods vehicle performs well in any company. Hiluxs etc have quite a bit more mid ground clearance, always a plus, but find it I now seldom hit side bars when climbing even sharp banks. Also handles bigger rocks well - my vehicle with 32 muds has 246mm under the rear diff bulb compared to cobber's swb cruiser with 33s giving 242mms, a useful indicator in this sort of country.
Found wheel alignment absolutely essential after adjusting torsion bars and flipping ball joint. Personally wouldn't use spacer as wouldn't like any more angle on cv's.
One question I do have re front end - what is the exact effect for off road performance, what benefits in terms of extra articulation etc come from disconnection of the sway bars on the isuzu. Normal practice for many makes of club vehicles, but am loathe to sacrifice the exc on-road handling of the isuzu. Having the removeable pins a good idea, but what are exact benefits for our vehicle? Mike
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Post by geeves on Sept 7, 2005 11:56:12 GMT 11
It does allow the front wheels to move independant of each other so would allow more articulation ie one wheel up the other down but I havnt tryed it. Easy way to try on the 2.8 bighorns is just remove one of the watts links (the short bar between sway bar and suspension) and try it. I belive the mu and later bighorns are differant
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Post by mulover on Sept 7, 2005 18:23:06 GMT 11
If you like the way your truck handles then don't do anything drastic, mine handles like crap, i go into a corner and about quarter of the way round it lurches to the out side, scares the crap out of some people but it doesn't worry me now, you will notice a big improvement off road, so it depends on what you want from your truck, am going to set up the disconnectable sway bar soon, as i'm putting a winch on.
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Post by maletimaru on Sept 7, 2005 23:03:30 GMT 11
Mulover
You may just get a visit one day soon from me one weekend to show you my Mighty Mu ute and ask your opinion in person and show you some crazy stunts people in Hilux's shudder at!!!
Lol
Will
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Post by mulover on Sept 12, 2005 19:13:57 GMT 11
Sounds good will, just give me plenty of warning and i'll make sure my truck is in one piece, since your an out of towner i can show you a track not many people know about, if your lucky.
I have just updated the photos and put in a new one of the shackles fully extended in use.
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