Shackles And Bushings Guidence

Hey all,
I am going to replace the bushings on my shackles but I'm not sure what exactly I need because these don't look like factory shackles. Here are some photos of whats on my CJ5 and as you can see, it looks like the bushing is gone on the bottom. Any suggestions/help are greatly appreciated.

 

Can't tell for sure but it looks like you might have a crack in one of the center welds of that shackle.

 

They are not factory shackles, but the bushings look factory. Post a photo of them when you get the shackle off. If they are factory bushings they will be rubber with a steel sleeve thru them. And they are hard to remove, they are pressed in and
fit tight!

 

I just went and looked at it and it was just a shadow thank goodness.

 

Is there any way to measure how much lift is provided by the shackles? I'm running 265/70-17R tires. What is the stock shackle length?

 

Ayuh,..... That looks exactly like what's on my Jeep,..... I figured it's 'bout 1.5" longer/ taller than the stock 1963 shackles,.....

 

Ayuh,..... I'm about to do mine,.... Got greaseable bolts, 'n poly bushin' goin' in,....

For removin' the old, I've found that a torch will burn out the rubber, 'n then an air hammer, with an exhaust rippin' tool gets the steel part out,.....

 

Been there, done exactly that.

Possibly you can make a press/puller with thread rod, nuts, washers and a socket or two of the right diameters

 

I made an arbor for a C frame press that works really well. What ever method you use, don't beat them out with a hammer. You can actually bend the shackle mounting doing that.

 

I usually use a hall joint press to get the rubber and center sleeve out then use a die grinder burr or hacksaw blade to carefully split the outer steel shell. Then a punch/chisel to peel the shell out of the mount.

 

I just went through this recently and it was the hardest repair I've to do yet. You wouldn't think so, but it is a job. This assumes you have the factory style bushings still. I used a propane torch and burned out the rubber and the center tube fell out, easy enough. Next is the very thin steel outer liner/bushing part. It must come out. I tried air chisels, cold chisels and hammers, air body saws (burned up two of those) and the easiest way I found was to use a sawzall with a thin enough (top to bottom) blade that would fit through the hole. I very carefully cut into the bushing metal a little at a time until I felt it was deep enough without cutting into the spring metal itself. I did that several times on the inside of each bushing, moving around to a different spot. Eventually I had enough cuts (2-3) where the metal would start coming out and I could take a small, sharp screwdriver and start knocking them out. I put the original style bushings back in. I had to use a small grinding stone in a drill and smooth out the inside if the spring until I could knock the new bushing in with a MFH (medium f hammer) I didn't want to bang too much on the end of an old spring. Good luck. One thing I forgot to mention, if you can take the springs out and put them up on a bench, it will make the job 1000% percent easier, I did my front springs out of the jeep, the back ones not.

 

I use an air chisel with a hammer tip to drive them out.

I hone the inside of the spring eyes and hanger with an old brake cylinder hone, push the steel sleeve out of the new bushing, grease the outside, press it in with a big C clamp, and then drive in the steel sleeve.

 

The stock shackle length is 2.75”… bolts measured center to center. So measure the distance between the bolts. The shackle lift over stock is 1/2 of the extra length. For example, shackles with bolts measuring 3.75” off center are 1” longer than stock, but 1/2” lift. Most folks consider more than 1” shackle lift too much on the factory suspension of these old rigs. 3/8” lift being the sweet spot IMO. The rear can probably handle a bit more because there are not caster concerns and the springs are longer. Getting the old bushings out can be a PITA. I’m running poly bushings and like them.

 

Thanks for that information. I measured 3.5" to each bolt center on two of the shackles but I would say 3.75" only because of the bushings are so bad.

 

my method as well..

 

Ayuh,..... The shackle bolts shouldn't be affected by the spring bushin's,... The bolt centers won't move,....

If the shackle holes are egged out,..... Ya need new shackles,.....