63" Chevy 1/2-ton spring swap FAQ!!

[TheBandit]

For the double shackle setup, can I use the STOCK Toyota shackle in conjuction with the STOCK Chevy shackle?
Or do I have to make a new upper shackle?

Got my 63s this weekend for $40 - complete with shackles at a swap meet. Can't wait to do the swap.

Any advice for matching the rear lift to a 4" front IFS lift? My current setup is stock Toyota springs, add-a-leaf, and Trailmaster blocks (not sure what size; whatever comes in the 4" suspension kit I imagine). The Chevy springs are 3 leaf plus overload.

[tanman2003]

use a 6" shackle eye to eye and mount the new shakle hanger about 4" back

[bkubisht]

Originally Posted by TheBandit

Any advice for matching the rear lift to a 4" front IFS lift? My current setup is stock Toyota springs, add-a-leaf, and Trailmaster blocks (not sure what size; whatever comes in the 4" suspension kit I imagine). The Chevy springs are 3 leaf plus overload.

Put it together with just the chevys and your blocks. If it's too high, cut the blocks. Save the block pieces, you might need to run the part you removed ABOVE your springs to take up the extra room in your trailmaster U-bolts.

[mkmarz]

my chevys are in. It will be a few weeks before I get to work on my truck. I went with sky's kit. Did anyone else have to drill out the spring hangers more?

old set up by PO. 2 leaf w/ overload. 3inch trailmasters. double shackels.

[tanman2003]

yes i had to drill them out did you buy new springs because the old ones were shot?,


a note to anyone buying the sky kit, its is so worth it to buy a 9/16 drill bit, i spent like $18 but it was worth every pennysaved so much time and hassle. made the holes larger in like 2 min. if that

[Fawk Awph]

well, i just fabbed up my oen kit tonight for the 57" fords. i used the stock toyota rear leaf rear hanger with a 3/8" spacer on each side pf the bushing to make up for the difference between the stock 2.75" toyota bushing and the 3.5" ford bushing.

i then made front hangers much like the ones that sky uses out of some 3x4x.250 6" long and a grinder. these are mounted infront of the old rear leaf front hangers by about 4" IIRC. i then redrilled the main leaf on the 57" fords forward 4ish" to recenter the rear axle in the wheel well.

after all was said and done i have about 6$ into materials, but i am about 4" shy of the amount of lift that i need to match the front. with that being said im planing on using blocks from a 4-6" ford lift kit, or im going to see how much it will cost to arch my current springs 4 or 6 more inches at the local spring shop. this is all until i can just order some lift springs for the rear.

ill post up pics of the 57" fords fropnt and rear tomorrow.

Callen

[tanman2003]

what about lowering the schackle hanger.

[mkmarz]

[QUOTE=tanman2003]yes i had to drill them out did you buy new springs because the old ones were shot?,[/QUOT
They wre "late model" springs, they move the axle a little further back. Many reason I am replacing is they are a 2 leaf with overload. Lots of axle wrap.

[Kyron]

Originally Posted by tanman2003

what about lowering the schackle hanger.

Depending on how you do it.... It can get getto-booty-fab'd pretty quick



** I like how you almost spelt it "Schmackle"**

[83SHORTYOTA]

ok..i dont know if this has been covered...i know the chevy springs give 2-3" or more or lift depending on spring configuration, blocks etc. with the springs and no blocks, is anyone running any degree shims, or are they already on the springs when u pull them?

[JohnInDenver]

the chev spring pack has flat thin shims between the springs. The chev spring pack does not come with 1 or 3 degree shims. I first tried it W/O a 3 degree shim and got vibration. the three degree aluminum shim eliminated the ujoint vibration.

[TheBandit]

Can anyone comment on the cost of materials for making your shackles and hangers?

Sky is selling this kit for $95


I'm weighing this against making things myself.

[ozarkjeep]

Originally Posted by TheBandit

Can anyone comment on the cost of materials for making your shackles and hangers?

Sky is selling this kit for $95


I'm weighing this against making things myself.

IM in the same boat, probably $10 worth of steel,or free dropoffs from a fab shop.

the bolts and bushings are likely $20 or so.

the thing is, youll go thru $10 of abrasives, at least an hour or so of time. (probably a day for me at home with home tools)

the u bolt flip is $55 dollars if bought with that kit right? I need that too.
I can make some better, BUT im pretty lazy any more.

IM still trying to decide also.... sorry not much help

[tanman2003]

yeah but the work on the shackle hanger is top notch (that pic does it no justice). i think its tig welded cause it looks so perfect.

[ozarkjeep]

Originally Posted by tanman2003

yeah but the work on the shackle hanger is top notch (that pic does it no justice). i think its tig welded cause it looks so perfect.

All of the brackets ive ever built are Tigged, and Id bet they look better up close

But I no longer have a TIG, so its stick or flux wirefeed at home.

[OnTheSpot]

Ok maybe I missed it in the 11 pages of info on 63in chevy springs but can someone please measure the distance from the center pin to the eyes.

[JohnInDenver]

As mentioned in a previous post, each side of a 63" spring pack is the same from pin to eye. Right now my spring pack is under load and nearly flat (almost no arch). It measures 31 and 7/8" Center pin to the center of the eyes.

This is consistent with what Alcan said when I called them. 63" chev springs are actually 64". The arch takes up about 1" .

[TheBandit]

I did my swap this weekend. I used a factory hanger, 4" back with 6" shackles. I kept the 3-leaf springs complete with overload. The lift matched about perfectly with my 4" IFS lift.

The ride is a bit stiff and it looks like they want to ride on the overload a lot. I"m going to cut off the back of the overload like the FAQ suggest and possibly trim the front. If that doesn't do it, I'll take out the overload and throw in the AAL from my Toy springs or maybe some combo of the two.

I will post pictures of my hangers & shackles tomorrow. They turned out pretty good for my first real fabrication on this truck.

Despite seeming a bit stiffer, they flex much more than the Toy springs. Once the overload is out we'll see how it rides on the street.

[mkmarz]

whats your new wheelbase?

[TURNSTYLE]

Originally Posted by TheBandit

I did my swap this weekend. I used a factory hanger, 4" back with 6" shackles. I kept the 3-leaf springs complete with overload. The lift matched about perfectly with my 4" IFS lift.

The ride is a bit stiff and it looks like they want to ride on the overload a lot. I"m going to cut off the back of the overload like the FAQ suggest and possibly trim the front. If that doesn't do it, I'll take out the overload and throw in the AAL from my Toy springs or maybe some combo of the two.

I will post pictures of my hangers & shackles tomorrow. They turned out pretty good for my first real fabrication on this truck.

Despite seeming a bit stiffer, they flex much more than the Toy springs. Once the overload is out we'll see how it rides on the street.

i just took the overload out of my 3 leaf 63's and the ride is much better, it dropped the lift about 1" but if you put your AAL in there you should be fine, toys just dont have enough weight in the rear to really make the springs work like they should, believe it or not, mine ride soooo much nicer with all my tools in the bed (~300lbs) as opposed to empty

turner

[TheBandit]

Thanks for the tip turnstyle.

I took a few pictures today and thought I'd include some more detail. First the pictures:





I made the front hangers out of 3.5" box. I used a plasma cutter. I notched the top to put the spring closer to the frame. The hangers are about 8" long. I used plug welds on the passenger side to avoid dropping the gas tank.

The shackles are 6" long. They started as 1 3/4 x 3/16 strap. I welded 1 inch long 1.5dia x 0.095 tubing at both holes, then split a piece of 1.5in tubing longways and notched it to go in between. For the top, I drilled one of the shackles to 3/4" diameter and welded the original 19mm shoulder bolt from the original Toyota shackles (after pressing them out in a vise). This allowed me to use the stock Toyota bushings and stock Toyota rear hanger that I torched off of another truck. NOTE: A 5" long 3/4 inch bolt also works for this, but it fits very tightly in the bushings and doesn't have a proper shoulder. I tried this first and didn't like how it worked, so I remade the shackles using the original shoulder bolts.

I did some articulation tests (sorry no pics) and realized a few things. My 33" tires hit the body before the shocks or the original Toyota bumpstops bottom out, so appropriate bump stops are in order. Droop is limited by the shocks, which are currently in the stock location.

I was not able to use the stock Toyota u-bolts with the overload leaf in place. They are just barely too short. I think they would work if I took out the overload and the bumpstop. I bought a set of generic u-bolts from a Pep Boys lift kit that were a little too wide, but worked fine after notching the lower spring plates.

Hope this info helps someone else doing a similar swap.

[TheBandit]

Originally Posted by mkmarz

whats your new wheelbase?

I put the front hanger 11" forward of stock. This put the axle about where it was originally, so I don't think the wheelbase has changed.

[EvlDodge]

Originally Posted by TheBandit

The shackles are 6" long. They started as 1 3/4 x 3/16 strap.

You might want to build some new shackles out of 3/8".
3/16" is a little thin.

[tanman2003]

nice 4runner

i dig the color.

[TheBandit]

Originally Posted by EvlDodge

You might want to build some new shackles out of 3/8".
3/16" is a little thin.

Take a closer look at the picture. The 3/16" strap is reinforced with 1.5"x0.095" tubing. This is similar to the Total Chaos shackle design.

tanman- haha, yeah nice 4runner yourself. Nothing like refrigerator white on this kinda rig. It's easy to touch up and doesn't look bad dirty