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Rear leaf spring shackle mount


crushor

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Good day all...

Question of the day...how difficult is it to replace the rear leaf spring shackle mounts on a '96 Ranger 2wd. I was informed during a recent tire replacement that the rear leaf spring bolts were...one was hanging out and the other was missing. the result was that these bolts are the ones that attach the upper part of the shackle to the plate mount that is attached to the frame. Further inspection revealed that the bolt on the drivers side is hanging out, however rusted in this postition, the other bolt is not missing,it was misdiagnosed by the tire dealer...the mount on the passenger side has broken, and both the shackle and the leaf spring are bumping into the bottom of the bed. Is this plate mount a purchaseable item, or is this something that has to be fabricated? I figured that I may as well replace both of the mount plates and the bolts at the same time.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 


chvlfrk

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Fyi>>>

Good day all...
Question of the day...how difficult is it to replace the rear leaf spring shackle mounts on a '96 Ranger 2wd. I was informed during a recent tire replacement that the rear leaf spring bolts were...one was hanging out and the other was missing. the result was that these bolts are the ones that attach the upper part of the shackle to the plate mount that is attached to the frame. Further inspection revealed that the bolt on the drivers side is hanging out, however rusted in this postition, the other bolt is not missing,it was misdiagnosed by the tire dealer...the mount on the passenger side has broken, and both the shackle and the leaf spring are bumping into the bottom of the bed. Is this plate mount a purchaseable item, or is this something that has to be fabricated? I figured that I may as well replace both of the mount plates and the bolts at the same time.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.Thanks.
============================================
Ford dealer or LMC truck ONLY item.............I believe they run around $40-50 each for the shackle bracket..........

I just looked at my LMC truck catalog for Ranger/Explorer and they run $39.95 each + shippin
http://www.lmctruck.com/ICATALOG/FR/full.aspx?Page=117
 
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doorgunner

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:icon_surprised: at the problem/not the reply 2 hours if you've done it before---all day if you haven't--grinding the heads off the old rivets & knocking them out is the worst part
 
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crushor

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Having not done this before, I did order the new mounts from LMC, I would assume that they come with attachment hardware...forgot to ask...go figure...if they do not, is this a bolt on, or weld on situation? Thoughts, all?

This is the downside to working on my rides when I only get every other weekend at home, due to the job.

Thanks
 

doorgunner

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I bolted mine on with 3/8" grade 8 bolts +(flatwashers,lock-washers,nuts):headbang:
 

pocket-rocket

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I know this probably has been taken care of, but I recently went through this with my 94 2wd Ranger. My drivers side shackle mount was totally rusted in 2 and the spring was riding on the bottom of the bed. The passenger side wasn't far behind and got destroyed in the process of removing it. I took the bed off of mine to do it and while I had it off, I pulled the truck outside while we had a nice couple days last week and sandblasted the frame, then did some rubberized underbody coat on it too. I bought my shackle mounts on ebay, and I found some rear cab mounts to replace the old rusted out ones too. Links:

Shackle mounts:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310125200044&viewitem=

Cab mounts:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=380108988456

I agree about the rivet heads though, they suck. I used my air hammer to chisel them off, my die grinder wasn't powerful enough/the right tool for the job compared to the trusty old air hammer. If you use an air hammer, do yourself a favor and wear earplugs :icon_thumby:
 

crushor

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Well...here is some food for thought.

Rivet removal was no chore at all. Die grinder ripped them off in a hurry, however, the other bolts, sleeves inside the bushings, etc...nightmare. Quite to the point, that I decided that cutting the bolts, and heating the shackles to remove the bushings was probably not a wise move. I felt that the shackles would end up failing, with the rust on them, and the fact that I too had one of the shackle to frame mounts fail, and the spring was also riding on the bottom of the bed.

During my call to LMC to order the remainder of the parts...mind you the truck is on stands as we speak, until next Wednesday...I did inquire as to the bolts that they sent me.

According to their catalog, the picture (if you look closely, as it is small) indicates that the bolt threads go to the end of the bolt. Yes, I know...it's not rocket science...however, the bolts that they sent me had a hex head shape, smaller than the head of the bolt in diameter, but about 1 1/4 to 1 3/8" long. To the point, that they would not mount in the shackle to mount position without impacting the frame of the truck. Has anyone else had this issue. It is a simple fix with a die grinder, however, as far as a factory replacement part...well...

LMC is being nice enough to look into this issue and call me back. I just wanted to see if anyone else had encountered this. :icon_confused:
 

Caulk04

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I just did rear hangers and shackles on my 97 2wd this evening. I got the parts on ebay (two hangers, two shackles and all hardware) for under $100 shipped.

Removing the bed is the only way to go, it's really easy. The only real hassle I had was getting the bolts out of the leaf spring bushing. Lots of beating, swearing, sweating and roughly 1.5hr later I had them both out.

A 4" angle grinder will make short work of the rivet heads, then and air hammer to knock them through.

All in all, a pretty simple job if you have a reasonably equipped garage. Just time a little physical and time consuming.
 

crushor

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Well, mine is sitting on jackstands as we speak. I am down to removing the shackles...with which I am going to use my die grinders and cut them off. Just waiting on parts...and of course next Wednesday to arrive so I can finally get it back on the road. :yahoo:
 

Rufus

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When I replaced my shackles and hangers the worst part was the bolts through the bushings too. After some head scratching, cussing and a few beers, I turned an adapter and reciever and pressed it out with a ball joint press. If I tried hammering out the bolt, the bushing would just adsorb the shock and nothing moved. I did my hangers with the bed on. While I was at it I replaced the rear cab mounts with some home made buggers 1/8" thick....that should last a while.
 

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All of mine bolted up just fine, but then again, mine was a kit from Dorman, not LMC. Mine also came with new leaf spring bushings and shackles. The stupid factory spring bushings weren't coming out so I took the heat wrench to them and burned them out and pressed the new ones in their place. The rear of the truck rides much better now since I replaced the shocks as well (175k miles on what I am assuming is the originals), and now my truck has a rake on it as well, so now I am starting to think about the F150 coil spring perches to bring the front up closer to the same height as the rear since I don't haul anything heavy with my truck very often.
 

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Deleted......

I actually read instead of skimmed and every thing I typed had already been given. Amazing what you find when you read 1st isnt it LOL !
 
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bingty

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Rear Shackle replacement

I am having trouble getting the bolt out of the leaf spring, the shackle had completed rusted off; I replaced the shackle bracket, and have the new shackle, but cannot get that darn bolt out of the leaf spring end. Does that make sense? Anyone got any ideas on how to get that out? and does the rubber sleeve have to stay in place? (b/c the replacement shackle and bracket did not have that rubber sleeve).
Help!
 

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Another forum member, gwaii, gave this advice for removing a stubborn spring bolt;
"Cut the head of the bolt off.
Using washers behind the nut, turn the nut in [clockwise], stacking washers as the bolt is drawn threw the bushing."


I also used Neversieze to try to prevent galling of the threads.
It took a stack of washers approximately 2" to finally get the bolt out.
On two of the six bolts I removed the threads stripped, but was able to use a punch.
One of six wasn't seized.:icon_bounceblue:
If the rubber 'sleeve' aka; bushing, is not screwed, you can re-use it. If you have to replace it, word is it's easiest to drill out the rubber [ or burn it out with a torch], then remove the outer steel sleeve. Replace with a new bushing [~C$20.00] using a large vise, or a press, or I used a ball-joint remove/install tool [using improvised adapters and receivers]. You could borrow this tool from an auto parts place.
 

brplante

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i know you said you already got the leaf shackles, but i was at autozone yesterday and looked at some that provide a 3inch lift and the entire kit was right below $20...
 

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