BJ42 shackle reversal and rear 60 series leaves

[micka1]

I have just purchased a BJ42 and am looking into playing with the suspension . I am after more flex, comfort and a longer wheelbase to start with .

In the front i am looking at doing a shackle reversal, removing some springs and shifting the front diff forward at the same time.

And in the rear i would like to run 60 series springs and move the diff rearward a bit .

I am after and tips or suggestions people have on these modifications .

some things i would like to know is -
should i run dropped spring hangers in the front..
should i run the rear shackle mount through the chassis or on a mount..
what sort of a lift should i expect from the reversal , if any ..

Any help is greatly appreciated
Micka1

[shorty_f0rty]

turbo42 on here is researching the shackle reversal here in qld. he might have some tips for you on this.

http://forum.ih8mud.com will also have quite a bit of info about shackle reversals too..

search on here for "40 AND Suspension" and you should get a few quality hits on how to do what you want..

are you still sprung under or sprung over?

[shorty_f0rty]

actually.. that search string isnt too good.. i'll try and dig up a few useful threads.. have a look in the bible too as im sure there is some info in there..


heres my setup using 60# in the rear and 75's in the front:

[micka1]

I'm still sprung under and going to leave it that way , that looks like good flex you have there under your truck . what sort of set up have you got ?

have searched throught the bible and outers , but there didn't seem to be too much in the way of shackle reversal info .

[shorty_f0rty]

yeh there wont be too much info on here but there will be heaps on http://forum.ih8mud.com .. have a look over there in the 40 section and you should find a heap.

um running 60+75 leaves in the rear (moves diff back 2.5") and 75+40 leaves in the front (moves diff forward 2.5") and slightly longer shackles to get what you see there..

just need bilstiens + ford shock towers and id be done with playing with the suspension on mine..

[micka1]

Been reading a bit in ih8mud it seems to have everything in there . thanks

Just wondering how did yours go after the wheelbase stretch , and did you have to get tailshafts made for it ?

[shorty_f0rty]

yep had to do that and longer brake lines too (just doubled up existing lines)..

used a shortened 55 front shaft in the rear and a shorted 80 front shaft up front.. the standard rear shaft had splines exposed at rest height.. so figured it needed custom shafts..

[micka1]

Just wondering is yours a 5 or 4 speed ? and how does it go after the wheelbase stretch ? thanks

[shorty_f0rty]

mine is 5spd.. notice a change in ride thats for sure.. i'm hoping some better valved shocks will firm up the ride as I still get thrown around a bit on bumpy undulating roads.. currently have procomp es9000's at the moment.

i'm pretty happy with the wheelbase stretch for general wheeling, doesnt feel as unstable on steep stuff and approach/departure angles are slightly improved.. worthwhile mod but would want to get more flex out of the rear (not sure how, maybe move shock mounts a bit).

one thing to note but might not affect you if you SR is the draglink on the steering, my shock would be hard against it when the diff moved forward, so I had to make a bracket, 60# powersteer would fix this..

if you need any pics of the swap (including diff spring lengths) you can find em here: http://www.phat42.com/gallery/v/the40/suspension/

[micka1]

ok thanks had a look at the pics .
mine is only a 4 speed at the moment so i might hold off til i get a 5 speed in and do it all in one hit .

yeah mine has the factory power steering , so will look into a shock mounting modification .

thanks for the info