Barracuda rear shackle question
:protest:
I bought an offset shackle kit from a member on here. the rear shackles plus the front offsets. I took a stock new spring pad, carefully cut in two (length ways) on a band saw, fine ground it to 3/4" exactly (keep it square) on a disc sander. these I welded to the original uncut spring pads on an 8 3/4 rear end. go slow moving from side to side, letting it cool so as not to distort the housing you then can redrill 2 holes in each pad for the u bolts. it offset the springs a full 3/4" front back and center. this is very easy if you have access to the band saw-sander, and stick welder. no guessing or measureing pad angles !! worked like a charm for a full 3/4" !-----bob
If you say so.
The stock front spring hangers are only about 5/8" from touching the outside of the frame rail, and that's being generous. Since the offset kits don't put the hanger inside of the frame rail, they
can't move the spring in 3/4".
Weld the perches wherever you please, but the front spring eye only moves inboard about a 1/2", regardless of whose kit you use.
Completely moot anyway. I installed a "3/4" Mopar Performance offset kit on my Duster. I measured the distance from the stock front hangers to the frame at a little under 5/8" on that car. I measured the difference between the stock front spring hangers and the "3/4" MP front hangers at a 1/2". So, I welded the perches exactly a 1/2" inboard from stock. My tires have never rubbed the springs, but they
have rubbed on the inside of the wheel house. So, even if you squeeze the spring an extra 1/4", you don't get any additional tire clearance, because the stock wheel tubs are the limiting factor, not the offset springs.
Honestly, I'm tired of this discussion. I've measured it, and I can tell you 100%, on all three of my A-bodies, there is no more than 5/8" from the front spring hanger to the frame. So, you can't have a 3/4" offset at the front hanger. Not physically possible. Maybe if you weld the perches inboard 3/4" and the rear shackles are 3/4" offset you can gain some extra clearance on the tires at the rear of the spring, but you can't move the fronts that far. Which is why Dr. Diff markets his offset kit at a 1/2", even though his front hangers have the same dimensions as the MP 3/4" kits. Ask Cass. He makes offset kits, he sells them as 1/2" offset kits, and he's measured the MP kits.
And since that has nothing really to do with the OP's issue, maybe we could leave that discussion for the dozens of other threads where it has already been beat to death.