The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Task Force 1/2 ton front shackle bolt question

This is for my '59....

I'm in the process of trying to remove my front original leaf springs. I can remove the most rearward shackle bolt as I just punched it out after removing the 15/16"nut. I was able to remove the two 3/4" nuts off the front shackle bolt which left me with a dual threaded bolt still sitting in my spring eye.

Maybe this pic will help

http://i1040.photobucket.com/albums/b403/cwc1965/Apache/shackle.jpg

Is the front Shackle the "pivot end of spring" as called out in the manual?(section 3-5)

Is anything threaded in there or can I just wack it out. Doesn't seem to want to move at this point. Want to make sure it is not threaded in there.

Thanks,

Chuck

http://www.chevsofthe40s.com/detail/10563/Chevrolet_BOLT_BUSHING_FRONT_OF_REAR_SPRING_FOR_TON.html

is what it is. You shoudl be able to hammer away. The bolt is hollow though, i suspect they are pretty hefty but i would still use caution if you intend to use that bolt again. i'd personally put the nut on the end again just till it covers the end threads and then whack it. prevents some disfiguring of the bolt and causing more issues trying to get it out.

You will have to take all the nuts off. Then jack up the axle till it relaxes & tap the shackles off. Then the pin can be screwed out or it might slide out.

"Then the pin can be screwed out or it might slide out."

That is what I am trying to ask here. I don't want to keep bangin' on it if it is threaded

The axle is already out.

On Task Force trucks, the shackle pins are threaded. Since yours has nuts on them, they have been replaced. The originals did not have nuts on them.

I was going by your photo. You will have to remove the rest of the nuts to get the spring off. Like Box55 says the pin screws into the bushing. I believe the pins with the nuts on them came on 58-59 models.

Gotcha, the side panels to the shackle must not be threaded. let me go out to the garage and give it a go.

The side plates have tapered holse where the pins come through, similar to a ball joint or tire rod where they mount into the knuckle. You may have to give them a good whack to get them off, but the shoudln't be too hard. Then the pin should come out easily.
Wrenchbender, I just checked the manuals, seem the change was was '57 to the pins with the nuts.

It's out.....thanks all...stay tuned as I'm sure more questions will arise during my swap....now for the passenger side.

I do not know if this helps, but here is the NAPA part number for a shackle kit,

NCP 2741766 $43.49

I am going to do this to mine also,

thanks for the info,

TC

So were they threaded inside or not?

They were indeed threaded. Albeit not a tight thread. I was able to unscrew the pin from the bushing with my fingers. Let me have my coffee, wake up a bit and I'll take a picture a post it.

This is the replacement kit from Classic and what the parts look like...

http://www.classicparts.com/1957-59-Spring-Shackle-Kit-FrontRear/productinfo/74-022/

I see they didn't provide the bolt that goes through the middle. I found the same thing when I did mine.

From what I saw in the manuals, the bolt was eliminated when they changed the design in '57 to having nuts on the pins. When I did mine, I put new bolts in them anyway.
BTW, the threads are not supposed to be real tight on the pins, as that type thread is more about load bearing surface area rather than retantion. That thread is called an Acme thread.

Excellent....I figured it was loose by design...now I know the name for it....probably forget it by tomorrow morning however.

Rather than starting a new thread....I have another question regarding spring retention. I notice that both of the rearward spring eye bolts for the front springs were bent when I pulled them out. Common occurrence on 52 year trucks? or by design?