Had a mishap,

[bowtier]

Yup, I was wheelin' with my buddy in my '86 lwb & I came up out of a mud pit & slammed into a washout. Blew my swamper off the bead & broke one of my front leaves. I think that's all that broke though. So I ordered a 6" lift yesterday to get it fixed up.

I have a few questions though.

-Have any of you guys made your own shackle flip? & how did that go? I would really like to do this to add flex & stay away from the blocks. Are they pretty sturdy? I can make them out of any size plate so I could make them pretty heavy duty.

-I need to use the x-fer case drop right?

-Do you think I will need driveshaft lengthened? Or does this depend on the truck? Should I just put the lift on & see how it runs?

-Do I have to buy 2 brake line extenders for $100 or can I just make em?

Well, that's about it for now Unless anyone has any ideas on homemade skid plates....figured as long as I am under there.....

[Mudder]

TC drop would be a good idea with a 6". You'll have to wait about the driveshaft. Some do some don't. I bought new brake lines.

[bowtier]

Thanks Mudder , anyone else??

Any opinions on the shackle flip??

The reason I'm tryin' to cut a couple of corners with the homemade flip & brake lines is I'm short on cash...well savin' for X-mas....

I had planned on doin' all this with top of the line stuff but I broke at a bad time so I'm just gonna get it driveable for winter then next summer do some upgrades, like sway disconnect kit, new rear springs, skid plates, ect. ect.

Any suggestions or opinions would be appreciated.

[Mudder]

You may be able to get by with your brake lines if you drop them under the frame. There should be a bracket come with the lift.

[1967k30]

On the shackle flip you get a set of front spring hangers of the rear springs of another Chevy pickup and mount them in place of the stock rear ones.It's fairly easy and I already had the extra parts.I have a set off a 73-87 k20 if you need a set.I believe they are the right ones for your application. On the 67'-72' you need to use K30 ones due to the different frame offset.If you need measurements let me know.

[bowtier]

I have a set off a 73-87 k20 if you need a set.

I may take you up on that, let me see what I can dig up. I didn't even think to use the fronts on the rear, how much lift did that give you approx.???

[1967k30]

Close to 5".You can get less by drilling new holes and cutting the top off.We wanted as much as possible.

[bowtier]

Well, it's a done deal now, Tuff country 6" will be here Tues. & my greaseable shackle bushings, front & rear will be here Wed. I'm so pumped!

I think I'm gonna make my rear flip shackles, saw some really H.D. ones on DIY4X website. Some really good stuff on OffRoadDesign's sight too. So much good stuff, now I want a D60, a doubler T-case, X over steering, AAHAHHHAHHHHHAAHH Too much stuff I got the bug bad now . So much for the X-mas fund

[454_72_4X4]

I flipped my stock shackles on my 72. (rearend)
I just cut the rivets loose and then flipped the entire shackle/bracket. Welded it back to the frame and fabbed up some gussets. Fairly easy and basically free.
Got maybe a couple inches of lift and a smoother ride.

I also built my own swaybar disconnects for the front. These cost a little more since I used bushing stock to fab them out of, (nice tight fit that way).

[bowtier]

I also built my own swaybar disconnects for the front. These cost a little more since I used bushing stock to fab them out of, (nice tight fit that way).

Cool, you got any pics of that?? I was gonna get the disconnects from ORD but tried to save $ so I figured I'd wait but if I could see it I bet I could make it. Did it give you much x-tra flex?

Whoa, 5:00 time to punch the clock

[454_72_4X4]

Originally Posted by bowtier

Cool, you got any pics of that?? I was gonna get the disconnects from ORD but tried to save $ so I figured I'd wait but if I could see it I bet I could make it. Did it give you much x-tra flex?

Whoa, 5:00 time to punch the clock

Don' have any pics right now but I can take some.

Extra flex? Hahaha Yea right, I forgot to mention I have Rough Country 4 in lift springs. The last thing these springs do is flex. LOL

To tell the truth, I've never had them disconnected!

[1967k30]

Once you get the bug it's hard to shake it off.I just bought a nv4500 w/ adapter to my np205 with a twin stick kit.Kinda eager to get it.

[bowtier]

I just bought a nv4500 w/ adapter to my np205 with a twin stick kit

That's what I'm talkin' about SWEET!

Well, I was lookin it over this weekend & I guess I should have just ordered the kit with rear leaves 'cuz mine are P'sOS. Guess I'll order them now. I have the 56" springs too. BOHICA Oh well, I'm on my way now thanks for all the replies so far guys.

[1967k30]

Yeah,my rear springs are pos too,but I haven't gotten around to new leaves yet.

[454_72_4X4]

Originally Posted by bowtier

Cool, you got any pics of that?? I was gonna get the disconnects from ORD but tried to save $ so I figured I'd wait but if I could see it I bet I could make it. Did it give you much x-tra flex?

Whoa, 5:00 time to punch the clock

Hey , I finally found my pics of the dissconnects. They're kind of dirty but I think you can make them out.











I'll give it a bath one of these days and get a couple better pics.

[bowtier]

Thanks for the pics, I'll have to give that a go next spring. I'll be happy just to have the old girl back on the road. Got the front all done, T-case dropped, & back springs in. Pretty much all that's left is the shackle flip, sway bar on, bleed brakes, & alignment. I'm so pumped. I'll post a new thread with pics when it's done.

[454_72_4X4]

It's hard to see in the pics but my disconnects work something like a spring shackle. The big bolt tightens down on an inner "bushing" so the "ears?" can rotate freely around it.
My big reason for them was to raise the connecting point of the sway bar some so it lays more horizontal like it should. I kinda wish I would've made them taller.
BTW, How much does ORD get for their disconnects?

[bowtier]

Theirs are $95. I think they look just like yours though. (Only cleaner)

[454_72_4X4]

Originally Posted by bowtier

Theirs are $95. I think they look just like yours though. (Only cleaner)

$95!! Ouch!
I think I have about 20 -25 bucks in mine.
IIRC The bushing stock I used costs about $20 a foot!

One a side note, I used the extra piece of the outer bushing stock to make a crankshaft turning socket for a chevy small block!
The inside dia is just slightly larger than the end of the crank so I just cut a notch for the half moon key and welded an old 1/2 drive socket in the other end so I can put a ratchet/breaker bar on it.

That leaves me with 70-75 bucks for the carwash!!! LOL