This bucket brackets are completely unneeded! They will possible make the joint stronger as they overlap the frame more so can distribute the load better.. that Said.. in order to do that you have to weld the bracket first grind it flush so the bracket sits flat or turn the heat up high enough and burn through the bracket to the frame while pushing all the metal towards the bracket which isn’t what you did. Might help you sleep better but it’s not gonna actually add strength. Maybe a little but not enough to make a difference. Being flush on the inside of you were really concerned you should have boxed it from frame to hanger. Won’t hurt anything though.
hello, i jst recently bought a used 2004 SAS tacoma double cab tacoma. my front springs are trailgear 5" and have the shackle so far back its half an inch from the frame bucket, im wondering what springs you ended up with. im considering going with the 44044 wagoneer springs at the moment
Do you have the same sky's off-road shackle buckets? I am running sky's off-road "3F springs" I don't think they will help you much as I think they are a bit longer from eye to eye, plus they move the centering pin forward a couple inches. I have heard plenty of people have good luck with the wagoneer springs. You can also try to track down a set of rear leaf springs from a Toyota pickup. That's called using rears up front (RUF) and is very popular with the Toyota guys. You may also be able to use an add-a-leaf to gain back some arch and shorten the distance of the spring eyes, but I don't think you will gain much.
@@Trav74r first, thank you for the reply! i dropped a lot of $$ on this truck and was pleasantly surprised to see such a detailed built video on basically the same truck with the same parts. Your vids are very helpful as the builder of this truck did a very good job on everything but the suspension. Yes my truck has the sky's off-road shackle buckets. I've read that the waggy springs and the Toyota rears can also be combined in a "bastard" pack. ill try the waggy springs first and let you know how it works out. my main goal here is to fit the current 37's and still have up travel without cutting the inner fender. Right now the truck rides like a brick, has no travel and the front shackles hit the buckets on every bump. I dug a little deeper and found out my springs are actually the HD 5" trail gears. Thanks again!
@@MrScottdogs No problem man. That was the next thing I was gonna say, get a top leaf with an eye to eye measurement that is slightly shorter. Then combine it with the leaves you currently have. Build a bastard pack with the objective of a slightly more arched spring with a shorter total length. Droop is more important than up travel (in my mind). But you still need enough up to properly operate. My goal was to have the axle far enough forward that the tires wouldn't hit the backside of the fenders under compression or turning, which the sky's springs solve with the forward spring pin. Kinda a ramble, bit hopefully some of that makes sense and is remotely helpful.
@@Trav74r hey! so what I ended up with is stock front wagoneer springs part #97-400 seven leaf pack at a cost of 330$ shipped. they measure 47" long and front to center is 22". I had to put the spring center pin in the farthest back position on the spring perch pushing the axle as forward as possible. I have 5" of up travel until full bump and 7" down on 14" shocks and can fit 37" tires no problem. I did trim an inch or so off the inner fender and had to move the washer fluid reservoir . The only adjustment I will make is to swap out the stock waggy main leaf for a rancho 44044 main leaf as it is a full military wrap. sky doesn't currently make the 3F springs anymore..
![Tacoma Solid Axle Swap [Part 7] - Welding Shackle Hangers](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
