How To Install Ironman Andy's Shackle Relocation Kit.

[aquickmopar]

Hey fellow XJ enthusiasts. Figured I would post up an Install Write Up of Ironman Andy's Shackle Relocation Kit, and also give my personal review. I told Andy when I purchased his kit that I would do this for him. Took me awhile to get this done but better late then never I guess Lol. Been really busy lately.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x354/aquickmopar/2013-05-10_16-40-29_647_zps30d0b8e3.jpg

Ok so here goes. What you will need is of course Andy's Shackle Relocation Kit, and a Jack, Jack stands, and miscellaneous tools, (sockets, wrenches, breaker bar,ect.) Or power tools if you have them. Which I didn't. Lol. I used hand power i'm poor.

First off you want to remove your rear hitch & gas tank skid if you have them.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x354/aquickmopar/IMG_4627_zpsae05ce78.jpg

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x354/aquickmopar/IMG_4628_zps0d33b181.jpg

Next you want to jack up the back of your Xj and use your jack stands to support the weight of the jeep. You want your jeep up high enough that your rear leafs are fully extended and place the jack under the rear axle. So once you disconnect your rear shackle from the factory frame mount the axel just doesn't drop to the ground. Your shocks may stop this from happening first and you may need to disconnect your rear shocks also if the rear axle doesn't droop far enough. It Should look like this.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x354/aquickmopar/IMG_4629_zps35ef6154.jpg

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x354/aquickmopar/IMG_4630_zpsc4964c4f.jpg

Once this is done and your shackles are free from the factory frame mount you can install your new Ironman 4x4 Fab Shackle Relocation Kit. Just slide it into place and reinstall the factory bolt. It should look like this.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x354/aquickmopar/IMG_4632_zps9aa2c9d8.jpg


Then reinstall your gas tank skid & tow hitch if you have either using the bolts that hold the gas skid or hitch (depending on which you have) into place. The Relocation Kit lines up perfect with these holes.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x354/aquickmopar/IMG_4633_zpsacedb353.jpg

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x354/aquickmopar/IMG_4634_zps368858d1.jpg

Tightened them down and torque to spec.

Once the Relocation Kit , gas skid & tow hitch in that order are installed you can now figure out which hole is needed to give you the best shackle angle for your application, and install your shackle into place using the supplied grade 8 bolt given. Don't tighten all the way yet. Once shackles are reinstalled you can now jack your Xj Back up and remove your jack stands and let your Xj back down until it is resting back down on the ground under its own weight. And check to see how your shackle angle is. If our lucky like me you'll get it right the first time Lol should look like this.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x354/aquickmopar/IMG_4638_zps86b005c7.jpg

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x354/aquickmopar/IMG_4637_zps9f230533.jpg

If not you'll have to jack your jeep back up, reapply the jack stands and choose another hole for your shackles and then test again. Once you have your shackle angle right you can then proceed to torque the shackle bolt down to spec and grease your shackle accordingly if you have zerk fittings. And Wha La your done. Just step back and take a look at your newly installed Ironman Relocation Kit.

Before Ironman Andy's Shackle Relocation Kit shackle angle.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x354/aquickmopar/IMG_4631_zps8e7a4834.jpg

After Ironman Andy's Shackle Relocation Kit shackle angle.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x354/aquickmopar/IMG_4637_zps9f230533.jpg

My feelings about Andy's shackle relocation kit. I LOVE IT!!! It is by far the best kit made. Very Very BEEFY. Indestructible! I was looking between Andy's kit and HD Offroads kit. Both kits were priced fairly close to each other. But I like how Andy's came powder coated, and Andy let me choose the color of my choice with no extra charge. The HD Offroads kit only came Bare Steel. With Andy's kit it had to be installed first onto the unibody then you can install your gas tank skid & tow hitch. With HD Offroads you can leave your gas tank skid & tow hitch already installed and just install the relocation kit right over top of them since its adjustable in that mounting portion. Which I would have probably done if I had ordered that kit to lessen some of the work and steps to install the kit. But i'm glad that I bought Andy's kit cause it forced me to remove the gas tank skid & tow hitch to install his kit, that way later down the road if I ever need to drop my gas tank for anything like replacing a fuel pump or gas tank work I don't have to pull off my relocation kit to get to the gas tank. His relocation kit has met and exceeded all my expectations. It leveled the rear of my jeep with the front since installing his kit. Because my jeep used to sit a little lower in the rear but with the 1.5" lift built into the kit brought me back up level. And now with my shackle angle right my jeep rides soooooooo much better in the rear. Much Much Smoother. Love that. Lol. Plus she now flexes like no other in the rear. My shackles are no longer binding up and stopping me from flexing. If your in the market for a Relocation Kit look no further than Ironman Andy's. By far the best on the market guaranteed. :thumbsup:

[Hopkins]

Nice write up.

I think I am about to pull the trigger on these since I just purchased a rear bumper, and I'm expecting some sagging out of AAL with the addition weight on the rear. I'm thinking these will be there perfect way to level the XJ and also improve on things...

Thanks for the good review!

[ArmyGuy45]

Why is that angle correct? It is different from stock.


Also, would this interfere with a Genright Gas tank?

[ETXXJ89]

ok im new here and dumb so please educate me...why would you want a shackle relocation kit?

[abebehrmann]

It gives a bit of lift and the ability to adjust shackle angle. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe ideally the angle should be around 45*

[4.3LXJ]

The biggest reason people go with it is that it gives an improved ride by changing the angle of the shackle

[nickyg]

Thanks for the write up, These are on my list. I didn't know it also bolts to the frame I always thought it was held in by the 1 shackle bolt. Now I want some bad.

[Hopkins]

I ended up pulling the trigger on these yesterday, so I am also curios what the optimal shackle angle is? If anyone is willing to throw up some pics of a proper shackle angle that would be awesome!

[cherren]

Were do you buy the relocation kit from

Thanks

[Brasscatz]

You can get them here: http://www.ironman4x4fab.com/Products/RLS.html I know he just started making them again (according to his facebook page) and there's not many left in stock... get them while they're hot!

[Rocco83]

Well those are a bit more expensive than I was expecting...going to order them but I think I'll wait a bit.

[bRIBEGuy]

These look very nice! $70 to ship a set to Canada seems a bit steep though. :(

[s1xty7]

I recently got the extreme duty relocation brackets (5 hole version) since my rear was sagging a bit too much after installing my Detours Tailbone. I still have the stock suspension but will eventually add 3" lift leaf springs. Since I also still have the stock shackles, I tried the fourth hole back and found the stock shackles too wide to let the suspension fully compress. I guess the moral of the story is that if you have less than perfect leafs and you have the stock shackles, just go straight for the 5th hole on the extreme duty ones.

A few other tips. First, when installing the brackets, do a rough check before bolting everything in. I installed mine so tight to the gas tank that the shackles end up slightly binding when trying to install them into the brackets. Now, I have to loosen everything up and give it a little more room. Second, I had to disconnect my rear shocks at the lower mounts as well as take off my rear tires to get the axle low enough without having my jack stands fully extended, even with them already sitting on approximately five inch risers. Third, I am going to have to do something about my factory exhaust as my lower shackle bolt is now pressing very firmly against my exhaust all the time.

These brackets are very stout but the paint or powder coat on mine is coming off in large sections. I would imagine they'll be mostly bare shortly after install. Have a good time and enjoy the process. I'm looking forward to adjusting the positioning more tomorrow (ok, not really).

Edit: I reread this post and realized it might come off kinda jerky. That's not my intent. The brackets are super durable and I hope someone can benefit from the notes I posted.

[s1xty7]

They're in!

Overall impressions: It made the ride feel more stable (or maybe that was just retightening the rear suspension) and it handles bumps much smoother now. It also leveled out my rear so now my sagging rear sits about stock height. I also have fewer bumps and squeaks.

Keeping the relocation brackets loose until just before you set it back on the ground definitely helped. One additional tip I have: if possible, attach the shackles to the brackets first then attach the leaf springs. Its much easier to get a little wiggle room out of the leafs. This likely won't work on the exhaust side with stock exhaust as the downturn is in contact with the lower shackle mounting bolt. I will have an exhaust shop move my downturn back a few inches to clear the hitch and shackle better.

For reference, here are the torque specs I used and tools (1998 XJ so your's may be different because Jeep).

Lower shackle bolts - 80 ft/lb - 13/16 deep socket (or wrench) and 13/16 regular socket for the other side.
Upper shackle bolts - 110 ft/lb - 13/16 socket and 22mm socket (or wrench, which would probably be easier) for the nut on the supplied bolt.
Upper bracket bolt (previously upper shackle bolt) - 110 ft/lb - 13/16 socket.
Hitch nuts for driver side - 75 ft/lb - 22mm deep socket.
Hitch bolts for passenger side - 75 ft/lb - 19mm socket with extension for all but one. Mine has a single 18mm at the rearmost position you may need an 18mm socket for.
Lower shock mounts - snug but not torqued - 18mm socket.
Lug nuts - 100 ft/lb - 3/4 deep socket or 13/15 deep socket depending on lug nuts.

Torque specs are a combination of my manuals and various online sources. Leave your shackles loose until your jeep is resting on its own weight again. Give it a few bounces to help the suspension settle before torquing.

I hope that helps and good luck.

Edit: Added two comparison shots to show rear height before and after.

Before:
http://www.jeep.blue/images/Rear_Corner_Park_2014-11-23_1.jpg

After:
http://www.jeep.blue/images/Jeep_detours_tailbone_20141202_2.jpg