heavy?? they are like 2 pounds. I can make them entirely out of the smaller bar in the middle but I think they look way better with a bigger outline like that.

 

what kind of steel is it ? they look great tho

are those 2 inch lift shackles btw ?

 

me likey..... million dollar question though....whatcha thinking cost wise ??

 

I think you're gonna have a problem with those shackles hittin' the frame when the spring is flexed up. That's why a lot of lift shackles have the strap on the back side closer to the spring eye.

As far as the tail light guards go, most are made out of tubing to lighten them up. You have to remember that there is very little gap to mount them between the light and the tail/lift gate which doesn't make for a really strong mount to keep something heavy stable.

 

not sure on a price, throw one out there and we shall go from there. The problem with tubing is that without a mandrel bender it will kink when bent, otherwise I would definitley use it because its lighter and cheaper. But i really dont see them being to heavy for the mounts. The shackles in no way can hit the frame??? I just dont see it happening, the shackles I bought have the backing plate way closer to the frame than the ones i fabbed up are and they never hit. Oh and yes if I remember right they are 2 inch lift shackles but I can make any length you would want. By the way the round stock is 5/8 and 3/8... Like I said though I can make it all out of 3/8 if someone wanted me to or maybe even do 3/8 and 1/4 but I just really liked the way it looked with the sizes I used, thats why I chose it...lol

 

Your springs must not flex that much then. I've seen some of the aftermarket ones hit when the wheel is pushed up into the wheel well and their straps were further away than yours.

And tubing can most certainly be bent properly without kinking it. Just gotta be careful with it. It's not like you're making it do a curly-q. Weld up a quick jig that mimics a smaller tube bender and away you go!

 

I have a bender that can bend up to like 3 inch solid stock, I will pick up some tubing and give it a whirl if you think it wont kink. They are minimal bends so you might be right. As far as the shackles go, I havent really flexed them I guess but in reality unless you go to a full coil suspension you are always gonna have that problem. I cant put the connecting round stock to low or the top of the shackle would be to weak, you know?

 

Using heavier stock adds strength as well. Just adding my 0.02 from experience. If you are going to attempt to build these for others, recognizing what problems they may have and try to work around them should be high on your list. Not everyone will have exactly the same setup as you.

 

heavier stock as opposed to what? The supporting bar on the shackles is 1" solid stock and the plate is 3/8, that is WAY more heavier duty than any other aftermarket shackle I have seen for ANY truck let alone our blazers... :-) not trying to knock any opinion you have as I have mad respect of your knowledge, but I have been in the custom fab world for well over a decade. Any ideas you have I will clearly take into consideration, Im just conversing with you about any ideas... :-)

 

As opposed to stock. I was stating that the heavier side plates that you used were already gaining quite a bit in terms of rigidity/strength.

I've been building my own stuff (cutting/welding/etc) for close to 20 years now and doing engineering design work for 13 years. As such, I try to plan way ahead and design out any potential problems.