Shackle flip vs. 4 Link

[rockymtnway]

I have a new to me Bronco and it has the shackle flip and driver side rear leaf is bent. I'm trying to decide whether to put a set of new leafs or go with James Duff 4 link to match the James Duff 3.5 monster lift I have in front.

My question is... has anyone done a shackle flip and had the springs bend? I have a Detroit locker in the rear and someone said that can cause the springs to bend. I don't want to fix it and just do it again.

Thanks for your input.

Carl M

 

[rockymtnway]

It's a 1970 Bronco

 

[yakelys69]

Im sure others have more experience, but 4 link should eliminate the axle wrap for the most part. After building an axle wrap bar, in hind sight I probably should have just done a 4 link. I don't know what the down side of a 4 link is.

 

[Dlish]

Did the PO cut the stock mounts off and weld on some flip shackle mounts or something?
Be interested to see pictures of what the rear suspension look like, you can become a Contributor to this site for a few bucks and post pictures.

4 Link is going to have advantages and disadvantages. What is the intended use of your Bronco? If it will live on the street a 4 link may not be the best option without a sway bar, or will you be offroad mostly?

 

[DirtDonk]

It's possible that the shackle flip has put more and/or different stresses on the springs, but a Bronco that's used hard enough can experience bent leaves even in stock form. It takes some serious abuse, but after a certain point any leaf is going to deform and not come back fully.

What spring packs are on there now? Are they using the stock count, 5 or 6 leaf packs? Or are they more like 9, 10 or 11 leaf packs?
It's possible the modern leaves can twist even sooner, since they are thinner, but our experience is that it still takes some pretty hard use to do that.
Not sure what dynamic the shackle flip adds to the equation.

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

So I guess your choice may come down to just how you are going to be using your Bronco, and how much lift you want to have.

Paul

 

[welndmn]

Leafs normally bend due to axle wrap.
You can treat them as a wear item, or address the wrap with an anti wrap bar or a link system.

 

[Digger556]

I have a new to me Bronco and it has the shackle flip and driver side rear leaf is bent. I'm trying to decide whether to put a set of new leafs or go with James Duff 4 link to match the James Duff 3.5 monster lift I have in front.

My question is... has anyone done a shackle flip and had the springs bend? I have a Detroit locker in the rear and someone said that can cause the springs to bend. I don't want to fix it and just do it again.

Thanks for your input.

Carl M

Could you post of picture of the good side? If the shackle was too short for the leaf spring, it could lock-up the spring and force it to bend.

I wouldn't worry about going 4-link yet, plenty of guys running around on leaf springs.

 

[sykanr0ng]

I wouldn't worry about going 4-link yet, plenty of guys running around on leaf springs.

But very few with a shackle flip, probably less than four links.

 

[74BroncoCO]

I'm not a fan of shackle flips. But I suppose if you could control axle wrap, then you could be back in business.

I too am curious how you use your bronco and if you think that may change in the future. A 4-link can be "tuned" to be good for the trail and good for the street, but you will likely have to favor one or the other. But it's a lot of work and calculations unless you buy a kit. Whereas, you might be able to fix what you have, control wrap, and get back on the road cheaper and sooner.

 

[Digger556]

I'm not a fan of shackle flips. But I suppose if you could control axle wrap, then you could be back in business.

I too am curious how you use your bronco and if you think that may change in the future. A 4-link can be "tuned" to be good for the trail and good for the street, but you will likely have to favor one or the other. But it's a lot of work and calculations unless you buy a kit. Whereas, you might be able to fix what you have, control wrap, and get back on the road cheaper and sooner.

Personally, I prefer mulit-link suspensions, but that's a can-of-worms and there really is no such thing as an off-the-shelf solution. Each vehicle is different and has its own dynamics considerations. Many don't realize it, but just changing tire diameter forces a re-tune of the suspension geometry and shock tuning.

My opinion, FWIW, is that the traditional triangulated 4-link is not well suited to street or mixed use driving. It's true home is in racing with high-vertical-travel suspensions. For street and trail use, a 3-link or parallel 4-link with with track bar is much better suited. A track-bar equipped suspension will out-perform the triangulated 4-link in terms of ride quality and tune-ability.