gp7186 wrote:Thanks I kinked the shackles to decrease the angle between the shackle and spring eyes I may cut off the stops just in case it does catch. I am a little undecided on the shocks whether to mount them to the axle using weld on tabs or to mount them to the spring plates above the spring.
The shackle angle is still the same
the angle plane of the shackle is measured between bolt centre to bolt centre so a straight shackle would perform exactly the same as the kinked shackle, it just looks like it sits at more of an angle to the eye.
The only reason to use a kinked or 'banana' shackle as they are often called is to clear something that might be in the way during flex, like for instance the shackle stop.
So if you turned the shackles around they would allow more droop before hitting the stop
As for the shocks I would run some with at least 10-12" travel. The fronts are nice and easy as there is loads of room to build taller shock mounts on the chassis so you can pretty much mount the shocks wherever you want on the axle, mine are on top of the axle tube.
As you are SPOA on the rear I think you'll want to mount them to the axle tube, if you mount them to the spring plates I think you'll struggle to fit long shocks without titling them in loads and the more you tilt them in the more it reduces the dampening effect.
