95' leaf spring hangars

[harbt95]

I really wish that the hangars weren't riveted on. K ground off the heads of the rivets on the outside of the frame and pryed the hangar off wich came off in three peices now I can't get the top two through the frame. I can't get my torches filled until Monday and would need my truck for that anyway. Is there anything else I can try other than pounding them out with a punch. I can't get my drill in there and don't have the right torx bit to pull my boxside. And I had to do jt at my house so I don't have a lift



Also any advice for doing the front hangars. I'll be doing them soon and any tips tricks would be great.





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[97RangerXLT]

Did this repair almost two years ago...

Did all 4 hangers at once, since the three that didn't fail (at the time) didn't look too strong...

If you have all of the hangers off, that is a bonus, but not necessary. Get your grinder out and grind the rivits flush with the frame. get a 3lb mini sledge hammer and a steel rod that is about 18 inches long and tapered to a point on one end (basically a large punch) place the point in the center of the rivet and hold with one hand and whale on it with the three pound mini sledge. those rivits should pop right out of there. Just make sure they are ground flush with the frame or the hanger so that they can't mushroom out as you whale on them.

Front hangers are no different than the rear, but it is harder to get the angle grinder onto the rivits. You will have to at least loosen the gas tank and move it away from the frame rail to get the bolts in for the new hangers...but other than that, not much different than the rear.

Good luck!

Edit...

Just saw you don't have the torx bit to remove the bed.... ugh... go out and spend the 10 bucks and get a half inch drive T55 torx socket and remove the bed. your life will be soooo much easier. all it takes to remove the bed is the 6 torx bolts, three 8mm screws around the gas filler neck, and unhook the tail lights (connector is at the bumper on the driver side) two people can easily lift the bed off the frame without any lift. it will take you about 15 minutes to remove the bed, unless you have a bedliner then it will take you maybe 15 min more to fight with the bedliner. I actually spent more time removing my bedliner than I did removing the bed itself.

Here is a good article on removing the bed:
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145892

Replace the filler neck while you are in there... chances are if you have the original, it leaks (40 bucks on fleabay)

Edit Edit...

shouldn't need a lift at all, just a jack to support the frame while the hanger is removed. I did mine without any power tools or torches, the biggest issue I had was getting the rubber bushings out of the spring eyes...


AJ

 

[harbt95]

I have the bit to pull the bed but would rather pull just the box side i have a splash I just don't have a way to get to the store for the smaller bit I'll need my buddy gets back to town Monday morning and my parents are gone for a couple days. I've got a 3" punch and a 1 lb carpenters hammer in my tool box. I'm tempted to cut the lock on my dads box he lets me use his tools but forgot to give me the keys before he left. I guess im just going to have to keep pounding on them in the morning.



And the worse part is I need my truck for work Monday morning


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[Road Angels]

Pull the bed I just did mine, I center drilled the rivets out all the way thru, hit the heads with a chiesl they popped off and the rivets popped out no problem,( there hollow so they are easy) took me about two hours with pulling the bed about 6 mins on each rivet there really soft, I will never grind them again takes to long and leaves pecker tracks on things, I dont beat on things

 

[AllanD]

I did the shackle hangers both sides of my truck
this past summer.

Not the first time I've done it, so they were already "converted" to bolts

But to get the rivets out I prefer one of two methods

Either grind a flat onto the rivet head to make it easier to drill the rivet
ALL THE WAY THROUGH before even looking for my chisel and hammer

OR torching the heads off.

I'm something of an artist with a cutting torch so after the bracket is
out of the way I will torch the stem of the rivet off flush with the
outside of the frame and only them drive it through the frame with
a punch and four pound hammer.

Note, a rivet that is glowing hot is even softer and will often FALL
out with just a touch with the punch.

If you already have the heads off get out your drill and drill them through

The bigger the drill you use the easier they are to get out but don't go at it with a big drill all at once go up gradually.

The hardest pert is getting a 3/16" drill all the way through after that the progressively larger sizes go through rather quickly.

BTW, if you are doing this with the bed on? good luck...

 

[harbt95]

i got it done today left the bed on. and just used a bigger hammer and my punch they came right out.

what a difference in ride quality it has been broke since i bought the truck two weeks ago.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Glad to hear you got it done.

I've tried drilling them out, grinding them down, sawing the heads off with a sawzall and chiseling the heads off with a cold chisel. Once I graduated to using a torch, I've never looked back. Of course, I have the advantage of having two torch sets available so running short on gas to cut with isn't much of an issue. I cut them off, heat 'em up and give them a sharp rap with a ball peen hammer. Usually works, if that doesn't then I heat 'em again and go at them with the sledge and punch. I'm still practicing to be as good as the one older feller I met who ran a junkyard, he would whack the rivet head off with a torch and he had this tiny ball peen hammer, one or two sharp whacks and he was done.

Then I turn the torch on the rubber bushings, lol.

 

[harbt95]

Well I was at least lucky enough to have the bushing out of the spring. I did it a few days ago while I was at my buddies house on a lift with a nice torch set so I didn't have to much to do under the truck


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[97RangerXLT]

Cool, glad you got it done. It was a night and day difference with new springhangers and shackles for me too.

AJ