Spring bushing at the frame?

tom-adc · Post by **tom-adc** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 12:22 pm

What does the front spring frame bushing look like the one where the upper part of the shackle attaches to? This for my 71.
Plus I notice these aren't really bolts but studs? Can these be hammered out or ground off and replaced by new bolts?

tom-adc · Post by **tom-adc** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 12:30 pm

Well I figured when I have the parts in hand I'll be able to see how they go in, just ordered all the parts from ESPO.

tom-adc · Post by **tom-adc** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 6:31 pm

New bushings are here, they are the metal case rubber with a steel sleeve for the bolt to pass threw, looks like I'll be doing the threaded rod, washer trick to R & R these, I took one end loose this morning and it is almost totally missing, I cam already see the truck will ride a bit better but every time I handle one of the front tires I ask myself why

tom-adc · Post by **tom-adc** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:12 pm

These things are a bear to R&R I hope to finish tomorrow got so hot today I just quit.

Post by **cowboy** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:39 pm

tom if I'am not mistaken they should be pressed in , I know the heat here has been anywhere from 99 to 115 with the heat index

Tufftruck · Post by **Tufftruck** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 10:53 pm

tom-adc wrote:These things are a bear to R&R I hope to finish tomorrow got so hot today I just quit.

"tom-adc" How did you get them out? I have to do the same thing to mine. Any pics? There doesn't seem to be enough room to work on them and I am sure mine probable welded them selves together.

tom-adc · Post by **tom-adc** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 12:25 pm

To remove I used a 7" long 1/2 carriage bolt that I ground the head diameter down so it just fit inside the spring eye but still caught the outer edge of the bushing, then used a 1" pipe nipple both a female inside threads and a male that was 2" long.
Insert the bolt into the bushing then on the other end use the pipe nipples and some heavy duty washers and crank the old bushing out, Not a fun easy task BTW.

tom-adc · Post by **tom-adc** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 12:30 pm

To install the new bushing I first cleaned the spring eye then using my die grinder I had a mounted stone that just barely fit inside the spring eye I ran that in from both sides to remove the rust.
Then I used a 1/2 bolt 5" long with a washer under the head the used the female nipple on the other end with washers and nut and pulled the new bushing into place a little oil in the spring eye and outside of the bushing helped.
You are going to need a 4" & 3" bolt to finish the install.
Hope this helps.
Oh get a few extra bolts this can be hard on them

tom-adc · Post by **tom-adc** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 12:39 pm

Oh and to answer the question I asked about the frame bushing where the front hanger goes it is different from the ones that go into the spring eyes.
Also hindsite being 20-20 I would not use factory style bushings again I'd get the ones from Energy Suspension, they are two piece and go in the spring eye from the sides.
Energy Suspension part# 5.2102

MOPAT · Post by **MOPAT** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 4:27 pm

Good shade tree wrenching!!

Are the 2 piece units rubber or polygraphite?

Tufftruck · Post by **Tufftruck** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 4:34 pm

Tom-adc
Thanks for the info, You make it sound easy. I think I can do that. I guess I'm going to Lowes to get the special tool.

tom-adc · Post by **tom-adc** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 4:34 pm

Pat I think they are poly but do come in either red or black.

HEtkind · Post by **HEtkind** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:38 am

I swapped out a spring eye bushing, front of the left front spring, using a Moog SB266 bushing from my local auto parts store. Time start to finish, from pulling the truck into the bay, jacking, degreasing the shackle bolts so I could get a wrench on them, pulling the old bushing and inserting a new one (single step with a 1" deep 12pt 1/2 drive thinwall socket, 1/2" diameter all thread bar, two washers and three nuts).

Solvent cleaned the shackle, verifing the grease hole was clean and open, the reassmebly, greasing through the zerk fitting, dejacking, shop cleanup and testdrive was under two hours yesterday.

An air impact gun helped with the special tooling. If that had failed, I would have pulled the spring and used the new 20ton shop press...

What took all the time was getting enough old, caked, hardened grease off the 3/4" and 15/16" nuts to get a wrench on them. The truck now sits within 3/4" difference front right to front left and according to the two different spring folks I have talked to, the right spring has a 1200lb load capacity to the 1000lb capacity of the left.

I consider this job to be done. I have a second new bushing on the bench now and am looking to see if the town wagon can use it:-) Oh, total cost for the bushing was $12.99. Espo is cheaper.

Howard