please tell me this can be fixed!

[User Name missing]

heres hoping the pics work:

If so, first pic should be the busted passenger side shackle(?) and the next the drive side, which is what the passenger side should look like. I noticed these are rivited to the frame. Can this be fixed?

 

[countryboy]

yes this can be fixed very common problem with rangers when u live in the rust belt...would explain how to fix but go to the tech library or use the search feature and look for shackle and shackle hanger replacement...

 

[User Name missing]

so it IS a shackle. awsome! My parents have a 96 Explorer and found a place that will replace them for $35 apeice, bring your own parts. I could do it myself, but I'm so %$&** frustrated, I'd have to buy a new truck after beating the old one with a sledge. If it ain't one thing, its 20 other......

 

[User Name missing]

need help, the leaf springs mounts in 2 places, one in the very rear and one toward the front. the pics above are the mounts toward the front, which I'm assuming are called simply "shackles", correct? What about what it mount to toward the rear? I figured I might as well replace them all. Should I also replace the leaf spring "bushings"? If so, are they called just that, bushings? I'm gonna be buying parts in a couple of hours then driving it bout 20 miles to get it fixed.....want to make sure I have all the right parts.

 

[TimR]

the part on the frame, is the hanger, the rear has shackles, and yes, the bushings, are called bushings. BTW, be prepared, the gas tank has to come out to replace the left front hanger. It's gonna cost more than $35.

 

[User Name missing]

theres no mention of that in the tech library:
http://therangerstation.com/Magazine/winter2009/spring_shackle-hanger.htm

 

[TimR]

Is the bed off of your truck???

 

[User Name missing]

I see what you mean after getting pics from autozone and comparing them to the good side. the front bracket is right next to the gas tank. oh well, as long as it gets fixed

 

[TimR]

what you are NOT seeing, is that there is a matching mount, behind the frame rail, that the front tank strap attaches to. It attaches using the same bolts/rivets as the hanger.

 

[--weezl--]

as others have said, the front has hangars, there are NO shackles on the front only on the rear.

if you are going to undertake this project, replace all 4 hangars and both shackles... use grade 8 bolts when you are doing it also... just grind down the rivets and put bolts in, in place of them

and yes, i would HIGHLY recommend replacing the bushings at the same time

 

[mp3deviant721]

as others have said, the front has hangars, there are NO shackles on the front only on the rear.

if you are going to undertake this project, replace all 4 hangars and both shackles... use grade 8 bolts when you are doing it also... just grind down the rivets and put bolts in, in place of them

and yes, i would HIGHLY recommend replacing the bushings at the same time

What this guy said. I did all 4 hangers on mine as well as shackles and all the bushings. If you are going to replace them, do it all at once.

And you do not need to remove the gas tank if you are not using a torch to remove rivets. And if you are looking for a deal on a kit with everything check out this:

http://www.autoandtrucksprings.com/..._Wide_Leaf_Spring_FREE_SHIPPING-1340-162.html

If I had seen this before I did mine I would have saved about $200. Although this does not include the bushings for the front of the springs, its a pretty good deal.

 

[Tonka]

This happens all the freakin' time. Cheap steel from China. It's a common problem with Rangers from the 90's.

(Anyone reading this who owns a Ranger from the 90's, but hasn't had this problem, keep an eye on your leaf spring hangar brackets. If I had one from that era I'd take 'em off and clean 'em up and coat them with undercoat stuff.)

Your best bet is to mail order replacements from a junkyard down south where they don't use salt on the roads.

Up here in the rust belt, those spring hangers are scarce in the junkyard. Plus if you do find some, they're not in good shape.

I know two guys with 90's Rangers who have had that problem. Both of them ended up with the leaf spring poking up through the sheet metal bed because they continued to drive it like that. (Idiots, I tells ya!)

It looks like yours isn't poking through the bed yet, that's great. DON'T DRIVE IT til you fix it. In fact, get that rear end up on jack-stands ASAP, til the tires almost come off the ground. Jack it up by the frame, not the axle.

Replace all 4, and wire brush and get some really good under-coating stuff to put on the replacements before you install them. And do what Weezl said; use either grade 8 bolts or better yet, get some grade 9 aircraft quality bolts from your nearest municipal airport with a shop. They ain't cheap but that's what I do when I need a really high quality bolt. (The wings on my ultralight airplane are held on by only four tiny little quarter-inch bolts, two at the fuselage, and one at each end of the struts. They're grade 9 and the plane is rated at 6 positive G's. Good ****!) And change the bushings while you're at it.

 

[User Name missing]

I got the parts from autozone and napa, its getting fixed today. Got all the brackets and bushings. I'm know how it went by noon. I've worked enough on vehicles and many other things this year, its time to start enjoying summer for a change.

 

[Tonka]

I got the parts from autozone and napa, its getting fixed today. Got all the brackets and bushings. I'm know how it went by noon. I've worked enough on vehicles and many other things this year, its time to start enjoying summer for a change.

Oh goody! Aftermarket. In this particular case it's actually better than a used OEM replacement. (I should hope). Still, make sure it's not bare steel before you install it. If it's bare steel, it's probably also gonna be oily to prevent rust during shipping and warehousing. Get all the oil off before you paint it.

Starting fluid, degreaser, water with dish soap, ... something.

 

[User Name missing]

$28 for part, $45 for labor. They only fixed the broken side, said the rest is still in good shape. Works for me, I ran out of money anyhow.

No, it was painted. That part came from Napa, in which I checked it before I left to be sure they gave me the right one. If it holds up as long as I have the truck, it could have been made out of plastic and I wouldn't have cared (you get my point).