Different/CJ like idea for front suspension

[COCHEV]

Thought I'd pose this to the Garage... Has anyone thought of running the shackles in the front and having the fixed hanger in the rear for the front springs? I know it would look awfull CJish. However, I think it might do a couple things well- Keep caster angle in check with more lift, and keep the tire out of the firewall at full stuff as the tire would travel forward as the spring flattened...

 

[MNorby]

I don't know the specifics but I know that style suspension isn't as goos as a rear shackle. I don't think the road manners are as good either. There is a reason they sell shackle reversals for those type vehicles. Various years for Ford trucks used the same design. Maybe someone else will chime in with more specifics.

 

[GMC1977]

With a shackle in the front, the spring pushes your tire away from the obstacle. With it in the rear it pushes your tire OVER the obstacle and make it a hell of alot better off road. I just got done with a shackle reversal on my brothers CJ.

 

[jt512]

Not to mention the horrid bumpsteer issue's that come with a forward mounted shackle design.

 

[COCHEV]

What makes that design prone to bumpsteer? I thought that was mostly related to camber. I've owned a couple of 6" lifted chevs with desent bumpsteer...

 

[diesel4me]

My '56 Chevy 3200 pickup had an I-beam front axle and shackles in the front--the thing rode like a buckboard, and when you hit a bump it felt like the spring was being pushed into the rear "solid" frame mount..the front end of that truck and manual steering was what I disliked about it the most..horible bump steer and it would follow the cracks in the road and drop into the ditch if it was crowned...its no wonder most owners of such trucks chop the frame and graft a later subframe onto them..or swap a solid 4x4 axle in them with the swing shackles in the rear like GM did in later trucks..I wouldn't reccomend putting the swing shackle up front..it would be going back to the stone age..

 

[Stomis]

Not to mention approach angle.

 

[sweetk30]

there is a reason thay make a reverseal kit for these setups to convert to rear shackles.

 

[COCHEV]

Gotcha. Well, just wanted to throw it out there. It also seemes that our frames are condusive to this set up with the way it swoops down at the rear hanger, so that a fixed hanger in the rear and shackles in the front would set the springs up flatter...

Seens the consenses, however, is that its not the way to go...