I've used the search button but didn't find the answer what i was looking for.

On a stock Bj40, no SOA, no shackle reversal, only modification to the suspension was 3 inch longer shackles in the rear. How much longer than stock can i make the front shackles without changing the steering geometry, wich could cause bad steering or deathwobbles. I was thinking of also making them 3 inch longer than the stock ones, or is this too much??

Christof Matthys
1980 Bj40
Belgium

Excuse me my poor english.

I tried 3 inch ones on my bj 40 and had lots of death wobbles, and I learned all about castor in the week that followed!!
if your parked somewhere level, you can lay a ruler across the flat that the steering arm bolts to (you can usually get it to fit even with the steering arm attached) and you can put an angle finder on that ruler.
kindof an easy way to get a close idea of your castor. if the front of that ruler is higher than the back you should be ok, but if it's the other way...:barf:
cruisers had I think 1 degree of positive castor stock, which really doesn't give you a lot to play with there. I ended up shimming mine, but got so sick of the shackles hanging down like giant tusks, I did a spring over shackle reversal.
hope that helps a bit,
cheers.
ryan

Better safe than SORRY!
First if you raise your cruiser even 2" in the rear it won't track as good as it did from the factory. To make it safe you should cut off the front knuckles and rotate them back to stock angle with the ground. Around 15 deg of rotation is usual if you plan on lifting your front bumper 5" in the front with springs, shackles or axle over. You should be able to calculate how much to rotate by your final change. You have lost your stock castor and camber of 1 deg and 4mm of toe-in by raising the rear, now to correct the problem you need to make it level and rotate knuckles back to stock angle so the vehicle will want to right its self straight when the steering wheel is released in a turn.:ghost: There are plenty of referances to make this modification.
:fj: :jeep2:
Good luck and safe cruising
Mike

i have a 71 FJ-40 with 5 inch Alcans on it and my front (and rear) shackles are 7 inches pin to pin. Before i cut and turned the knuckes it would wonder all over the road. But than again my caster was way off. If you put longer shacles on the front it WILL effect your caster but i dont think that it will make the truck un-driveable.

All very great tips if you live in the USA, over here in europe i can't get shims or i can't get someone to rotate the knuckles. So my plan is jut make new shackles a bit longer than stock so i get a minimal lift, but i wan't my truck to still be driveable caus it's my daily driver. So how much longer can they be made without any other modification.??


Christof Matthys
Belgium

I think you would be ok if you made the shackles a few inches longer than stock. It would negitively affect handeling but land cruisers were never ment to be sports cars. so you should be fine.
Here is a pic of my front shackles . (the truck is hanging on the lift if you were wondering what was up with the shackle angle)
With those shackles it did wonder around the road it still wasnt undriveable. Yours won't be as extreme as mine was so you should be ok.
http://www.auburnextremeracing.com/drivers/michael/fj_working02.jpg

Originally posted by Diesel_Cruiser
All very great tips if you live in the USA, over here in europe i can't get shims or i can't get someone to rotate the knuckles. So my plan is jut make new shackles a bit longer than stock so i get a minimal lift, but i wan't my truck to still be driveable caus it's my daily driver. So how much longer can they be made without any other modification.??


Christof Matthys
Belgium

Tell you what,
I have a set of the aluminum shims in my garage. If you pay for shipping they are yours..

I ran 32" tires, stock springs and a 2.5" longer shackle for years. Did a lot of highway miles in that period as well. It works just fine. Old cruisers are not sportscars. But can handle just fine.

One thing you do need to do when you add the shims is to get spring pins with a longer head. Around here they are around $6 for two..

I was about to offer the same thing... If you need parts, we can get them to you -- shipping extra of course! :D

Our friends down-under often show us the same courtesy...

Thanx guys, that would be great!! You guys get all the great goodies over there in the states, over here everything is illegal, a small example of our idiot laws, the tires on the automobile have to be the same type as the tires it left the factory with. So don't even think of taking your truck to the yearly automobile inspection with 32" bf goodrich mud terrains, caus it won't pass!!
And because everything is illegal there aren't any stores that sell stuff like shims or axles with turned knuckles,...

I live in a country of idiots!


Christof Matthys
1980 Bj40
Belgium

Originally posted by Diesel_Cruiser
I live in a country of idiots!
Christof Matthys
1980 Bj40
Belgium

Maybe so, but the beer rocks!!

Nolen (lived in "D" from 1990-1993)

Why do you think we are such an idiots?? All major decisions are made when we had to many beers!!!:beer:


Christof Matthys
Belgium

Your Belgian Ale kicks Ass too :beer: :beer:
Ching Ching
Mike :fj: :jeep2: