What steel should I use when making new lowering arms/shackles for my 48. I run stock transverse leafspring. Cut out from an old leafspring, or is it sufficient with solid steel with some dimentions?
Well. maybe shackles is the wrong therm (Im a bloddy forringer ) but its the steel that connects the leafspring and the axle. The axel slips a bit further up when I swap the steel for longer ones. Its been lowered already but need an inch or so to get that correct stance.
Shackles secure the axle and limit side to side movement in a transverse spring set up A longer shackle would seem to allow more side movement causing a possible handling issue. A panhard bar could correct this Could you possibly remove one leaf from the spring set up? Don’t take any negative or doubtful comments here personal. We see so many bad suspension mods we sometimes knee jerk to quickly
Looks like SoCal has them I would say same thickness mild steel would work. Try to find some non Chinese steel if possible
I have longer shackles on the back of a '35. Came that way and figure that it is the old school way. It rides o.k. but the back end feels a little loose in the turns. I am not making any plans on changing it. I would think that it will bottom out more if you pull out some leaves. Neal
I'm doing the same thing on my 34. I cut a stock set and welded in extensions to mock up the correct ride height and shackle angle. Now Im going to replace them with something more solid. Vern Tardel sells a 2" lowering shackle kit for 32-48 that would have been perfect for me. When i went to buy a set a couple weeks ago they were sold out so I'm just making a set. I saw a cool video on YouTube about making a broach from tool steal to make the square holes. I think I'm just gonna drill and file mine though.
FYI, These will not work for a 48...they have a larger eye on the spring and the shackles are different. You could probably get them to work, but they are not a direct fit.
Dont worry. Im all about critics, as long as it is some hold in it he he. Thanks all for the input guys. Yes, it has panhard bars so movement sideways is limited.
I used 3/8 thick mild steel on the rear because that's what I had available. However, 1/4 or 5/16 mild steel is fine. Keep in mind thicker material will require longer shackle pin length. Plus you want to make sure you have no clearance/interference issues. Use Loctite on the nuts. I would not recommend making them from an old leaf spring. Dimensions will depend on how much lower you want your car to be. The longer the shackle,the more roll and sway your car will have. That's not good. I also used brass bushings but you can buy bronze oilite style bushings also. https://www.google.com/search?q=oil...hrome.0.0l6.7847j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
A couple ways New steel has markings and your supplier can help ya Cut the shackles from some vintage steel. I keep old chassis sections around for parts like this. You could easily plasma cut parts like this from an old frame.
Actually with a spring in front (on the front axle) or spring behind (on the rear axle) longer shackles was a common way to lower one. You just use mild steel. cold rolled is best (in my opinion) but hot rolled will work. Back when I was a kid we used to tack a piece of plate across the shackles once they were installed on a longer setup to stabilize them. Kind of makes 'em look like an H.
Here's an interesting article about the quality of Chinese steel. You really can't tell the quality of steel by looking at it's external appearance. I guess your best bet would be to go to a welding shop in your area and ask for a piece of 1020 Cold Rolled Steel made in the USA - if they know the supplier. You could also use a piece of steel with a higher carbon content as long as you don't heat treat it. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEngineers/comments/4b5jir/people_say_chinese_steel_is_poor_quality_what/
Remembeing some of those lowered in the back 46/48 Fords from when I was a kid side sway in the shackles is pretty well traditional. One sedan here in town in particular swayed quite a bit going down the street. Can't remember much about it except it could do a burnout on the street next to the swimming pool and it had a bad butt wiggle.