i am on a budget and want to do a decent 3 " lift with tires. i found 3" shackle lifts on ebay for like $40. if i got those and found some springs somewhere would that de a decent set up? what vehicles can i get front and rear springs off of? mine are pretty flat. i use it for my daily driver and love it but would like it a lil higher and more aggressive. are shackle lifts even an option? what is good and bad about shackle lifts? if i got 3" shacles some decent springs and new shocks , would i have to mod any thing else? should i have my springs done or just replace them? thanks for any info................

The problem with a shackle lift is you throw off the suspension geometry when you put to large of a lift.  You also only get half of the lift.

But on the other hand, it's cheap.

If your looking for a few inches I would recommend saving up for a set of OME springs.  How much lift are you looking for and what size tires do you want to run?

Well a shackle lift will work, Cheap correct. You can get spring packs out of a wrangler 87-90? and I've heard you can put cj front springs in the back also I'd look it up...

A +3" shackle would be 6" longer, the steering will be terrible and it'll kill the springs in no time it may also kill the prop UJs as the angles will be out. A shackle lift is cheap but rubbish and don't forget that you'll need longer shocks or shock extensions and you may need longer brake lines as well. 
If you can fab then there are a lot of better options.

shackles are great for gaining 1-2" tops after that you are actually changing your pinion angles, by only pushing down on one side of the spring in order to achieve lift. now this isn't bad in the rear because as you go a little higher you are slightly correcting the change in driveline angles. however in the front changing your pinion angle is BAD! your front steering components are meant to be at a specific angle from the factory in order to re-center the tires coming out of a turn (usually the angle is a negative 3 degree pitch. this almost forces the tires back to center from a turn. now since your front springs are set up with the shackle in front of the axle, so by forcing the front of your front axle down you're essentially changing your steering axles. your tires are going to wander all over the road, and even on a hard turn could almost force a rollover. i wouldn't be scared to do a shackle lift i would only be conserned about using a 3" lift shackle. 

Not to mention, that like explained above in order to acheive a 3" shackle lift, the shackle would have to be 6" LONGER than stock. not sure exactly how long stock ones are but you can expect something in the range of 9" long eye to eye. now i don't know about you but when i lift a truck i want ground clearance and better approach and departure angles with shackles around 9" long your killing those angles. kinda defeats the purpose..... your money might be better spent on some sort of add-a-leaf if they make one.

Changing your shackle's also screws up your approach to something steep your shackles will hit first. If stay with the stock shackle length and replacing your springs with a 3" springs your approach to steep inclines or what have you will be much better.  I have done both and I regret ever trying the longer shackles.  If you are going to rock crawl I would suggest 3" springs first and then to gain even more height go to a spring over.  I know this is the more expensive way but I garuntee that you will be pleased with the results.  You will not have to change any thing else out except for pitman arm and shocks,  And your sammy will ride better

For 3" springs Calmini, Rocky Road Outfitters, Petroworks are just a few of the sites that have 3" springs 

dont forget to order a new set of neoprene bushings for the new leafs using the old ones is not good and the bushing kit is relatively cheap.

i am on a budget but do not want a crappy , dangerous or unperforing lift either....thanks for the info so far it has been extremely useful. so the solution is just replace the springs for now then huh!. 87-90 jeeps.....are they the only ones that the leafs will innnerchange? what other jeeps or years of jeeps can i rob some springs off of? more info on the spring lift ....please....i am totally not goin with the shackles..........

Actually, the springs from a Jeep YJ will not interchange.  But there are several kits out there that will allow you to bolt them on without to much trouble.

I believe the CJ front springs are the same width, so you can switch to them on the front then move your rear springs to the front to give the Samurai a softer ride without having to do to much work.  But you will need to either move your shackle mounts or install some folding shackles.

If you are going for a light lift without getting to involved saving up a couple hundred and just buying a set of springs is going to be the best and easiest way to do it.  It's a little more expensive but the trade off is you can perform the swap in your driveway in a couple of hours.

Changing your shackle's also screws up your approach to something steep your shackles will hit first.

I respectfully disagree with this theory. Remember, the whole idea of a lift is to enable you to go with larger tires, negating the shackle hitting first idea. Plus, when I installed my 2 & 1/2" shackle lift, I also replaced the old worn bushings. With the heavy duty shackles and bushings installed, my lil Sammy now handles better than it "ever" did before in the time I have owned it.
Bear in mind, I only up sized the tires from a stocl 26", to a set of 29" tires. (I'm a trail rider, not a rock crawler)
Also, Remember, The person asking this question is looking for a budget lift.
I "do" agree that if you want to go taller, go with a spring kit, or maybe even better, go with a spring over kit.
-Bruce

You might get what you want out of only a body lift you did not say how large a tire you
would like to run, these kits are around 100.00 and easy to install.
Stay with 2'' body kit and you can keep stock brake lines and shocks add a 1" shackle lift and you
will be golden with 29" tires and pinion angles and camber will stay under control.

hey fellas thanks a bunch for all the responses and i think the way i might go is a lil body lift and find out how to either buy new springs or get some good used ones of a decent donor. if i go with a 2" body get good leafs and repace shocks  that will make it ride like a champ and even pick it up a lil bit right...? i hear alot about tire size....i want to stay around a 29 or 30" tire.....will that be alright? how wide of tire can i go if i put some 30"'s on? that is the way i will probably go, remember i dont crawl i play. i use it for a daily driver and get it dirty once a month. i want it to look cool too. let me know as much info as you can like what years and what donors i can get springs off of? and where to get a decent body lift? i am saving money for the next step off sami and that is exhaust(2" right)and header. who makes a decent one and where can i get it......remember i am a freakin newbie so some of this stuff sounds dumb but oh well.