By James Hasler
Ever since the Wrangler TJ first came out, people have talked about it's flexible suspension. However, YJ and CJ owners haven't given up the fight. There are all sorts of trick suspensions out there ranging from spring-over conversions, buggy leafs, 1/4 elliptical and even a bolt-on coil kit from Warn. The only problem with these solutions is that they either cost an arm and a leg or they require fabrication skills. Some of these solutions, such as the buggy leafs, also compromise a vehicle as a daily driver.
Another option is the "missing-link" type shackle that has an extra hinge in the middle that allows the shackle to unfold when the tire droops. This sounds like a good idea but this usually causes all sorts of handling quirks. The answer, however, is the Revolver Shackle custom fabricated by Metal Made Rite. This shackle is based on the "missing-link" premise, but it is much more durable and has a rotating component as well. It also allows for insane amounts of wheel travel without compromising the on-road ride at all. Currently, there are versions for the YJ, CJ, XJ, early Bronco's, straight-axle Toyotas, FJ40's and early leaf sprung Land Rovers. I've been told that Metal Made Rite is happy to make a custom shackle that would work for you if you drive something other than the vehicles listed above.
The key to the Revolver Shackle is it's self-supporting design. When the vehicle is sitting on level ground, the shackle remains folded with the upper half resting on the lower half as shown by the pictures below with the shackles mounted on my YJ.
At no time do the shackles ever hit the frame, although see the note below.
NOTE: Certain aftermarket springs, especially the 4" springs, can be too short. This causes the shackle to tap the frame in the rear when the suspension first starts to droop. This is an unloaded condition that will not hurt anything but could be annoying to some people. Curt Hildebrand, owner of Metal Made Rite, has told me that there are ways to fix this problem and he is very accommodating. The fix I used was to insert a rubber pad where the shackle was hitting the frame. This eliminated the noise on my rear shackles.
Besides unfolding to give huge amounts of wheel travel when necessary, the shackle will rotate for the compressed spring, relieving it of some of the stress and allowing the drooping tire to drop even further.
Although these are bolt-on shackles and are going to increase your wheel travel, it is almost impossible that your current setup will allow the shackles to unfold completely. This has to do with shock length, brakeline length and driveshaft length.
In my case, I'm running 2.5" springs with the stock bumpstops. My 32x11.5 BFG A/T's didn't rub anywhere before the shackles were installed. I had hand picked the longest RS9000 shocks that I could fit on my vehicle such that I could still have full compression. I already have extended brakelines that came with my Rubicon Express lift kit.
With this setup, with my YJ on jackstands, I could actually completely unfold the front shackles. (My front shocks have about 11" of travel). The only problem is that I'm using my stock 15x7 wheels. When off-road, the compressed tire gets pinned against the shock tower, thus limiting the opposite tire from drooping any further. I still have more travel than I did, but new wheels with less backspacing are needed for me in order to max out the front shackles.
NOTE: In case you're running 4" springs, spring-over, etc, your shocks will certainly be too short. Some people add longer bumpstops so that they can use longer shocks. Another way, however, is to get extended upper shock hoops such as the ones from Metal Made Rite. This way, you can keep your compression travel while still having a long enough shock to get full droop.
In back, the shackles barely unfold. One issue can be with the emergency brakelines, but the stock ones can usually be relocated far enough down such that they are not the limiting factor. In my case, the shocks were the problem. However, my rear brakeline would need to be much longer if I were to max out the rear shackle and I would DEFINITELY need to go to a slip-yoke-eliminator with a long travel driveshaft. AS is, my driveshaft is "oh-so-close" to binding with my current shocks. This would definitely need to be fixed before new shocks were added.
The big issue, though, is that there is no easy way to add longer shocks in back without adding longer bumpstops. The upper, rear shock mount is already close to the body so putting the shock through the body is one idea, although it's not one I'm willing to do. Metal Made Rite is in the process of making upper rear shock mounts that are going to relocate the shock in an effort to allow for a longer shock.
The Revolver shackles are a bit pricey at $495 a set, but I feel they are well worth it. With a little work getting the rest of the Jeep able to handle the flex of the shackles, you can easily meet or exceed the RTI of your buddy's TJ...and that will halt the YJ jokes INSTANTLY!
Below are pics of my YJ with the Revolver's doing their thing. This is my old setup...
I got some AR-767 wheels with less backspacing that allow me to get closer to maxing out the front shackles. However, the tires now rub where the flare attaches to the sheet metal. The rear rubs a bit too, but is not noticeable. My plan is to go to TJ flares which should net close to 2" more compression travel for the tire as well as allow the drooping tire to max out the shackle. As is, however, if the wheels are turned a lot while flexing, I have so much flex that a bolt head on the back of the axle knuckle has slightly dented both of my front shocks...not enough to damage the shock, though...at least not as far as I can tell...
As soon as I work on getting more flex out of the rear or put on TJ flares in order to get full use of the front revolvers, i'll update this again...
Update!!
Here are some pics of me flexing the YJ at Truckhaven after I put on TJ flares! No rubbing anywhere now, and I have room to spare!!
