CAMMIN03'

iTrader: (1)

I hope it looks good...... How easy are these to put in.... its the shackle kind... i got it to even the rear with the front..... has anyone done this by themselves... maybe have some tips......

00 Z71 Sierra

Its easy...

If you dont have a factory hitch its easy crap, if you do have a factory hitch its still easy, just involves more time.
You have 2 choices if you have the factory hitch...

Cut a notch for the bolt to go through

Or

Pull the bolt out till you can cut off the head and shove it back through the other direction, then you just get new bolts and put it through opposite of how it came stock

Oh and when you lift the frame and rear end you might have to raise the rear end till there is no tension on the bolts. Makes it a heck of alot easier to get them out.

nightmarechevy

iTrader: (5)

Like he said. I had the factory hitch and had to cut out a notch, wasn't too hard once I figured out how I was going to do it. I ended up using a reciprocating saw and cut out the notches. If you have the factory hitch and need some pics of the notches I made, just pm me and I'll try to go take a few pics of it.

smooth sierra

why not just take the hitch off? it is only a few bolts. then re-install once the new shackles are in place. I took my hitch off when I put on the rollpan and I installed the shackles myself a few weeks ago. jack the truck up and put jackstands under the cradle for the shackles (not the rearend) let the rearend hang loose. now if your jackstands are the same height as mine the rearend will drop to the ground just enough to take the load off the springs. If your stands go higher you may have to jack up the rearend a little to remove the weight of the rearend from the springs. you want NO load on the springs. remove the 2 bolts and slide out the factory shackle. replace with the longer one and re-install bolts. do not overtighten the bolts as most shackles have eurathane bushings and will squeek if overtightened.

It is important that you only do one side at a time. If you take both shackles out at the same time it can create issues when going back together. total time for me was about 30 minutes, but I have air tools

you will love the way it looks and handles afterwards. good luck, it really is not biggy

00 Z71 Sierra

Well I was goin to pull off the hitch but I had duals runing right underneath it and it was welded so I would have had to cut on the exhaust. So thats why I decided to just cut a notch in mine. I will be gettin a hidden one this summer anyways.

You are right though. If you dont have exhaust running under it then just take it off.

nightmarechevy

iTrader: (5)

Exactly what 01 said. My pipes were less than an inch below my hitch so it would not have any room to get the hitch out. Our first plan was to take it off, but the exhaust was too close. As smooth said, it handles and looks so much better afterwards. Like I said before, I can probably get some pics of the notches I took out if you need them.

02BlueStepside

iTrader: (1)

My duals were welded to the hitch also. I just unbolted the back two bolts and loosened the rest so that I had enough clearence to get the bolt out of the shackles. Also, do you have a stepside or fleetside? In my stepside, it required a little more work to get the top bolt out. Its not hard though so get started and enjoy.

flippincamaro

iTrader: (23)

It will look great

nightmarechevy

iTrader: (5)

I have a fleetside and its almost impossible to take the shackles off without cutting something. I would have taken the hitch off if my pipes were not in the way, but I think it ended up being a lot easier cutting it anyway. I don't think it will hurt the towing capacity much either.

smooth sierra

towing capacity and payload are not effected as long as you are operating within the normal recommended range. If you are overloading on payload (not recomended) you might bump the stops on the frame but I doubt it.

My truck is a fleetside and the job took me literally 30 minutes. maybe I am gifted or I just got lucky

I would definitely recommend an air ratchet if you have one. it made the job real easy for me. I just pulled the trigger. gotta love air tools.

I took the bolt out on the bottom of the shackle holding it in the cradle first. this allowed me to push up on the spring and get the top bolt from the topside of the frame. basically my extension went between the frame and the bottom of the bed. It worked great. I could see how it could be difficult if you attempted to take out the top bolt first. Hope this helps.