Shackle Length - Disappointed in reverse eye springs

I recently swapped out the stock springs in my '37 Ford with Posies reverse eye super slides. I also installed 2 inch lowering shackles from Tardel in the rear. I was disappointed in the end result. I know the stock springs sagged over the years and sat lower but I was hoping with a little more drop.

Here are the measurements before and after.

Drivers Side Front before: 17 1/8" After: 16 1/2"
P***en Side Front before: 17 1/2" After: 16 1/2"

Total Front drop about 1 inch

Rear P***enger side before: 16 3/8" after: 15 1/8"
Rear Drivers side before: 16 1/4" after: 15 1/8"

Total about 1 1/4"

I would have ***umed the rear would have been lower than that with the combination springs and shackles.

My question is this. Can I go lower with longer shackles without causing spring binding?

If so, whats a safe length? can I swap out the 2 inch in the rear for 4 inch?

Has anybody done the same combo?


Fryguy

 

Try removing one of the smaller springs in the pack before messing around with longer shackles. HRP

 

Even though the Super Slides are engineered as one unit? You recommend removing leafs first?

 

Reverse the eye on the stock spring and put it back in.

 

I've done it. HRP

 

none of this **** is an exact science. You
Just have to play around with stuff till you're happy and things still work properly.

 

Wait one minute, before you go pulling spring leafs and adding additional length shackles you must first check the frame to axle clearance to prevent the axle from bottoming out when you load the vehicle or hit a bump. A good guide is to have approximately a 3-4" spacing from the bottom of the frame snubber to the axle for ride travel, anything less will give you a harsh ride or continually bottom out.

 

You're right, its not an exact science and I am looking to play around with this as you mentioned. I wanted to try longer shackles to see if I could get the drop I wanted. I was looking for others who may have used longer shackles and their opinion. No sense tearing it down again if I am rowing against the current.

 

Thanks for the info ****. As long as their is ample travel space for the frame, 4 inches or so is a good guideline. I have some concerns about the shackles possible binding the spring so I want to be careful about the shackle length.

 

Longer shackles won't cause binding. In fact it will cause excess looseness. Without a panhard bar you will have more side sway, which is a bad thing on a cross-steer car.

Maybe try flattening the three longest leaves a little bit. Use the sledgehammer method outlined on the HAMB that guys use to reverse their main leaves, except don't go that far. Try to take an inch out of the free arch of those individual leaves, and you should get close to that when re***embled.

 

What tires and rims are you running? I put one of the Posies front springs in my car with 205x65x15's and now have 8" at the chin just right for protection from curbs in front parking situations. Long shackles increase sway not a thing you want.

 

Let the new springs settle.
It will drop some more.

 

Right now I am running 6.50 tires on 16inch wide 5 wheels. Your right about the springs settling but I think that should be within the first 50 miles or so, I don't think they would settle after that.

I am looking for a little more drop in the rear. I could live with the front the height is as as the white wall just touches the bottom of the wheelwell. I would like the back to drop a couple of inches to give it more of the taildragger stance. I was thinking of swapping the 2 inch shackles for 4 inch shackles. I guess I should just try it to see what it will do. I am running 6.50's all the way around. Maybe if I drop to 6.00's in the back that will give me a half an inch or so. I am running skirts so it wouldn't be noticable

 

I was told by Pete & Jakes that the Posies springs will settle 1 inch in the first year. You could take the top 3 leaves off the spring pack and put them on the bottom of the spring pack.
That'll get you 1.75'' lower.

 

I removed the top 3 springs from my Posies to get the back end where I wanted. I had to make an aluminum spacer under the spring to take up the space so the u-bolts would not bottom out.

 

Be aware when you pull leafs out the spring will flatten and actually get longer, so you might have a problem if you pull both leaves and get longer shackles.

 

^^^ This! ^^^^^

New springs WILL settle. Put some miles on it before you rip anything apart. I put a new reversed eye front main leaf in a '39 Ford sedan a number of years ago, and I know it settled at least an inch, maybe more, within the first year or so of driving.

Then again, maybe you don't wanna wait a year.... !

 

If you wanted an instant guaranteed drop, you should have left the springs alone and replaced the axle with a dropped unit.

 

I'm not a fan of the long shackles but in this case I'd think trying a set to see if you like the look would be the thing to do. If you don't like the sway **** feel to it you can just as easily take them back out.

I remember watching some of the local "older" guys around town with the fat fender Fords that were lowered with long shackles in the early 60's sway more than a little bit when they too the corner by the high school. It might have been due to their driving style or lack of driving style too.

 

How much did you expect to get out of just a reversed eye spring ? One inch is about normal, plus, you replaced old saggy springs with brand new ones that aren't sagged yet.

Have you driven the car yet? Believe me, it will settle down the first time you give it some gas. The leaves have to slide into their final resting place and putting the power to it and hitting some bumps will do that.

Don

 

Don, I was expecting what I was told that I should get anywhere between 2-3 inches of drop with the reversed eye spring. I know the older springs were sagging a bit but the car sit sat high. I ***umed I would get a little more drop with the combination shackles/springs in the rear but it sits pretty even right now.

I have put about 100 miles on the car since the springs were swapped out but it looks like I need to put a few months of driving and it should settle out.

 

I would have definitely done that if they made a dropped axle rear

 

Whoever told you that you would get more than a one inch drop out of a reversed eye spring was wrong, all you get is about an inch. Now, Posies DOES make a spring for your car that has less arch to it and that one does drop the car more than an inch. What part number did you buy ?

Here is a list of the ones Posies sells for your car:

2040 Reverse Eye 42 3/8" Stock Un-Split Wishbones
2040S Stock Eye 42 3/8" Stock Un-Split Wishbones
2035 Reverse Eye 41 3/8" For Use with Split Wishbone Kits
2037-40L Low Reverse Eye 39 3/8"
2102 Reverse Eye 38"​

2037-40V Reverse Eye 36 1/2"

Don

 

No.

 

^^^^^^^ NO, X 2.

Don

 

The spring leaves are made to be stacked in a particular order to work right, progressively going from longest to shortest. If you change that sequence the shorter springs, that he is suggesting be put underneath , those 3 leaves would not be contributing to the spring at all. They would just be sitting out there in space.

Plus, the Posies springs have those pockets for the slider ****ons and they would be on the wrong side of the spring contact area completely.

Don

 

X2


I put lots of weight on my truck and then every day I would go jump up and down on the frame to help it out

 

Don, I think I got the 2040 spring. When I stopped in they ask if I was running stock suspension as i was. They gave me the reverse eye springs for that. When I bought they mentioned that I should get a 2.5" to 3" inch drop.

this is not my first spring purchase from Posies as I have bought reverse eye sets before and I have always gotten a few inches of drop. Just this time I didn't get the drop I suspected. so i wanted to go lower. I used the Tardel 2 inch drop shackels in the rear and it still sits level.

From the consenus it looks like I should remove leafs instead of longer shackles.

 

The short leaves are the stiffer ones...removing a couple of those will give you some drop.

 

I have a posies super slider reverse eye "3 inch " drop spring on the front of our 46 and just sitting it settled nearly an inch in two weeks after instillation. This is no driving at all just sitting there in the shop. So I'd really let it chill for a while. Before I went tearing into it.