Spring hangers

[bwright1818]

I am brand new here to the site and read with interest the tech articles on spring hangers and shackles. I have put 209,000 miles on my '93 Ranger and live in the Northeast, so I am well aware of these problems. I have some thoughts: First, God knows I didn't take off my bed, tail lights or anything else...just the tire and wheel. My hangers were installed with rivits. I ground the heads off where I could; but I mostly DRILLED the heads off. They are made of mild steel. Nothing very special or tough. I drilled them with an 1/8" then a 1/4" then a 7/16". I have an angle drill motor to do this. Milwaukee makes a great little one, 120 volt. Then I just punched the rivits out. This leaves you with a hole in the frame (at least on my '93) that was best suited for a 12 mm bolt. 3/8" bolt was too small and 1/2" bolt was too big. The first time I did this, I used grade 8 bolts, thinking this was quite the manly thing. However, the SECOND time, grinding off rusted-to-oblivion grade 8s really s....ked. I used stainless bolts, this time, which is more than good unless you're planning on hauling an entire F350 acroos the country in the bed. Really, they are quite strong and more important, will far outlast the truck, no matter how long you keep it! My last front mount took about four hours, and that was only because I had trouble with the large bolt being stuck in the spring bushing. It's not a bad job. Thanks for a great new site to surf!!!!

Bill

 

[bobbywalter]

they are 7/16. grade 5 is fine.

takes 10-20 min a bracket with a grinder/cut off/airchisel for me, i do not have to remove the bed, but i do pull the tank. if the tank looks like a pia i gently use a cut wheel and protective welding blanket and air chisel

pretty much standard to do this when installing new springs so you can wire wheel and treat frame and bracket as a preventative measure ...when reusing springs and or just replacing brackets due to rot....operation is a potential trainwreck.

i have many different grinders and stones as well, use a variety but its quicker and easier in the end


grade 8 bolts should wrench off or twist off no problem

 

[bwright1818]

Re: Hanger brackets

Guess I need more tools! (Any excuse will do, for that!)

My grade 8s rotted off so bad that I couldn't even get 'em with vise grips, never mind normal tools or even beating on the wrong size socket. yet they were a mother to grind. Never again. Besides, being a boat mechanic, I'm partial to stainless. It is my freind!

I do remember moving the gas tank to one side, to get the new bolts in.

Bill

 

[skareb]

sorry for the thread jacking but what is the best way to remove the bolt through the spring. I did one bracket last year that broke and have another on its way, but if i remeber the bolt through the leaf was the pita for me.
Thanks

 

[bwright1818]

Re: spring hangers

That was the pita for me too. I kept on twisting until the metal bushing let loose and turned in the rubber. Then I sawed off half the hanger and pulled out the whole bushing, with the bolt. I heated up the bare steel bushing on the bolt and pounded out the bolt, in order to save the bushing. THEN, I had to get the bushing back into the rubber in the spring, which is now about three sizes too small to fit; so I ground an old half inch nut into the shape of a cone and used it along with a old half inch bolt and pulled the cone and bushing right back into the spring. Then I chucked the cone and spare bolt. Now, all I needed to do was put in a new, correct size bolt. See, THAT'S why it took me the four hours. I was too cheap to put in a new spring. ha ha.