Installing front shackles

[Dan Babb]

I'm reinstalling the passenger side shackle.

I know the shackle is supposed to be able to move. Should the shackle bushing turn when everything is tightened or should the bushing be still and the shack is turning inside the bushing.

Right now, when I tighten everything down, the bushing is turning in the frame and I don't think that's right.

I noticed on the new shackles I put in the rear, there are some rubber spacers ...I don't have those for the front, so I put some rubber washers to simulate having them. How thick should those spacers be in the front?

Maybe I need more than the 3/16" I have now for a rubber spacer?

[ggdad1951]

as far as I k now the bushing shouldn't turn, or it'll turn out on you over time. The shackle should move, not the bushing.

[Todd B]

I remember the last ones I changed its a really pain in the ... You have to start them at the correct thread. Thread into the frame about 2 threads first then start threading the shackle so when you bottom out the bushing in the frame you are close to the end with the shackle. It took a few tries to get it just right.

Good luck, Todd B

[Desotodav]

Dan, you might find that the shallow thread inside the shackle mounting is chewed out a little allowing the bushing to turn. I don't believe that it should turn either. There have been previous discussions here on spring shackle mounts - try this one ... http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=24954&highlight=spring+shackle .

The set of shackle mounts from the photo that I attached to that post are in your part of the world now. Let me know if you need to replace yours and I'll work out what they would cost. They are probably as close as you would get to NOS ones.

The rubber bushes were gone on my shackles too. They are more of a dust cover than anything else. I used a small plastic irrigation line fitting on each of mine - just to keep the dust out and the grease in.

I recall (as Todd B did) that they were a bit of a pain to install. You need to have the shackle bushing screwed in just the right distance first hand or the shackle will not tighten up all the way in where it's supposed to be. You need to have enough space on the bush end of the shackle to allow the grease to be pumped in through the grease nipple screwed into the end of the shackle bushing.

Desostdav

[ggdad1951]

yah, it took me a few times to get mine seated right...at least I hope I got them seated right. That will be a point of checking every so often till I get a good feeling about them.

[Dan Babb]

I think the shackle mount is ok. If I just screw in the bushing, it snugs up tight and doesn't keep spinning. I think I just need to find that magic spot where the bushing screws in all the way and doesn't bottom out on the shackle.

Desotodav....do you have a picture of the irrigation fitting you put on the end of yours?

An another note, I was putting in the driver side spring and the eye of the spring winds up sliding on bushing. The threads on the bushing are there, but the grooves on the eye of the spring are gone. I need to figure out how to stop that.

[maverick]

An another note, I was putting in the driver side spring and the eye of the spring winds up sliding on bushing. The threads on the bushing are there, but the grooves on the eye of the spring are gone. I need to figure out how to stop that.

I made some steel shims for mine to take up slack on the worn portion of the spring eye.

[Desotodav]

Here's a few pictures of the PVC irrigation fitting that I used to replace my dust covers for the spring shackles Dan. The ones that I used had hex heads on them but this one pictured (photo 3) would work fine. I just drilled a hole in the end large enough to accommodate the spring shackle, and then trimmed the length of them to fit snug against the spring edge. They cost me a whopping 85 cents each! The original ones (where still in place) on all of my trucks were a metal cup with a rubber insert. They are #'s 8 and 9 in the last photo.

The distances mentioned in the manual for 'A' and 'B' (from the last photo) are 3/4 inch for the front and 7/8 inch for the rear.

I have considered changing my truck shackles for smaller car ones to drop the overall ride height of the truck slightly. I don't know if it would make much of a difference anyway, and I don't know if the smaller car shackles come in the same left and right hand thread combinations as the trucks.

Desotodav