Original or Reproduction?

[Vin-tin]

I'm curious as to what everyone thinks about this front spring shackle.
Does it look like an original or is a repro?

[Terry, NJ]

To my inexperienced eyes it looks like repo. I have some that I believe are originals because they have the Ford logo embossed in raised letters on both the pieces of the shackle.
Terry

[Gary Karr]

It looks original to me although someone has ground off or filled in all of the relief of the face. You might try to strip it to see what it looks like under all of that paint.

[d.j. moordigian]

I dug out an original, I think it's a repop. It looks "fat" for an original..

[heneste]

Is it normal to have a repop spring shackle with the original style grease fittings? I would have thought that most repop shackles would come with the newer style grease fittings.

[160B]

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Here is the RG&JS 23-4 Revised 1997. It appears to be the mid 1928 plain shackle used through mid 1931.

Originally Posted by d.j. moordigian

I dug out an original, I think it's a repop. It looks "fat" for an original..

I agree with d.j. in that it looks fat.

SPRING HANGERS and HANGER BARS
(SHACKLES)
Only original steel spring hangers (shackles) are to be given credit. The front and rear shackle bars had cut (not rounded) edges. The shackles and shackle bars were painted black. The shackle bar is 2-3/8" x 31/32". The shackle nuts were unfinished.

Lubricator fittings were cadmium plated, cone shaped and drive type.

The unfinished castle nuts were 7/16"-20 (29/64" x 11/16"). The 1928-29 spring shackles had nuts with rounded grooves and 1930-31 castle nuts had either round or square cut grooves.

The 1928 shackles had a lengthwise Ford script with U.S.A. Some early 1928 shackles had a double Ford script. In mid-1928, a plain shackle was introduced and used through mid-1931. Thereafter, shackles had a Ford script with U.S.A. horizontally placed under a lubricator hole at one end.

[mot]

heres my 2 Cts
it appears to be an original,but appears to have been welded and filled
hence the fat appearing end
you can see several cavities,that usually appear around welds,and the smooth finish
early reproductions would have press in fittings

here are four original NOS originals
i tried to take the same angle
since they are forged i would assume there would be many slight variations,due to the stamp dies and the operator holding them
i would like to see how these were forged
tom

[160B]

Originally Posted by mot

heres my 2 Cts..................tom

Tom could you post a photo that shows the thickness of the shackles you have?

[jw hash]

close but no cigar, I think it is an early USA reproduction, I have had some just like the one pictured. you have to remember that over the years a lot of USA company`s reproduced the shackles. some better than others.

[Vin-tin]

Thanks guys.
You all picked up on some very good observations.

This was actually a trick question.
Although you had different opinions as to what it is, most of you were correct.
This shackle actually started life as a modern replacement. The ones that don't look original, but hold up very well and don't snap.
I reshaped the hanger bar to look as close to an original as I possibly could, then welded it on as a "cosmetic" cap, complete with holes for original grease fittings.
The hanger bar with clipped corners is the original one from my car, as are the castle nuts.
I only did this just to see how it looked. I fooled some of you but not all...as expected.

[Tom Wesenberg]

You did a nice job. It looks like it took many hours to make it that nice.

[RonC]

Originals also have grease grooves on shafts. It appears there are none on the reworked repos

[Vin-tin]

Originally Posted by RonC

Originals also have grease grooves on shafts. It appears there are none on the reworked repos

You're correct. They have holes, but no grooves..."yet". They will when i'm done.

[Vin-tin]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

You did a nice job. It looks like it took many hours to make it that nice.

Thanks Tom. It actually didn't take that long.
I still have the other one to do.