Making Extended Shackles

[pradon35s]

Just wondering if anyone on here is involved in steel supplying for work? or anyone would have the steel I need for making some shackles they would sell? just don't wanna buy 6m of steel when I don't need it all from local suppliers.. I'm in Chch.
If anyone does il post up the measurements of what I'm after..

also is there any problem with just using high tensile bolts instead of shackle pins? will these crush the spring bushes?

I was thinking of just using some flat steel, with bolts for shackle pins and then a middle bolt with crush tube in the 'extension' section to stop twist..

any pro's or con's to making your own feel free to comment, after any advice...

btw it's a ln65 hilux with 2" spring and body lift at current but want to get a little more lift with shackles due to going to bigger Tyres..


cheers

[rokhound]

Go and talk to Sean (or one of his guys) at East Coast Steel , 1 Barbour Street in Woolston. If they have what you want in stock (which I am picking will be 80 x 10 or similar flat bar) he will sell you what you need with out buying a full length.

I would tend to fit a square section as the crush tube, welded to one of the shackle plates. You can weld to both plates if you can remove the pins easily enough.

[pradon35s]

awesome, cheers mate!

also after do guys just heat the flat steel and bend it? how hilux front ones require the chassis end to be wider than spring end..

[rokhound]

If you have the gear, you can cold bend it. But yeah, heat and bend will work. Make sure you let it cool slowly (bury it in sand) so you don't alter metallurgy (sp?)