The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Installed leaf spring bushings

Just finished installing rear leaf spring bushings on my '50 3100....new shackles on the back, pins in the front. Piece of cake using the all thread press that one of you stovebolters told me about. I didn't realize they were worn out until I removed the original torque tube rear end and the springs were like palms swaying in the gentle breeze! Nice and tight now. I'm hoping that "tool" won't be needed again.

Remember to tighten the bolt through the front bushing after the weight of the vehicle is on the rear springs. This eliminates the twisting pre-load on the rubber sleeve between the inner and outer steel sleeves in bushing assembly.

Rocket Man, where did you buy your new shackles and pins?

Spotbiltxo...Classic Parts. (www.classicparts.com) Seemed to be good quality and tightened the springs...no more rocking side to side. I had custom 3" lowering blocks made. Before I install them I want to be sure that they're properly located. What I didn't know before replacing the bushings was how much if any fore and aft movement existed from the worn out bushings. There wasn't any. I'm planning on installing a small block so it's a good time to go through all of the driveline.
FYI...the original shackle bushings were not worn through, only egg-shaped. The front bushings were half gone.
The all thread press worked slick. If you want I can explain the components.

Hi Rocket Man,

I would love to know how to made the all thread press. I’m thinking of tackling this project next. Did it give any trouble coming out. Did you it to press them in as well?

Thx

Chev235guy has an article on that exact tool. [LINK]

Also Tim (tcleaderman) has another version that I used with success. [LINK]

Cozsum...Chev235 link is exactly how I made mine. The rear bushings, (shackles), pretty much pressed right in. Not to say you aren't going to have to use some muscle on any of them. The bushings on the front, (pins), for some reason took a little longer to get started but then again once they got going, muscle on my boxed in wrench pushed them through
At first I tried the hacksaw method...I bet I worked with that at least a couple of hours trying to accomplish the above. I had all four on the shackles replaced and new shackles installed in an hour and a half.

This is a follow-up to my prior post in this thread. Thanks to a PM from Rocket Man I realized that my response was misleading.

I was confusing rear leaf spring bushings in Chevy cars compared to trucks. Both use a rubber sleeved bushing in the rear suspension but in different locations.

In many of the older cars the bushing in the front eye of the rear spring is a rubber sleeved bushing. In trucks it is a metal sleeve that the pin goes through.

In some trucks the rubber sleeved bushing is used in the bracket that attaches the rear axle to the spring.

In either application the bolt that clamps the inner sleeve of the bushing should be tightened only when the suspension is loaded. The truck shop manual describes this procedure.

I apologize for the confusion I created.