Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Now that all the nastiness of not having an engine is out of the way I am keen to get back to making my truck more capable...

I know there have been countless posts about suspension mods on the forum, but heres another.

I am thinking that I'll get a pair of these bone shackles made (seen here:)

http://www.overkill4x4.com/index.html

and then wind up the front and remove the swaybar. As i can get these shackles made as long as I want, I just wanted some opinion on whats a good length. I was considering a set two inches longer than standard, as i dont want excess sway. I also thought this would allow room for adding an extra leaf or two later on.

Has anyone got any comments?

Be carefull of and keep an eye on your brake lines with any rear lift on your Feroza. 2" should be okay anymore and you could start to run into other problems.

BTW I've got a set of near new Rancho 9000x Shocks to suit the rear of a F300 Feroza with 2" lift going cheap.

G-day Croz , Even though OVERKILL make quality stuff and the price is reasonable , have you thought about making a pair your self ??? . I bought a pair of extended shackles from Mike H before I got the revolvers for a good price . I can't remember if it gave me 1.5" or 2" lift , but compared to the standard shackles there was a great improvement . They are made of .......

2 lengths of 38mm square heavy wall tube 83mm long
4 lengths of 50mm x 8mm FB 175mm long , 16mm bolt holes , 130mm c/c

Thanks for the advice guys.

Andy thats a great idea... but i dont have a welder, and i think that ill just leave it to someone that knows what to do. i'd rather not bugger it up and suffer the consequinces.

Cheers!

Andy,

I have Bonz on the front and they seem to be a good shackle...well made...very thick. If you look at them they just have three bolts between them. and a piece of tubeing in the center.

You really should meet some welders/ fabricators. Just drop by and get some pricing on stuff at different shops. A few will take interest in what you are doing and a slab of beer goes a long way towards a friendship. The last shop that I went to for the snorkle and shock mounts are a great lot. They don't do 4WD stuff but all kinds of other steel fabrication. I took them a case of Coronas and they said to come back anytime I need something. They gave me a great deal also. So I have access to plasma cutters, TIG, MIG and all sorts of fabrication equipment. They just turn me loose in the shop pretty much. I wish that I had met them before spending all that money at RockWare.

I was having stuff fabbed at RockWare and they are excellent but very expensive. I could only afford one thing per year using my Christmas bonus. They made my front bumper, winch plate, roll cage, front shock hoops and rock sliders. They have a six week waiting time for an appointment. They only do 4WD fabrication and are about the only decent place since Moab Offroad went out of business here. They do have tubing benders though so I can have stuff bent and then put it togehter at the other shop as they don't have large benders.

If you are anywhere like me you are always going to want something fabbed for the truck. Like getting rid of that horrible hanging down transmission cross member, rear bumper/ tyre carrier/ gas can holder/ HighLift jack mount, a winch plate, roll cage, rock sliders, roof rack etc. etc. etc.

I have met some wonderful people and seen some hard core 4WD's while hanging at steel fab shops.

I guess that I am saying that a robust set of shackles should only cost about $20.00 US for a pair. As good or better than most aftermarket plus you had a hand in making them.

These are cool...

This is pretty cool also.

PS: I rarely drink beer but the fabbers love it.

A cage for a Baja truck...lots of TIG welding

Toyhatsu wrote: I rarely drink beer but the fabbers love it.

As long as they only consume it after they've done your work!

One place I used to frequent there was a bit of smoking going on while fabricating , but this guys work output usually increased after that!

Does anyone know the legalities of extended shackles??? Is there any difference noticeable between extended shackles and reset leafs?

Extended shackles will change the angle of the diff in relation too the transfercase...to much lift via shackles and you will get lotsa vibes.

In Australia, afaik, extended shackles are illegal in every state...not to say you can't do it...but you just have to realise that and make the call if you want to use them...

G'Day Croz, Muz, Andy ( & all ),

The general rule for Extended Shackles is that you will gain half the extended shackle length in lift - ie: a 2" longer shackles will give you 1" of extra lift. 2" longer is also about as long as you should go, as with an Extended Shackle you are only lifting the rear end, so the Axle will rotate upwards & can make the Driveshaft Angles different at axle vs Tx Case ends which leads to vibrations as carnage.
However, in practice I found that my 2" longer Shackles gave me about 1.5" lift ( about 35mm ), probably because the Feroza Leaf springs are only fairly short.
Murray is right as well - "technically" Extended shackles are illegal - my personal opinion is that if done right they are possibly the safest "illegal" mod you can do & it would have to be a pretty keen eye to even pick a set of Extended Shackles vs a normal set - don't quote me on this though or I'll sue you
Croz - if you are interested in a set of Extended Shackles exactly like the pics of Andy's then email me & we'll sort something out. Murray has a set coming his way very shortly, so now would be the perfect time. Strong as a Brick Shithouse & completely bolt on. Let me know.
Later - Mike H.

BTW I've got a set of near new Rancho 9000x Shocks to suit the rear of a F300 Feroza with 2" lift going cheap.

How much u want for em man