leaf springs

Ok you brainy fellas
we all know that a 73 cj5 squirrels it's way down the highway. I have replaces a lot of steering parts including all four leaf springs plus added a sway bar. it has helped.... Butttt not enough should I put the shackle to the back of the front springs ? I've read it helps though I fail to see why? tell me oh wise gods of the ohio jeep will it and why?
Thanks Tom

 

A '73 CJ-5 drives fine unless there's something wrong with it. How much lift?

 

one inch body and about two on new springs

 

Have you checked the caster?

 

Nope i did replace ball joints but really need tires before getting alingment checked

What I was really hoping for was opinions on moving leaf spring shackels from front to rear. Does it help with control issues?

 

Make sure the front shackle is a quality thickness and the bolts and bushings are tight. I had this problem on the CJ6 when I put the lift on it and I found the front bushings in the frame were worn and the bolt was slightly undersized fro the hole. Fixed those and it was much improved over before.

 

To answer your question. I felt a great improvement in handling with the shackle reversal and it's much better on the rocky trails we have here. It really smooths out the bumps. Things to consider though are: the front end tends to dip a little more when braking hard, and you need to allow for more compression in the front driveshaft because as the axle moves up, it also moves to the rear and compresses the driveshaft. With the shackles in front, in the stock position, the axle moves forward when it moves up and makes the driveshaft extend. If you stand in front of your Jeep and have someone move the steering wheel back and forth you'll notice the bottoms of the shackles flexing left and right. The longer your shackles are the worse it is. They don't do that on a reversal. I think that's where a lot of the improvement comes from. .

 

At Last a vote!!!! and a reason!!! Thankyou!!!
any one else?