OK.. so we need to make a pair of spring hangars for the rear of my 40 while doing the 55 spring swap...

The stock ones COULD be removed and re-installed backwards, but the P/O saw fit to weld the shite outta 'em, so it's gonna be more work (@ $35/hr) to remove them then it would be to have a friend make a new pair.. can't be that hard to make a pair, right?

I looked at Spectre.. they have rear spring hangars at only $45 EACH :eek:

So, my metal working friend said he could make me a pair... so what's the specs on them, i.e. dimensions, metal thickness, etc? A drawing he could use to fab it up would be great, something like this?

THIS IS THE REAR SPRING HANGER RIGHT? NOT THE SHACKLE HANGER?

Sorry, yes.. rear SHACKLE hangar. the one right at the ass end of the cruzah. I swear I can't get my point out in typed words...

OK, GOT YOUR MEASUREMENTS FOR YOU:
[NOTE, THESE ARENT EXACT, SO THEY MIGHT BE OFF A MM OR 2]

LENGTH: 6 1/4"
HEIGTH: 2 1/2"
WIDTH: 2"

SORRY I CAN HELP YOU ON THE HOLE DIAMETER, ITS SOME FUNKY METRIC SIZE, I WOULD SAY NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO CONVERT TO A STANDARD SIZE. I FORGET WHAT I WENT IT, IT WAS THE CLOSEST FIT TO MY BUSHING.

ID SAY MAKE IT OUT OF 5/16 OR OR IF YOU WANT TO OVERKILL IT, 3/8. MINIMUM OF 1/4 IF YOU WANT TO SAVE WEIGHT.

MATT

What I would do is cut off the rear cross member make the bumber with the hangers built into it and gain some wheel base while your at it. By doing that you can make your hangers how you want and be able to run other then cruiser springs. The Rub. Express springs i been running are flexy and soft and the ride is so much better and they are new and not old junk yard springs.

Rich, 0.120 is what mine are made from minus the tube, can measure if you need me to but it should be simple to make and I thought Spectra sold them in pairs for $42 or so...I made mine and have a spare that I cut out but they get pretty messed up when welded inplace.... I can get all the critical number if necessary....

If your numbers work out to what Fixxxxah's are, then just say that, other wise, measurements would be great, thanks! :bounce: :bounce2:

OEM is 3/16's and the bushing diameter is roughly 1" ID 1 3/8" OD...but the balance is correct...

Later...

just had an odd thought.. The perches don't HAVE to be shaped like my drawing, do they?

I can't see why we can't just make them U-shaped, without tapering down like they do stock...

The shackle isn't going to hit them anyway, no matter what...

And, it would be alot easier to make!

Thoughts?

YEH MAN, MAKE THEM HOWEVER YOU LIKE, THEY DONT HAVE TO MATCH STOCK. ARE YOU GOING TO STRECH YOUR WHEELBASE WHILE YOUR AT IT?

IF YOU MAKE THEM "U" SHAPED, I WOULD ADVISE MAKING THEM BURLIER THAN STOCK SINCE YOUR LOSEING SOME METAL.

MATT

I made mine out of 3" x 2" X .120" rectangular tubing.

Yeah, the box tubing we have is 2x4x.120...

Yes, the wheelbase will be lengthened, since we're going with 55 springs. We're going to weld up the shackle hangar last, to get the shackle angle kicked back right..

I'm thinking that we'll go more than 45 degrees.. probably 60-ish, since there won't be a whole lot of compression left with the flat springs, but LOTS of droop. Seen a few front shackles like that for SO's that worked well.

Rich, The biggest lesson I learned and will share with you is that you need to measure the angle when the spring is flat! Otherwise you'll invert it as I've done numerous times....

Originally posted by coyote
Rich, The biggest lesson I learned and will share with you is that you need to measure the angle when the spring is flat! Otherwise you'll invert it as I've done numerous times....

exactly...and the easiest way to measure for shackle location is using 2x4's or whatever to space the spring from the frame and the put the weight on it...lets you seejust how far the spring flattens and where the resting eye location is. Then, plan accordingly for the shackle length and bracket location.

Works that way in the front too if you plan for a recessed-in-frame shackle eye.

So I think you're saying what we had planned..

take the 40 off the jack stands and let the vehicle's weight rest on the wheels, as it would while driving.. (spacing the rear of the leaf off the frame with 4x4's or similar)

set the shackle angle based off where the spring eye sits at that point...right?

DAMN...Looking at the stock ones, they have a sleeve going through them, which is more than we can make here....

Spectre is out of them... Where can I get a pair of shackle hangars?? I can use the front or rears from a 40...

help!

THE SLEEVE SHOULDN'T BE TOO BIG OF A PROBLEM, JUST GO TO YOUR LOCAL METAL SUPPLIER AND ASK FOR A FOOT OF TUBE WITH AND ID THE SAME SIZE AS YOUR BUSHING, CUT YOUR TWO SLEEVES OUT OF THAT, AND WELD THEM IN THERE.

YOU GOT IT MAN

MATT :skull:

Yeah, we talked about that, and is what he's doing when he needs something like that.. Problem is, he's working WFO on his Sammi buggy, and doesn't have much time to make other parts...

But thanks. I guess again, I wasn't clear.