Front Spring shackle

[hale1776]

Update: I was able to get the lower shaft through spring eye to day. Top going through perch itself would not pass the half way point, I jacked spring front, back, a little, a lot, 20 different angles. After few hours gave up and decided start all over with new bushing on top, old (new) bushing refused to come out. As it never went all the way to back using a steel rod which fit perfectly in perch hole with 100% contact with bushing, no amount of hammering moved bushing a micron. Time spend a lot of money on a tool I'm only going to use once in my lifetime. Not happy.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I haven't done shackles and bushings for a long time, but the ones I bought from Brattons years ago went together just fine with no drilling or reaming. The old bushings did come out rather hard though, but I still didn't have to use my press or any special tools.

[Mitch//pa]

the tool costs 8 bucks and works for removal and installation

[hale1776]

Mitch I do have a steel rod that fits bushing perfectly....or trust me I would be on the phone to these guys tomorrow. My issue defy's logic round hole, round rod, rod fits in hole but stops half way, grease, oil, heat, hammer, drift my spring perch laughs at all their feeble attempts to pass. A new spring perch is cheaper than the reamer to maybe fix the old one........will I just be magnifying my problems or solving old ones. This all started because I want to change my oil weeks ago.

[Purdy Swoft]

Bratton sells pre reamed bushings that fit . These bushings are on page 35 of the currant Brattons catalog . Part number 4270 price forty five cents each. I always buy a few extras in case I mess one or more up when installing. Nobody is perfect all of the time. As Mitch says, go ahead and buy the bushing driver tool. We are only as good as the tools that we use. This bushing driver also works on the rear brake cam bushings. I liked it so well that I boughtt two. Figured I could lose one and would never want to be without one. The bushing driver is only $8.25. Years ago when Bratton sold all of the reamers for model A bushings I bought them all, a few at the time. They wasn't nearly as expensive when I got mine. Back in the day most shackle bushings had to be reamed even if they fit the shackle before installation. I never had good luck using a drill bit. The bit would usually hang up and make a mess.

[hale1776]

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Purdy...while researching reamers I found out there were adjustable reamers meaning same tool that reamed perch can also ream bushing once its in. Something in my perch is messed up ( like plowing snow eventually snow always wins)not exactly sure but another member here had one for sale (35.00) and I just bought it. figured if part cheaper than tool to fix old one... get new part. Any tips on removing a spring perch would be gratefully received. I will get that bushing driver as well....I do have a garage full of tools from past generations.

[Purdy Swoft]

To remove the perch, remove the nut under the axle. use plenty of penetrating oil, The best is Sili Kroil next best Licquid Wrench or PB Blaster. Acetone and automatic transmission fluid mixed 50/50 is also good . A long pipe wrench on the upper perch used carefully turning the perch back and forth can help. heat as a last resort. Burrs inside the perch where the bushing fits could be the problem. Good luck. I would try to make the repair without removing the perch if at all possible. Reaming the perch or perch bushing doesn't require the exact tolerance of an engine part or even a king pin. The adjustable reamer should do the job. I bought a set of adjustable reamers at Harbor freight. I don't use them where exact tolerance is required but they often come in handy for fitting repro parts that won't fit or reaming intake manifold runners to model B size. I bought a new crankshaft pulley from a popular vender said to have been machined in the USA. The pulley wouldn't fit over the crankshaft. A light touch with the adjustable reamer fitted the pulley with ease. I could have sent it back but would have had to have waited. Same with a repro clutch release arm that wouldn't slip over the shaft. Some would almost faint at the very mention of using a Harbor freight reamer. I do my own repairs on my cars and answer to no one . I've got the spiral Reamers in proper sizes for exact tolerance work. Sometimes an adjustable reamer or rat tail file can be very handy in extreme cases .

[tbirdtbird]

i'd like to reinforce a previous comment that sometimes it seems nearly impossible to get old perches out. They are tapered and have been pounded in over time for many years. One poster said he got a couple 'right out'. I am glad to hear that someone did, 'cause I always have an awful time, even with the axle out of the car. As Purdy says try to fix this without removing the perch

what you said about snow is one of the main reasons i got out of New England...life is too short...

[Tom Wesenberg]

I've also had a tough time getting most perches out.

Most adjustable reamers won't fit both the sizes you want to do. If it fits the bushing I.D. then that's fine, and I'd use a large rat tail file to remove any burrs from the perch. To remove the bushing you could drive against the head of a carriage bolt dropped through the bushing. Grind the head diameter if you need to, to make it fit through the perch hole.

Rather than drive against the carriage bolt head, you could also use the bolt to draw the bushing out. Use a pipe with an inside diameter just larger than the outside diameter of the bushing, then place a thick flat washer on the bolt and tighten the nut down to draw out the bushing.

[harleytoprock]

If I understand the problem correctly, the bushings holes are sized right and individualy accept the the shackle stud but will lock up when installing the shackle going into both holes at the same time. It would seem there is a alignment issue in that the holes are not parallel and not in the same plane.

[Joe K]

Correct on the alignment issue. Reaming/drilling the hole simply "accomodates" a developed in pressing in angular misalignment. And does so by increasing the clearance between shackle and bushing.

IIRC, the bushings I used were considerably smaller than the finished size. So reaming/drilling was more along the lines of "establishing the correct size." Alignment of the holes between the two bushings was perhaps incidental? (although not less important?)

Joe K

[Terry,NJ]

Call me lucky! But my perches (all 4 of them) came right out. Hey wait, there's only two to a car! Right! But I have two cars and in neither case did I apply more force than a few taps with a brass hammer. and the new ones went in just as easy. As I said, I also greased them up with "Never seize" so they'll come apart easily the next time.
Terry

Originally Posted by tbirdtbird

i'd like to reinforce a previous comment that sometimes it seems nearly impossible to get old perches out. They are tapered and have been pounded in over time for many years. One poster said he got a couple 'right out'. I am glad to hear that someone did, 'cause I always have an awful time, even with the axle out of the car. As Purdy says try to fix this without removing the perch

what you said about snow is one of the main reasons i got out of New England...life is too short...

[hale1776]

I am starting to understand why removing front end would make the job easier as what is exactly wrong with my perch hole is still a mystery as I am unable to see it clearly, a 1/2 drill bit passes through it easily with room to spare. Parallel alignment was an issue for awhile but using a jack from behind axle lifted and twisted spring parallel. I have had single bolt through spring eye all the way. The only thing I can think of is on the shackle bolts where the threads stop there is a shoulder relatively sharp which is acting like a bulldozer blade plowing into something in bushing till it stops. I don't have a reamer of correct size and in researching them vs a new spring perch getting new perch seemed like the obvious choice however I may have just traded one nightmare for another. I do have giant pipe wrench and penetrating oil, trying new "Seafoam's Deep Creep".

[hale1776]

Question what size reamer to purchase for spring perch original hole without bushing?

[Purdy Swoft]

Just a couple of thoughts before any reaming is done. Without trying to connect the spring and spring perch with the shackle, will the shackle pass through just the perch? If it will, no further reaming is needed. It is possible that when driving in the perch bushing, the perch has moved slightly backward at an angle that won't allow the shackle to pass through the perch. If this is the problem, a few licks with the hammer from the back side of the perch should help realign the perch. Another possibility is that the spring isn't spread far enough, Don't let some fool you by saying replacing the shackles and bushings is an easy job. Truth be known it can be a real pain.

[hale1776]

Purdy .....a single shaft without any dog-bone connector will not go through hole and I have ground away most of the new bushing with a milling bit and a large rat tail file. My intention was to ream to original size hole then put in a new bushing again and then draw shackle in as others have described.

[hale1776]

Used milling bit on upper original spring perch today and was finally able to get shackle on. Greased it up and took it for a ride. Thank you to all for advice.

[Mitch//pa]

Great