Offset shackles

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Sorry thread dig, i have a 8 3/4 we are shortening and using the off set shackles on, do you move the purch exactly half an inch from original location on diff? I am using the dr diff set. As my car is in a shop and diff being built elsewhere so cant mock it up
Yes
 
Yes thanks as wasnt 100% if was that exactly and dr diff also said:
Turn the housing UPSIDE DOWN on jack stands.
2. Place a floor jack under the pinion. Use an angle finder to point the pinion 5 degrees downward (toward the ground).
3. Level the perches at 43" and weld. This will result in a 2 degree negative pinion angle when the housing is installed in a stock A-body with my 1/2" offset spring hanger/shackle kit"

With the 1/2” offset the center to center on the perches will be 42”.

The factory c-c is 43”, so when you move the perches a 1/2” per side it’ll be 42” c-c.
 
It's a 3/4 of an inch mod...I've heard not worth it and not stable enough...being out of line they tend to weaken...bend...just saying what I heard...
wrong , cant tell it at all on mine ...
 
The mopar kit will put the leafs in a bind because the front is 1/2" and the rear is 9/16. Not a problem with rubber bushings but the aluminum front bushings wont work. The dr diff set up moves them 1/2 evenly and will not have that problem. That being said, I have the mopar kit on my 69 dart and they did what I needed them to

^^^^^^^^^^^strange , mine were 3/4'' on the front , even had to dimple the frame to get then in , came out 9/16'' on the rear shackles.
When I ordered my dana 60 (custom built) for it he moved the perches 3/4'' , and took 1'' off the total width for the disc brakes , he must have known what he was doing , cause it all came out perfect. when I set it in the springs it dropped in perfect , no jamming one way or the other , lucky , or maybe the kit was made by a diff company . There are some people on here will tell me that it didnt happen , but they weren`t there when I built my car . ???




aint got a clue why this popped up instead of the pic I was posting , things aint working right this morning for some reason !

IMG950369.jpg
 
wrong , cant tell it at all on mine ...

Not wrong. The 3/4” kit will never be a full 3/4” offset because the MP kit front hanger only has a 1/2” offset. You can literally measure the hanger itself, it only has a 1/2” offset. And that’s because the frame rail is only an 1/2” away from a stock hanger. Only the shackles have a 3/4” offset, which puts a 1/4” of bind on the spring.

I have the MP “3/4” offset kit on my Duster. The front hanger is only a 1/2” offset. This is because with the stock hanger there’s only a 1/2” between the inside of the hanger and the outside of the frame rail. So, unless your frame rails aren’t in the stock location, you’ll never get a 3/4” offset on the front hanger.

And here are the pictures again

This is a stock offset front spring hanger, notice there’s actually just under a 1/2” from the frame to the hanger. There’s undercoating there, so it’s a 1/2”. You can also see that the edge of the leaf spring is just shy of 1” from the frame rail.

IMG_5686.jpeg


This is an MP 3/4” front hanger
IMG_5688.jpeg


You can see that the top corner of the hanger is flush against the frame rail. There’s a small gap at the bottom because there’s a slight taper on the frame rail. And you can see that the edge of the spring is just over a 1/2” from the frame rail. That’s a rubber spring eye bushing, so there’s a bit of give there.

So you can CLEARLY see that the MP 3/4” offset kit is not a 3/4” offset, the front hanger only has a 1/2” offset and only moves the spring in a 1/2”.
 
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Well boys, that offset kit allowed my lowered 68 Barracuda
to accept 325/50-15 on 10s , treads inside the tubs, with the sidewall bulges about flush to the body, so
I gotta say, it was worth it for me.
But yeah, I gotta take corners in town with a bit of caution, but only a bit.
Whereas with 295s on, anything goes.

If you got a dart, sorry for your situation, lol.
I bought my first Dart in 1970, and Gs were a tight fit. With a 340 4-speed and 3.55s that thing would spin those belted tires thru almost three gears.
When I sold that Panther-Pink beauty, about 5 years later, I swore off Darts.
Oh yeah well, I had a few Darts after that, but 318 Family cars, and when the third baby came along, I switched to F-body wagons, 318s of course, with A/C too.
After that Dart, I always had a big-tub car since ~1975, you know man, with Ls or Ns sticking out. Hyup, those Indy-Ns looked super cool.
If I had a pretty Dart now, I'd send it out for mini-tubs post haste.
 
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Well boys, that offset kit allowed my lowered 68 Barracuda
to accept 325/50-15 on 10s , treads inside the tubs, with the sidewall bulges about flush to the body, so
I gotta say, it was worth it for me.
But yeah, I gotta take corners in town with a bit of caution, but only a bit.
Whereas with 295s on, anything goes.

If you got a dart, sorry for your situation, lol.
I bought my first Dart in 1970, and Gs were a tight fit. With a 340 4-speed and 3.55s that thing would spin those belted tires thru almost three gears.
When I sold that Panther-Pink beauty, about 5 years later, I swore off Darts.
Oh yeah well, I had a few Darts after that, but 318 Family cars, and when the third baby came along, I switched to F-body wagons, 318s of course, with A/C too.
After that Dart, I always had a big-tub car since ~1975, you know man, with Ls or Ns sticking out. Hyup, those Indy-Ns looked super cool.
If I had a pretty Dart now, I'd send it out for mini-tubs post haste.
Haha yea the Duster has a small tub, i am confident of getting my 275 in there with the 8.5 inch wheel and 3.5 back set, but dont want to have a jacked up *** end. If i change anything it will be the out side of the tub on the quarter side. Fronts should fit no issue lol. Currently car is nearly ready for paint, and about to purchase a 6.4 for it. Duster, bead locks, 6.4 hemi with a stick........ shut the gates!!!

IMG_1537.jpg


IMG_1536.JPG
 
Not wrong. The 3/4” kit will never be a full 3/4” offset because the MP kit front hanger only has a 1/2” offset. You can literally measure the hanger itself, it only has a 1/2” offset. And that’s because the frame rail is only an 1/2” away from a stock hanger. Only the shackles have a 3/4” offset, which puts a 1/4” of bind on the spring.

I have the MP “3/4” offset kit on my Duster. The front hanger is only a 1/2” offset. This is because with the stock hanger there’s only a 1/2” between the inside of the hanger and the outside of the frame rail. So, unless your frame rails aren’t in the stock location, you’ll never get a 3/4” offset on the front hanger.

And here are the pictures again

This is a stock offset front spring hanger, notice there’s actually just under a 1/2” from the frame to the hanger. There’s undercoating there, so it’s a 1/2”. You can also see that the edge of the leaf spring is just shy of 1” from the frame rail.

View attachment 1716193582

This is an MP 3/4” front hanger
View attachment 1716193584

You can see that the top corner of the hanger is flush against the frame rail. There’s a small gap at the bottom because there’s a slight taper on the frame rail. And you can see that the edge of the spring is just over a 1/2” from the frame rail. That’s a rubber spring eye bushing, so there’s a bit of give there.

So you can CLEARLY see that the MP 3/4” offset kit is not a 3/4” offset, the front hanger only has a 1/2” offset and only moves the spring in a 1/2”.

go back and read my post , the front ones aren`t like the pics u posted ,they are closer in to the frame ,and it had to be dimpled to even get them in .
I bought them of of this site , ''the guy told me they wouldn`t fit his a body'' , like I said YOU werent there when I installed them !!
There is probly a bunch of stuff diff. on other peoples cars , yours are not a set standard...
 
go back and read my post , the front ones aren`t like the pics u posted ,they are closer in to the frame ,and it had to be dimpled to even get them in .
I bought them of of this site , ''the guy told me they wouldn`t fit his a body'' , like I said YOU werent there when I installed them !!
There is probly a bunch of stuff diff. on other peoples cars , yours are not a set standard...

Believe what you want to believe, but it doesn’t matter if you have an MP kit or a home made hanger, there isn’t 3/4” of space to move the hanger.

The MP hangers on my car in the picture above are in contact with the frame rail, and required a hole and a dimple in the frame rail to clear the nut on the outside of the hanger. Unless you sectioned the hanger into the frame rail, there’s no more room on your car and the springs only moved a 1/2”.

Just take a measurement from the frame to the spring. In order to have a 3/4” offset at the front hanger there would have to be only a 1/4” from the spring to the frame. The spring eye bushing is a 1/4” thick there, so, that would mean the bushing would have to be flush against the frame rail.
 
Believe what you want to believe, but it doesn’t matter if you have an MP kit or a home made hanger, there isn’t 3/4” of space to move the hanger.

The MP hangers on my car in the picture above are in contact with the frame rail, and required a hole and a dimple in the frame rail to clear the nut on the outside of the hanger. Unless you sectioned the hanger into the frame rail, there’s no more room on your car and the springs only moved a 1/2”.

Just take a measurement from the frame to the spring. In order to have a 3/4” offset at the front hanger there would have to be only a 1/4” from the spring to the frame. The spring eye bushing is a 1/4” thick there, so, that would mean the bushing would have to be flush against the frame rail.
hole in frame yes...
you just dont understand english do you ?
 
hole in frame yes...
you just dont understand english do you ?

I'm not gonna argue with you, anyone that can read a measuring tape can figure this out very easily themselves. The pictures of the MP brackets literally butted against the frame rail and the measurement to the spring being a 1/2" different from factory should make it obvious that you can't have more than a 1/2" offset on an A body unless you literally sectioned out the entire part of the frame rail that overlaps with the hanger, so that the inner part of the hanger could be where the factory put the outer wall of the frame. The hangers would have to be inset almost a full 1/4".

The MP springs require exactly the same thing as what you described for your hangers.

Feel free to measure your own car, and post a picture of the distance from the inner edge of the leaf spring back to the frame rail. For your car to have a 3/4" offset on the spring hanger that measurement will have to be no more than a 1/4". We've had this discussion before, you've never posted any evidence that would suggest you have the only 3/4" front spring hanger ever made. Which you'd need, because the 3/4" offset MP hangers are only offset a 1/2".
 
It's totally splitting hairs, but I was able to get 5/8" by cutting off that small piece of overlapping metal where the rear subframe rail meets up with the piece where the front spring mount bolts to (red arrow below). That was the limiting factor on my '68 - not the rail itself. I also notched the frame slightly to allow for the bolt head. All-in-all, it ended up being plenty for what I was doing. The 275/60s don't rub at all.

Lots of kits and lots of ways to skin a cat with this stuff. In the end, it just depends on how much cutting, welding, and grinding you want to do.

1705611314308.png


*edited for additional detail
 
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Weren't the mopar ones worth a whopping 5/8"?? I never used them, and just installed boxes in the rails. Of course, then came the mini-tubs and God knows where it'll lead to.
 
Have you ever heard of google? Prob 100+ threads on this subject on this site alone. Loads doing it, you will have to move your spring perches inboard as well so that mean welding. Not an issue for most but is for others.
If you buy perches, get them for a Jeep CJ7 or 9. Dirt cheap and look just like the originals.
 
It's totally splitting hairs, but I was able to get 9/16" by cutting off that small piece of overlapping metal where the rear subframe rail meets up with the piece where the front spring mount bolts to (red arrow below). That was the limiting factor on my '68 - not the rail itself. It ended up being plenty for what I was doing. The 275/60s don't rub at all.

Lots of kits and lots of ways to skin a cat with this stuff. In the end, it just depends on how much cutting, welding, and grinding you want to do.

View attachment 1716194198

That's a gusset, and I wouldn't cut that. The outboard spring mount to frame rail is already a part of the car that benefits from additional gusseting, which is what the torque boxes do. Plus it only buys you the thickness of the what, 18g sheet metal anyway? If you must I'd grind the edge of the hanger and open up the mounting holes for the hanger a smidge to slide it over, not alter the gusset.

Regardless, the MP kit doesn't interfere there anyway, at least not on my car. The interference is at the top, where the hanger is up against the frame rail. The slight gap at the bottom is because the frame rail tapers from top to bottom.

IMG_5687.JPG


Weren't the mopar ones worth a whopping 5/8"?? I never used them, and just installed boxes in the rails. Of course, then came the mini-tubs and God knows where it'll lead to.

Maybe? Depending on the install. The Mopar Performance (MP) ones are the ones I took pictures of. Despite being advertised as a 3/4" offset, the front hanger has a 1/2" offset from stock. The rear shackle has a 3/4" offset. Even if you move the perches 3/4", you'll never get that because the front hanger only moves a 1/2". And since the most restrictive tire clearance is at the sidewall bulge, most of the way forward to the front hanger on the spring, that will be the limiting clearance no matter how far you move the rear shackle.

It does make a significant difference even getting a 1/2" of additional clearance though. On a Dart that's the difference between fitting a 255 and a 275 in the back. And on a Duster/Demon/Dart Sport or Barracuda it's the difference between being able to run a 275 and a 295.

The MP kit is pretty hokey. DoctorDiff's version move the hanger the same 1/2", but because of the way he countersinks the bolt you don't have to dimple or drill a hole in the frame to clear the spring eye bolt like you do with the MP kit.
 
That's a gusset, and I wouldn't cut that. The outboard spring mount to frame rail is already a part of the car that benefits from additional gusseting, which is what the torque boxes do. Plus it only buys you the thickness of the what, 18g sheet metal anyway? If you must I'd grind the edge of the hanger and open up the mounting holes for the hanger a smidge to slide it over, not alter the gusset.

Regardless, the MP kit doesn't interfere there anyway, at least not on my car. The interference is at the top, where the hanger is up against the frame rail. The slight gap at the bottom is because the frame rail tapers from top to bottom.
You're car is slightly different than my '68. The rails on my '68 are much more vertical than yours, especially as it approaches the outrigger/floor support. I also cut the mounts where the lines are below. This eliminated the slight taper issue. Like I said, it's a lot more vertical on mine right at the outrigger and only tapers slightly away from it.

That small overlapped flange was the limiting factor for me. It's not a gusset - at least it wasn't on my '68 (or my '66 for that matter). It's a flange for attaching the outrigger to the subframe. When I cut it off, I replaced it with a complete weld. Plenty of ways to skin a cat. At the end of the day, I was able to redrill the mounting holes 5/8" inward. Doubtful that extra whopping 1/8" even mattered. Probably not.

1705629810338.png
 
I'm installing the Dr. Diff kit on my Duster this winter. Here is the current clearance between the spring and tire. Looks to me like 5/16" I'll take another measurement when I'm done.

1705664744772.png
 
Where is it written one must ALSO move the front hangers in?
I believe in many cases the springs are angled in at the front. There are minor advantages to that angle being angled in. Most cars have tire clearance issues behind the axle, and offset rear shackles address that quickly, but the spring perches still must be relocated in any case. The rear offset shackle distortion mentioned is IMO without basis in any street driven car.
 
Believe what you want to believe, but it doesn’t matter if you have an MP kit or a home made hanger, there isn’t 3/4” of space to move the hanger.

The MP hangers on my car in the picture above are in contact with the frame rail, and required a hole and a dimple in the frame rail to clear the nut on the outside of the hanger. Unless you sectioned the hanger into the frame rail, there’s no more room on your car and the springs only moved a 1/2”.

Just take a measurement from the frame to the spring. In order to have a 3/4” offset at the front hanger there would have to be only a 1/4” from the spring to the frame. The spring eye bushing is a 1/4” thick there, so, that would mean the bushing would have to be flush against the frame rail.
XXXXXXX
 
I'm not gonna argue with you, anyone that can read a measuring tape can figure this out very easily themselves. The pictures of the MP brackets literally butted against the frame rail and the measurement to the spring being a 1/2" different from factory should make it obvious that you can't have more than a 1/2" offset on an A body unless you literally sectioned out the entire part of the frame rail that overlaps with the hanger, so that the inner part of the hanger could be where the factory put the outer wall of the frame. The hangers would have to be inset almost a full 1/4".

The MP springs require exactly the same thing as what you described for your hangers.

Feel free to measure your own car, and post a picture of the distance from the inner edge of the leaf spring back to the frame rail. For your car to have a 3/4" offset on the spring hanger that measurement will have to be no more than a 1/4". We've had this discussion before, you've never posted any evidence that would suggest you have the only 3/4" front spring hanger ever made. Which you'd need, because the 3/4" offset MP hangers are only offset a 1/2".
you must be one smart sob , to know more about my car than I do !!
as i said ''dumbass '', my front hangars are not like yours end of conversation for me !!
 
you must be one smart sob , to know more about my car than I do !!
as i said ''dumbass '', my front hangars are not like yours end of conversation for me !!

Same thing you've said every time. Measure them. Post a picture.

Unless your frame rails aren't in the factory specified location, a 3/4" offset of the front hanger from stock will put the hanger inside the frame rail. If you didn't do that, well, I don't believe for 1 second your springs are actually offset 3/4". But as I've said every time, measure it, take a picture, and prove me wrong.

Either way, if your hangers aren't MP hangers, stop commenting about the MP hangers actually being a 3/4" offset. They're not, you can check the pictures above and see that plainly.
 
Well I don't have a dog in the hunt other than to say I got into this same argument years ago and I was hung up on what MP ADVERTISED the offset kit as giving, which at that time was actually .8", not 3/4", so they advertised even more than 3/4" and 3/4" is just not there. It's more like 1/2" as previously mentioned. BUT I'll not speak for every single car, because we all know how all these cars differ from each other a little here and there, so who knows?
 
Well I don't have a dog in the hunt other than to say I got into this same argument years ago and I was hung up on what MP ADVERTISED the offset kit as giving, which at that time was actually .8", not 3/4", so they advertised even more than 3/4" and 3/4" is just not there. It's more like 1/2" as previously mentioned. BUT I'll not speak for every single car, because we all know how all these cars differ from each other a little here and there, so who knows?

For the MP kit, it doesn't really matter a ton how the cars are different. The front hanger is built with a 1/2" offset compared to stock, it's easily measured. The offset shackles in the MP kit are offset 3/4". Even if you weld the spring perches at a 3/4" offset, the front hanger is still only a 1/2" offset from stock, so you're not going to get 3/4". 5/8" maybe, but you're still putting the spring in a bind. Will it cause some catastrophic problem? No, but it's better if everything lines up.

The fact that there's only a 1/2" between the hanger and the frame rail to begin with is just icing on the cake, you can't put a 3/4" offset on the front hanger and not have it inside the frame rail. Now, is every frame rail perfectly aligned with the factory spec? Of course not. But if you're MP, you can't build hangers to sell based on the anomalies. And even on the cars that aren't perfect, well, they're also not usually the same side to side.

Maybe Bob bought a custom set of 3/4" offset hangers and both he the guy he bought them from happen to have cars with frame rails that are 1/4" further in on both sides. Unlikely, because that's well out of even factory tolerance, but never say never with Ma Mopar right? But that's not what Bob said to begin with, he said he had MP hangers.

Regardless, the MP 3/4" offset kit has hangers that are only offset a 1/2". If Bob would like to measure his spring to frame distance to show his springs really are offset 3/4" and prove me wrong, I'd love to see the pictures.
 
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