Hello All and happy new year!
i am stumped i have been replacing the warn out rubber bushings with urethane bushings. I started with the front passenger side ttb. I did the axle pivot bushings first got that done after a couple of long days messing with it.

Yesterday i started with the leaf spring shackle bushing and the ends of the leaf spring bushings. I unbolted the rear and got the end of the leaf spring jammed into the pocket. To make matters worse i can't get the front to line up with the shackle. I have lifted under the spring pad, each end of the spring and from the brake rotor. No luck at all. Even put a hd ratcheting strap between the leaf springs to try to bring it over with no luck. I thought maybe the axle shaft had come out of the differential but it hadn't moved. In retrospect it couldn't with the pivot bolt in.

Anyway here are some photos of my plight.


This is what it looks like when i jack the axle up. No where close to where it should be.






Very twisted
I thought that when i jacked the axle back up it would radius swing back into place but it doesn't it goes up till it hits the outside ear of the shackle mount ear. I am hoping for a suggestion. I am trying to avoid cutting the leaf spring pad ubolts. Has anyone else ran into this?

 

Oh and on a side note. If you have a sudden change in camber on the front. First thing to check is the shackle bushing condition.
example ol'blue had a sudden +2° camber change on the passenger side. After pulling the front shackle there was 2/3s of the rubber was missing and the bolt tube was resting against the outer steel sleeve.

 

When I did this I had the axle separated from the spring. If you can't get the u-bolts loose, you can buy new ones. You will have to measure what you have, they seem to list them generically.

 

Hi Dave,

That's what i was thinking too. Found a set at bronco graveyard according to the site the size and bolt size are9/16" x 3" x 11 1/4" Square

9/16" x 3" x 11.25"


Will probably just cut them. A bit quicker and preferable to laying laying under ol'blue. Lol

 

If you could untwist the end of the leaf spring, would that help? Get a length of stout angle iron, maybe 4’ long. Drill a couple of holes near one end, spaced slightly wider than the leaf. Drill a matching pair of holes in a short piece of heavy bar stock.

Bolt the two pieces together, sandwiching the leaf in the middle. Now you’ve got a long lever to untwist the leaf. Be extremely careful as you don’t want the lever flying around under load. But you could set up some heavy cribbing under the end of the lever, or maybe use a hydraulic jack. Maybe even just some persuasion applied by a helper would be enough. Just remember to stay clear in case the lever jumps.

 

The problem is nothing lines up unless you have weight on the spring. Even then you have to tweak the spring over a little bit to make the u-bolts line up. When you put the weight of the truck on the spring and the axle, it will line up better.

 

Hi Karl,
that never occurred to me. Being out out the building game so long i am quickly learning i have forgotten much of what i have learned and used in the past. It was quite a realization when doing camshaft profile research. I found a note book that hadn't seen daylight in almost 30 years.
excellent suggestion didn't even think about making a long arm clamp. Thank you!

 

Hi Dave,
Yes that was my thinking too but i think my main problem mite be the rear spring eyelet is wedged cockeyed i jacked it up and the twist got worse the more i jacked with it. Tried a crowbar and other leverage methods to get the spring eye out of the pocked. Thought about putting a bottle jack between the frame and top of the spring but it would have to be something smaller the i currently own.

 

I haven't got much to add except that doesn't this perfectly illustrate why leaf springs and the TTB are a rough riding combo? Any wheel travel requires the leafs to twist, the rubber bushings would allow for that but urathane won't so while these bushings are generally considered to be an upgrade won't this make the suspension even stiffer.. in this case?

 

I can verify it will make the ride rougher. I wanted something that would last longer than the rubber bushings, but the rough ride is what I ended up with.

 

I’ve had mine apart a few times over the past year or so on a project truck. I found it easiest to install the axle beams into the pivot first, then install the leaf springs/front hangar, then assemble the axle beam up to spring, everything loosely, then bring it all together with the ubolts, tightening the ubolts, then go around and tq down spring bolts etc. Pivot point bolts tq with weight of the truck on them.

I was using heavier front springs (3 leafs) it was the only way to get it assembled. New u bolts.

I used Motorcraft pivot bushings, rubber. Was scared of the urethane pivot bushings being to harsh on the pivot points. Springs/shackle I used urethane bushings.

Short: I found it much easier to bring the axle beam up to the springs, than the spring into the hangars.

 

Hi Dave,
I did a 1986 chebby Silverado and if did decrease the ride quality i ended up dropping the tire pressure and got a little better. The truck handle much better. Kind of a trade off.
i thought the ttb in stock form in ol'blue anyway road better then most of the trucks i have personally owned.
The only reason i haven't switched to a strait front axle. Maybe because the bushings on ol'blue were warn out.

truthfully i Would be fine with a ruff ride if it wasn't eating the tires. I hit a hard bump and they'll passenger side went to +2° camber made very short work of one of the new tires. Discovered the passenger side shackle Bushing was obliterated.

 

Hi Jeff,
sounds like sound advice appreciate it. I will be putting that to practice on the drivers side. I know the axle pivot was a bear to get placed on ol'blue. It was too far forward and kept making contact with the mounting bracket. Didn't have the Bushing shell all the way seated. So i ended up making a tool of sorts. 9/16 bolt and a large heavy washer that i had to cut a bit off the side to get it into the area with the bracket. Quick and simple.
i was surprised to find 4 ubolts for the front axle to spring for $36.00. Not to shabby.

 

Hi Paul,

I appreciate your example. I like using load e heavy sidewall tires never like driving a truck with light sidewalls. I could feel the tire roll in turns and could see the scuff marks on the side of the tires. I do understand the apprehension in using urethane bushings over rubber i really do. I will be sure to report ride quality once i get ol'blue back on the road. Thanks for the advice.

 

Brute force is what it takes here.. 24 inch adjustable wrench Will help you twist the spring into place. Then you need a helper running the jack, and slam an alignment bar into it.

May also need a ratchet strap or comealong to pull the spring "in" if it doesn't want to line up completely.