Front Spring shackle

hale1776

hale1776

Senior Member
Well I have been spending a lot of time under car lately, while greasing the right front spring shackle I found no grease fitting top or bottom but old dried up rubber bushing which broke up when I removed nuts and plate..what it is not important sent to Mac's for set front spring shackles. I have never messed with springs before they bounce up and down and squeak just fine. Can I knock the old one out and replace it without dying? Which way will spring go? Should I make the wife do it just in case?
 
sounds like you have an old ford replacement shackle set up, there are junk in my book. get with a local club near you. you need a spring spreader to do the job. you will need to replace the shackle bushings because with the rubber set up there isn`t any. good luck
 
I would be very careful buying the cheesy black spring shackles now on the market. I think they are cast iron and brittle. They are not made very well, probably in China - cheap. Older replacelements like Bulldog shackles are much, much better. To see what can happen to the cheesy repro spring shackles go to Vince Falters website: http://www.fordgarage.com/pages/brokenshackles.htm
Rusty Nelson
 
I do have the bushings for the shackles. I read some other posts that said you needed a spreader for rear but not the fronts. I did look at pics of broken one and the ones I just got do not look like that. Any way I can do this without a spreader? Not rolling in money.
 
Where in Connecticut are you located? I may be able to give you a hand if you aren't too far away. I do have a spring spreader that will work on front springs.

Red
 
You can probably do it without the spring spreader (as mentioned in other threads) but you will do yourself an extreme favor to remove the entire front axle from the car and work it from a bench.

Your problem with replacing the shackles is not so much the shackles, as it might be the connection to the front axle at the spring perch. More than likely you will find your previous aftermarket shackles were chosen because they made up for wear of the spring perch - and when you remove the aftermarket stuff, you'll find the spring perch holes to be severely "egg shaped" in the holes where the shackles go. Like to the point where new bushings fall out of the spring perches?

This can be a problem. You NEED to have sufficient metal here to prevent your axle from becoming detached from the shackles by failure of the perch. A failure of a spring perch can allow one to drift to the side of the road - but it is NOT a desired driving condition - especially since failure is most likely to occur during periods when you NEED control of the car.

Thus, with all this on the bench you have not reason to NOT do it right.

Really, you may be at the point where a complete rebuild of the front axle may be necessary. New perches, new kingpins and bearing, maybe new wheel bearings - and while your at it take a look at those front brakes...

Do you hear a sucking sound? That is you getting in over your head.

Some help will be um, a help. Either here at the board or someone in person with an interest. Clubs are the BEST places to get help. But individuals you come across can do it just fine too.

NOt to discourage. This is the point where a lot of hobbyists get a spare front axle to rebuild and then simply exchange one for another. I now have um FOUR front axles, and paid at the most $50 for my first spare - the others came for free or for small money.

Well, if one spare is good, two or more spares must be better?

Sorry. They tell me hoarding is a syndrome, and a sign of insecurity.

Joe K
 
wow this all started with a stripped oil pan bolt..I am in Manchester by the way Red and Joe thanks a lot buddy, jeez......... By the way all valuable information and I do appreciate learning from someone who has already been kicked by the mule and warnings like "you might not want to stand there young fellow" carry a lot of weight with me. I have recently had both wheels off and races and bearings are fine, stock brakes work well and adjusted properly, (dirt road, lock um up, adjust and repeat till happy) Once I get pan back on I could drive it anywhere in CT and be happy for the help. Drove it to MA couple times this year so no problems with driving. I looked and new perch are 60.00 each w new bushings......
 
Yes, front spring perch are a little dear - and not an easy change-out. Check on Ebay as they come up frequently. In fact it's AMAZING what some apparently will sell and consider acceptable. I think some folks take out their old perch to replace with new - and immediately put the old ones on Ebay just to get rid of them.

It is possible to slot and weld a perch - another method of rebuilding/repair and maybe how those who sell worn perches on Ebay justify their sleep at night. It's about the only repair available for the similar spot on the rear axle.

Or you may be fine as you are. My first axle I pushed out the remainder "c" shape shell of the bushing in the perch and found the hole egg shaped - but enough left that I had some confidence I wouldn't be feeling a sudden "drop" on that side.

This is where others can help you in deciding where some wear is acceptable - or not.

Sorry. I'm not here to alarm. Just be mindful that you're not the only car on the road - or the only antique car. You do the hobby no favors either should post accident investigation finds you did not keep your car in proper repair. Some in our "leave no freedom unregulated world" would find the hobby at fault for one person's negligence.

Joe K
 
Joe, I hear ya on safety, my car originally from New Hampshire still has the "Stay alive in 55 NH sticker on windshield, my great uncles car he ran only garage in Salem Depot NH. My dad from Rindge and still have cousins in Jaffrey. I am a Rev War reenactor who uses black powder a lot so safety has been drummed into me as well as accidents that can not only effect those close but they attract politicians who looking for a cheap headline so declare they are going to "FIX" this so it never happens again, and screw things for everyone in the hobby. I will fix this right. Steve
 
PS been working on and driving this for 45 years now so not real new at this, just some things I never had to mess with before. Steve
 
Steve,

You're pretty close to me, as I am in Lebanon, and my parents live in Vernon. We have some spare front axles if you need parts.

Red
 
Thank you Red I will know more when I get the old ones out now that I know what I am looking for..... I have done several history events on Lebanon Green so familiar with the drive.
 
Old shackle off, perch fine, new bushing went into spring OK but bushing stopped with 1/4 inch to go into perch hammering just mushroomed bushing.... I said close enough.... then ignorance struck as I didn't know bushing needed to be drilled or reamed. Now I didn't have a 1/2 inch drill bit but did have a milling bit that removed metal just fine. Well 2 hours of milling with a hand drill and shackle posts go in about 1/2 inch, angle of spring is off to perch. I jacked the send of spring up then used a splitting maul wedge between spring end an axle this gave me room for a tire iron under head of spring and axle to move, got 2nd shackle started as buggered up first one in previous attempts. Taking another break.
 
the spring perch bushing driver//removal tool the suppliers sell works great..i think they are relatively cheap
 
Last edited:
Don't hammer them, get a piece of all thread or long bolt and some
washers and use the bolt and nut to pull them in.

Bob
 
Bob & Tom all good advice...just back from Depot with 1/2 drill bit ran it through bushing no problem hardly cut any metal at all. New shackle in for the 20th time 1/2 way holes not paralleled stuck again...... if I hit plate plate comes off. if I hit grease fitting I loose the grease fitting. At some point I will have to drill bushing out and start all over again. whatever the tool is to make this easy...I don't have it.
 
hale1776 said:
Bob & Tom all good advice...just back from Depot with 1/2 drill bit ran it through bushing no problem hardly cut any metal at all. New shackle in for the 20th time 1/2 way holes not paralleled stuck again...... if I hit plate plate comes off. if I hit grease fitting I loose the grease fitting. At some point I will have to drill bushing out and start all over again. whatever the tool is to make this easy...I don't have it.
Click to expand...

Go slowly for a more harmonious outcome.
 
I had not much trouble when I changed, First the bushings, the the perches, with the axle in the car. My spring spreader is homemade and it worked well. The one problem I didn't anticipate was the dropping of the spring down to the axle. I should of seen it coming, but I didn't. Shoot me! I fixed it by driving a wedge between the the spring and the axle and lifted the spring into position. Well, you'll see what I'm talking about. I don't like "Progressive repairs" that become a case of fix this, then repair that, and while we're at it, we'll replace that. Unless of course, the parts are needed. Go to my profile and look under "My 30 coupe". I replaced my perches along with the bushings. I'm told they can be a bear to get out sometimes. Mine came right out like good little parts! But ! I recommend a generous application of "never seize" on not only the treads, but the body/shank as well. It's not a "Bad job" as jobs go. I'd much rather do that than say, change the clutch. Good luck!
Terry
 
Joe K said:
You can probably do it without the spring spreader (as mentioned in other threads) but you will do yourself an extreme favor to remove the entire front axle from the car and work it from a bench.

Your problem with replacing the shackles is not so much the shackles, as it might be the connection to the front axle at the spring perch. More than likely you will find your previous aftermarket shackles were chosen because they made up for wear of the spring perch - and when you remove the aftermarket stuff, you'll find the spring perch holes to be severely "egg shaped" in the holes where the shackles go. Like to the point where new bushings fall out of the spring perches?

This can be a problem. You NEED to have sufficient metal here to prevent your axle from becoming detached from the shackles by failure of the perch. A failure of a spring perch can allow one to drift to the side of the road - but it is NOT a desired driving condition - especially since failure is most likely to occur during periods when you NEED control of the car.

Thus, with all this on the bench you have not reason to NOT do it right.

Really, you may be at the point where a complete rebuild of the front axle may be necessary. New perches, new kingpins and bearing, maybe new wheel bearings - and while your at it take a look at those front brakes...

Do you hear a sucking sound? That is you getting in over your head.

Some help will be um, a help. Either here at the board or someone in person with an interest. Clubs are the BEST places to get help. But individuals you come across can do it just fine too.

NOt to discourage. This is the point where a lot of hobbyists get a spare front axle to rebuild and then simply exchange one for another. I now have um FOUR front axles, and paid at the most $50 for my first spare - the others came for free or for small money.

Well, if one spare is good, two or more spares must be better?

Sorry. :DThey tell me hoarding is a syndrome, and a sign of insecurity.:D

Joe K
Click to expand...
Joe K, We're ALL INSECURE, whether we're a HOARDER or not! Some just don't ADMIT their INSECURITY!!!:eek::eek::eek: & he asks, "Whut is a SYNDROME, is it a R.C. Airplane"?
My Dog:cool: is the ONLY SECURE person I know & he ain't SKEERED of anything!!!:D
Bill W.
 
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