I started the rear spring swap this weekend. Aside from all of the family distractions I got 1/4 as far as I had hoped. Good news is I don't have to get it all back together until June 19th. I am posting a new thread because I have searched and have not found anyone who posted the problem I am having.

I got the front spring bolts off with no problem. I got the rear bolts that attach the spring to the shackle off with no problem. The problem started there because no matter how I moved the shackle and spring the bolts would not come out. They were hitting the frame with no chance they would slide out. I tried twisting the spring and moving everything that I could with no success. I decide to try and take out the shackle bolt to get it all apart and thats when they biggest problems started. The passenger side shackle bolt has bonded itself to the sleeve in the bushing. That means once it started turning and I figured out that was the problem I had already spun the inner half of the bushing inside of the outer half of the bushing. I have tried everything I can think of to break the bolt loose from the sleeve with no success. I am ready to cut it off to get it out but I'm not sure I can cut the inner side without damaging the hanger bracket.

I'm looking for any suggestions as I will be back working on it Wednesday. I already cut the spring bolts to get the springs out and am also looking for the part numbers on the spring to shackle bolts. I'll also be looking for the shackle to bracket bolt because I'm sure they are not going to survive this ordeal. Here are the pics I did remember to get.
Overall pic before I cut the spring bolts.

This is as close as the spring bolt got to coming out before I gave up and cut it.


This one shows the destroyed bushing as best I could get a picture of it. It also shows the head of the bolt out a little from the bracket. To get that much room I put 1/2" of scrap steel between the nut and the farm on the other end of the bolt and used the leverage of the nut being stopped by the steel to try and break the bolt loose from the sleeve with no luck.


I'm open for any help my FTE brothers and sisters can provide. And yes there is a ton of rust on My Ex for it supposedly living in Florida it's whole life. I'm starting to think the P.O. drove it in the surf of the ocean without ever washing it.

 

My suggestion is to buy a pair of Dorman shackles that come with both bolts.


Double check the part number before you order.... the one in the link supposedly fits the superduty, which should work perfectly (but don't hold me to it).

 

P.S. Normally I'd advise you to remove the shackle with the spring and when you bolt it to the new spring, put the bolt in from the outside in (nut toward the frame rail), in case you ever need to remove it in the future.

 

remove the shackle with the spring. Switch the bolt orientation as already mentioned.

I have my assistant looking for the receipt for the bolts and nuts I bought when I swapped the springs a month or so ago.

 

Do not buy the dorman shackles! Dorman's quality has let me down the last few years!

 

ok the lower bolt, nut and shackle #'s are as follows:

Lower shackle bolt p/n N606630-S426

Lower shackle bolt nut p/n N806367-S60

Shackle P/N is 5776

If you have a sawzall, get a few carbide coated blades and make quick work out of the bolts.

In the one picture it looks like the bushing is bad in the lower end of the shackle. Replace them now so you do not have to go back in later and redo your work.

 

I just did mine about a month ago and I had the same issue. Just remove the shackle with the spring. Once you have the spring out, put the shackle in the new spring and install.

 

If you're dead set on getting it out, liberally apply a penetrate like pb blaster and use an air impact hammer.

 

just finished replacing the shackles on mine. As has been said, just pull the spring out with it. If you don't do that, use an angle grinder and cut the head off, reinstall with the nut on the inside, problem solved. I also replaced the bushings with energy suspension ones while they were out.

 

The problem is that I can't get the shackle bolt out to remove the shackle and that shackle bushing is shot so I have to remove it.

The problem is that I can't get the shackle bolt out to remove the shackle and that shackle bushing is shot so I have to remove it.

Thanks for the part numbers.

The problem is that I can't get the shackle bolt out to remove the shackle and that shackle bushing is shot so I have to remove it.

I have been PB blastering everything for a week and it didn't help at all.

The problem is that I can't get the shackle bolt out to remove the shackle and that shackle bushing is shot so I have to remove it.

 

loosen the tank and get it from that side then, or more blaster and time. I ground out the drivers side from the inside, but I had hitch and tank out at the time.

 

Where are you located? I have a real air impact (cp715), the gasoline compressor that will run it continuously, and a big set of oxygen acetylene tanks. We will get that bitch out of there. I'm outside DC in Charles Town WV.

 

It took a lot of elbow grease and a very long breaker bar to get my shackle bolt out. It was off the nut but still a PITA to turn. It took my buddy and I about 30 min switching back and forth to finally back that thing out. Once out, we couldn't see what the issue was....cleaned it up and it went back in just fine.

 

I have new shackles with bushings and bolts on order. Going to attack everything with the sawzall tomorrow.

 

I had to throw a little heat on mine. A 450 lb impact wrench wouldn't touch them otherwise.



Joe