When looking at 69-87 Chevy/GMC (69-91 Blazer)
front spring shackles, one word comes to your mind….. WIMPY!
The flimsy front shackles are just crying to be upgraded. The stock
shackle bolts are also small in diameter and it's amazing that they
can even support a full-size truck. Besides being inadequate, the
stock shackles have problems with taller springs. The springs tend
hit the frame when compressed. This will limit the flex of the
front springs. You'll also find that the stock shackles tend to
twist a little when the truck is at full articulation. The twisting
might be better for off-road but this could cause the shackles to
eventually break. When you add larger tires, you're asking too much
out of your stockers.
The stock
shackles.
Click for larger image
Luckily, Offroad Design has a fix for this. They
carry heavy duty zinc plated shackles which are easy to install.
Offroad Design's shackles are 1/2 inch longer which keeps the
springs from hitting the frame. This will raise your rig 1/4 of an
inch which only increases your castor by 1 degree. They are 3/8
inch thick (stock is 1/8") which will keep them from twisting on
the trail. The bolts that come with these shackles are 1/2 inch in
diameter which is a big improvement over the stock bolts. The bolts
come rifle drilled plus the sleeves are drilled so you can easily
lube the bushings. This upgrade doesn't hurt the wallet either. It
seemed like a great mod so we called Offroad Design and ordered a
set for our project Blazer.
The kit
comes with shackles, larger rifled drilled bolts, sleeves, and poly
bushings.
Click for larger image
Installation: Installation starts by
jacking up the front high enough so that the frame can rest on a
jack stand. Remove the front tires so that the axle can be dropped
low enough to take the tension of the shackle bolts. You might have
to raise and lower the jack to get that perfect spot where you can
remove the lower bolt. After the lower bolt is removed, the top
bolt can then be removed along with the stock shackle plates. You
will also need to remove and replace the bushings in the springs
since the newer bushings have a larger hole for the 1/2 inch bolts.
The bushings that come with this kit are fluted which help
lubricate. Be careful not to damage the sleeve. A plastic headed
hammer or a rubber mallet is recommended. The new shackles can then
be installed. Again, you might have to play with the jack to get
the bolt through the hole. Offroad Design recommends tightening to
45 ft lbs. At the same time, we elected to replace the bushings and
bolts at the front spring hanger (near the front bumper) with a
greasable set from Offroad Design. This comes with the rifle
drilled bolt, drilled sleeve and new poly bushings. This makes it
nice each time you lube your truck and you know the bushings are
getting the proper amount of grease.
We also
upgraded the front bushing bolt to a greasable.
Click for larger image
When driving with the taller front shackles, you
may notice a difference. Steering and handling seemed improved on
our Blazer. If you're replacing old bushings, you will notice a big
difference since the old bushings are just shot and new poly
bushings are even better for control. If all the parts are worn
out, like the bolts and shackles, you can get a lot of play which
can cause some strange things to happen. Also, the extra 1 degree
of castor can make a difference. Usually it's a combination of
effects. The extra strength of the HD shackles will be appreciated
when some difficult trails are encountered. Your bushings will also
thank you each time you lube them! This small upgrade is definitely
worth it. Note: At the time the front shackle kit was
purchased, we had ordered bushings for Skyjacker springs (black
bushings). Before this kit was installed, we had switched from
Skyjacker to BDS springs which meant the bushings were a different
size. Since new bushings came with BDS springs (blue bushings), we
decided to use those. The inner diameters were the same but the BDS
bushings did not have flutes for the grease to pass through. Small
channels were cut in the BDS bushings for proper lubrication.
Part #: GU37010 (non-greasable)
Part #: GU37011 (greasable, shown)
Application: ’69 to ‘87(to ’91 for blazer/sub)
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