I have an 06 base black h3. 285/75/16 with the front leveled. Today i hooked on a loaded cargo trailer approx 2400-2600 pounds and the rear sagged about 2 inches. Now without the trailer it sits perfectly level. I have read that if I get extended shackles then the stock springs start to sag quickly? Anything to combat that?
My current tires will be bald approx another 20k. My plan is 315/75/16 tires. And there are also rock sliders on the way.
I absolutely hate the chrome on the 3.. Please tell me if I have this right before i use some rattle can duplicolor paint. Thoroughly clean, hit with 120 grit sandpaper wet sand, and 3 nice coats with clear??
Trying to get parts shipped to Canada is insane so id rather get it right the first time. In the mean time I plan on getting black plasti dip on the grille before superbowl on sunday
Pictures to come

 

that post went all over the place.

first why are wanting to get extended shackles? if its to make it sit level with a loaded trailer that is the wrong thing to do, you need a helper spring or you could lower the front back down to stock and it would sit more level?

if you're wanting the shackles to actually lift it, then why did you level the front?

you won't notice any significant sagging by the spring just from he shackles, unless you plan to still wn the h3 in 20 years, but constant heavy hauling will ause them to sag prematurely

last what are you talking about painting? the stock wheels? if so then you first need to clean them real well, then scuff them, I would say 120 is too caurse, I would use a 400 or a scotch brite pad (for auto body paint, not a pan scrubber), unless there are any real bad spots, then work your way down to 400. next hit them with a self etching primer and let dry well. then the next steps depend on what kind of finish you want. if you are wanting a glass smooth shiny finish then hit them with the paint, wet sand with 800-1200 grit, then apply another cost, wet sand again, apply another coat, wet sand apply clear coat, wet sand with 1600, repeat, apply final coat of clear, let fully dry, the use a rubbing compound, followed by a wax and polish. that's if you are wanting a show quality color match wheel. if you don't want it show quality and are actually using it for offroading, then clean the wheels, scuff them, apply coat of self etching primer, 3-4 coats of paint, 2-3 coats of clear, and done.

 

I want the shackles because somedays even if i am on unlevel ground the rear is slightly lower than the front. I wouldnt mind if the rear was slightly taller than the front so that is where my shackle question comes from. Sorry for the confusion.
Also i would be painting all the factory chrome so the grille, hood louver, mirrors and door handles.

 

Attached is the pic. Hopefully it works

 

Another pic

 

It sounds to me like if the front is higher than the rear without a load you have the TB cranked too high. This will cause unwanted wear and tear on parts and an unsafe handling set up. It is probably only higher by a fraction of an inch so lower the front some to match the rear. Your pics aren't very good for your cause in this situation since it has a trailer on it which would of course cause your truck to have a slightly lower appearance in the rear. As for the chrome it is all paintable. I painted all the chrome on mine and with proper techniques as described previously in this thread the more time you spend doing it right the better it will be.

 

I agree with what Old Yeller said. PLUS, from what I've heard, shackles can make the rear end sag even more if you have a lot of weight back there. Probably even more so if you tow a lot. Not saying that you shouldn't get them....it's just that their application might require new or repacked leafsprings.

 

Lower your front torsion bars a bit to match your existing, unloaded, rear ride height. If you tow a lot, install air assist springs or air shocks out back.

 

Same on the F150 forum, people want to level the truck, but then they want to tow. I can see leveling if you are never going to tow, but once you move one thing then you throw off the geometry of the vehicle. And it gets worse if you tow.. So the actual fix is to drop the truck back to factory specs. Cause on adjustment will affect the other and then you are buying parts or adding stuff to compensate for what should have never been.