Purchasing shackles/hangers

[Hawk1339]

Sixteen winters did a number on the leaf spring hangers and shackles on my truck- one shackle disintegrated completely, the other is teetering. Time to replace.

No local auto parts store could source these parts. The local Ford dealer wanted $230 plus tax for the kit- 2 hangers, 2 shackles, all the grade 8 hardware.

Poked around on the web and found a link in an archived thread in this forum for Stengel Bros. out of Pittsburgh.

On Tuesday evening I ordered the kit from them (same items as above) for $121 including shipping. The order arrived regular Fedex Thursday afternoon.

The order was complete and correct. All high quality American made parts.

Now that's service. Highly recommended.

http://www.stengelbros.com/

I in no way represent them, I'm just a very satisfied customer.

Update: got both sides replaced in about 8 hours over the weekend.

View attachment 2302

 

[Rifleman]

Nice

 

[bhawk]

O'Reillys carries the shackle kits at about 25 bucks each. Its on their website under leaf spring shackle kit. That includes the bushing that fits into the main leaf and both bolts for that side. It is made by Dorman, part number 722-001 (for my 94 ranger). I believe Dorman also makes the spring hangers that rivet\bolt to the frame, but mine were okay so I didn't order them. Maybe look at Dorman's web site, get the part numbers and try your local aftermarket parts store like O'reillys. I am in Canada and Autovalue carries Dorman stuff and I got mine here, but at double the cost to what you guys pay in the USA.

 

[colordranger27]

i got mine from stengel brothers a year ago.. havent rusted yet..and good price

 

[Hawk1339]

I searched all over town for the Dorman shackle. One guy I talked to said he gets two or three calls a week for Ford shackles, but his Dorman supplier can't seem to deliver that item. The Dorman part was listed on all the chain stores sites (AutoZone etc.) but nobody stocked them. Price was around $25. Stengel's price for the shackle alone is $19.99. The price indicated in my original post was for the whole kit- 2 shackles, 2 hangers, all necessary grade 8 hardware. As it turned out, I did need the whole kit because the hangers disintegrated when I tried to remove just the shackle.

I can't remember the brand name of the parts I got from Stengel, but I can remember that they were actually made in USA, somewhere in Pennsylvania (found them online). After I ordered from Stengel I did find a distributor in town for the same manufacturer, but their prices were a lot higher than Stengel's, even with shipping.

So glad I fixed this thing. No more noise, no more droopy truck, and it rides like a new vehicle. Huge difference.


Checked when I got home: the brand name is Dayton/Batco.

 

[Crunchy]

Looks nice.

But, looking closely, the bottom shackle to leaf bolt, the nut I think it is on the left side has a small space between the shackle and the nut. That should be torqued down to something like 80 ft-lbs which is enough to squeeze the shackle together nice & tight.

 

[Hawk1339]

Looks nice.

But, looking closely, the bottom shackle to leaf bolt, the nut I think it is on the left side has a small space between the shackle and the nut. That should be torqued down to something like 80 ft-lbs which is enough to squeeze the shackle together nice & tight.

Very observant! Both that bolt and the upper shackle bolts are not torqued in this picture. According to the book, those bolts should be torqued to 115 ft/lb, but only after the full weight of the vehicle is on the springs. I took the photo while the truck was still jacked up. With the bolts properly torqued, the "ears" on the shackle and the hanger actually bend in a little.

The hanger-to-frame bolts must be torqued while the vehicle is raised.

 

[Crunchy]

Nice. Just didn't want you to lose your rear end after doing all this work

I installed lift shackles 2 weeks ago, so all this is still ringing in my head

Mine bent in a bit too. They are supposed to be tight against the metal sleeve in the bushing.

What I found funny when I did mine, was the amount of rocks that were wedged inside the rear hanger. Every time I turned the top bolt, the rocks would crush and fall out ontop of me, it never ended, I swear there was a wheel-barrow load full between the hanger and the frame.

Very observant! Both that bolt and the upper shackle bolts are not torqued in this picture. According to the book, those bolts should be torqued to 115 ft/lb, but only after the full weight of the vehicle is on the springs. I took the photo while the truck was still jacked up. With the bolts properly torqued, the "ears" on the shackle and the hanger actually bend in a little.

The hanger-to-frame bolts must be torqued while the vehicle is raised.

 

[Hawk1339]

What I found funny when I did mine, was the amount of rocks that were wedged inside the rear hanger. Every time I turned the top bolt, the rocks would crush and fall out ontop of me, it never ended, I swear there was a wheel-barrow load full between the hanger and the frame.

Same here. I make it a point to wear safety glasses when under the truck due to all the stones, dirt, rust chips, and other crud that comes raining off whenever I touch anything.

Years ago I drove the Alaska Highway when it was still unpaved, a thousand miles of dirt and gravel. It rained for most of that trip, and for years afterward I was still finding gritty mud packed up into the underside of that Toyota wagon. Wherever that car is now, it probably still has mud on it.