spydergun45
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2013
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 0
- Vehicle Year
- 1999
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Transmission
- Manual
I completed the right rear passenger side. It was a pain every step of the way. Truck is a 1999 Ford Ranger 2.5L RWD.
Easy way to remove the leaf spring is by cutting the bolts with a good reciprocating saw blade. If your truck is old as mine, the heat, rust will have pretty much fused them to the steel bushing. Just so you know, I wasted a lot of time trying to remove the bolts. Then I began trying to cut them off using 4.5" angle grinder, blade wouldn't reach. Pretty much spent about 5 hrs f'ing with it. Eventually went and bought a steel reciprocating saw blade, cut the last bolt. Pulled out the spring.
To remove the bushings, I just drilled out the rubber. I had done before when replacing motor mounts on my car. Bushings out.
It was on to removing the old metal from the hangar from the frame. Easiest way is to grind the heads off, use prybar to pry off the remaining metal and grind off the remaining heads and use a large punch, to punch out the rivet. I found hitting the frame, makes a crack around rivet and hole so I could see where to put punch. They came right out with a few smacks of 2.5 lb sledge.
Attaching the new hangar I obtained from Advanced Auto Parts. The bolts had a 2.00 pitch, the nuts were not same pitch. I could not get the nut to thread on bolt. Went to Rural King and bought proper nuts. Took about a 22mm wrench. Really difficult reaching the nuts. There is a hole in the frame right above the nut, making it easy to get the wrench on the nut.
I took a 10 lb sledge and drove the bushing that came with the shackle from Advanced Auto Parts into the leaf spring. I had cleaned out the inner part of the leaf spring with sand paper and file then greased it with bearing grease.
I was unable to find a location that sold bushings for the other end of the leaf spring, so I made one out of an old rubber mallet. I trimmed it to nearly 1.5" using a reciprocating saw, then used an angle grinder to make it round and the correct size. I then drilled a 5/8 hole through it. Cleaned out the eye of the leaf spring again. Greased, then drove the bushing into the eye. Ideally having a steel sleeve insert is how it is suppose to be done. But I didn't have any steel tube and didn't have money to buy any, so I just put bolt in. I figure it'll last a long time even without one.
I put on and fastened the spring to all the shackles. Put all the tools up. Put tire on. Cracked the spare tire back up. Took for a drive. Drove great. Bed was back to near level. This job would go much easier with a lift. Oxyacetylene Torch, better jack, large metric and standard wrenches. In garage rather than outside on ground with temp around 90f.
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Easy way to remove the leaf spring is by cutting the bolts with a good reciprocating saw blade. If your truck is old as mine, the heat, rust will have pretty much fused them to the steel bushing. Just so you know, I wasted a lot of time trying to remove the bolts. Then I began trying to cut them off using 4.5" angle grinder, blade wouldn't reach. Pretty much spent about 5 hrs f'ing with it. Eventually went and bought a steel reciprocating saw blade, cut the last bolt. Pulled out the spring.
To remove the bushings, I just drilled out the rubber. I had done before when replacing motor mounts on my car. Bushings out.
It was on to removing the old metal from the hangar from the frame. Easiest way is to grind the heads off, use prybar to pry off the remaining metal and grind off the remaining heads and use a large punch, to punch out the rivet. I found hitting the frame, makes a crack around rivet and hole so I could see where to put punch. They came right out with a few smacks of 2.5 lb sledge.
Attaching the new hangar I obtained from Advanced Auto Parts. The bolts had a 2.00 pitch, the nuts were not same pitch. I could not get the nut to thread on bolt. Went to Rural King and bought proper nuts. Took about a 22mm wrench. Really difficult reaching the nuts. There is a hole in the frame right above the nut, making it easy to get the wrench on the nut.
I took a 10 lb sledge and drove the bushing that came with the shackle from Advanced Auto Parts into the leaf spring. I had cleaned out the inner part of the leaf spring with sand paper and file then greased it with bearing grease.
I was unable to find a location that sold bushings for the other end of the leaf spring, so I made one out of an old rubber mallet. I trimmed it to nearly 1.5" using a reciprocating saw, then used an angle grinder to make it round and the correct size. I then drilled a 5/8 hole through it. Cleaned out the eye of the leaf spring again. Greased, then drove the bushing into the eye. Ideally having a steel sleeve insert is how it is suppose to be done. But I didn't have any steel tube and didn't have money to buy any, so I just put bolt in. I figure it'll last a long time even without one.
I put on and fastened the spring to all the shackles. Put all the tools up. Put tire on. Cracked the spare tire back up. Took for a drive. Drove great. Bed was back to near level. This job would go much easier with a lift. Oxyacetylene Torch, better jack, large metric and standard wrenches. In garage rather than outside on ground with temp around 90f.
ebay image hosting