Suspension Tech General discussion of suspension for the Ford Ranger.

Shackle flip

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Old 10-08-2008
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Shackle flip

Im thinking about doing a shackle flip to lower the rear to level it out. It will be easy because I already drilled out the rivets and got em replaced with bolts when I replaced all the leaf mounts. But if I flip them will they clear the bed still? Also, How far Should I expect the rear to drop down.
 
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Old 10-08-2008
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Just take out the axle block? Its right under the leafs there.. that should get you leveled a bit.
 
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Old 10-08-2008
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Originally Posted by WowMike2001
Just take out the axle block? Its right under the leafs there.. that should get you leveled a bit.
They didnt have blocks on 94 2 wheel drive trucks buddy, this isnt an edge or 4x4 lol.....

just flip your hangers youll be fine, its not the shackle getting flipped its the hangers making the shackle go differently.
 
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Old 10-08-2008
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Originally Posted by Mark98xlt
They didnt have blocks on 94 2 wheel drive trucks buddy, this isnt an edge or 4x4 lol.....

just flip your hangers youll be fine, its not the shackle getting flipped its the hangers making the shackle go differently.
Yep, No blocks here

Yea I realize the shackles remain the same, the mount is just upside-down.
It looks like the shackles will go above the frame a bit, which is why I was concerned with the clearance under the bed.
Im thinking about doing this tommorow. I'm hoping I can do it without taking the bed off.
 
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Old 10-09-2008
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you will be fine. only need to cut the bed if you have extended shackles.
 
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Old 10-09-2008
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I want to go to a smaller block and come down an inch.
 
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Old 10-10-2008
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My shackles didnt hit when i had em flipped. Everything worked fine. Hardest part was grinding the rivet heads off. Please makes sure to use grade 8 bolts and lock nuts just to be safe.
 
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Old 10-11-2008
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Originally Posted by timpat92855
My shackles didnt hit when i had em flipped. Everything worked fine. Hardest part was grinding the rivet heads off. Please makes sure to use grade 8 bolts and lock nuts just to be safe.

Mine already has bolts so This should be easy for me. I have locking nuts, but I will admit that I dont have grade 8 bolts, The place we went too didnt have them at the time so we went ahead and got these, I havent had any problems and Im not too concerned about it.

I havent been able to go flip them yet. I was thinking of going and doing it now actually.
 
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Old 10-11-2008
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^I flipped mine, with help, and no hitting of any kind.. front lowered 2" as well..

If anything I found out even if I wanted to I could not replace my shocks because the people who installed my exhaust 4 years ago put it too damn close to the shock mount..
 
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Old 10-11-2008
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Did you take your bed off to do it?
It looks like theres room to do it , but no room to beat the bolts out of the leafs if I have to.
Which direction does the shackle go in btw? with the flat side towards the front or back.
Because Mine rotted out along with the leaf brackets, and I think I just guessed because I couldn't remember. Now that im looking at them now, I think they might be wrong, and if they are, I wont have to take them out and turn them around when I flip the bracket.
 
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Old 10-11-2008
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Originally Posted by Ray_Welder
Mine already has bolts so This should be easy for me. I have locking nuts, but I will admit that I dont have grade 8 bolts, The place we went too didnt have them at the time so we went ahead and got these, I havent had any problems and Im not too concerned about it.

I havent been able to go flip them yet. I was thinking of going and doing it now actually.


according to ford, you are supposed to use grade 5 bolts when replacing to hangers.


And it gives you a 2.5 inch drop
 
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Old 10-11-2008
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hmm...i was told grade 8 but mine was riveted in...just make sure they are grade something and not just cheap regular bolts and you will be fine. Plus when i did mine the bolts was free so i took em. And i did take my bed off, made it super easy.
 
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I was thinking about doing it when I have the bed off next, But since I'm pretty sure my shackles are on there wrong (oops) I can flip the bracket with out taking the shackle off.
 
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I used grade 8 and yes the bed was removed as was the bumper and wheels..
 
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Old 10-15-2008
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Finally Did it today! I did it without taking off anything off the truck.
It lowered it quite a bit and it looks perfectly level now, I measure ground-to-fender on front and back and the back now is only about 1 3/4 ins higher now. It used to sit way higher. Im defiantly not used to it yet. When you walk behind it just feels different. But I like it
 
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