CLOSED - Spring '21 Coachbuilder Shackle GB/Sale

Great point! Plus, its the PACNORWEST, so waiting for a dry day may take a while.

 

I don't have a ball joint press. Besides that, anyone have a surefire way to get the bushings out of the leaf eyelets?
I guess I could go rent a press from Autozone or somewhere if necessary.

 

FIRE

 

Their how to video doesn’t seem to state it’s hard (or even show it). Is it pretty tough to do so?

 

If the OEM bushing have seen years of salty roads it can be a be a struggle. I spent an hour torching a set on a Tacoma once.

 

Well, I got the shackles installed. Lots of prep work, ie. getting truck on jack stands, jack under the diff, pulling the wheels, disconnecting the lower shock bolts and sway bar end links, and removing the spare tire. Tedious but not difficult.
Once all that was done I removed the stock shackles, which was pretty simple.

Then came the hard part...
Curse the man or machine that pressed those bushings into the leaf springs! I'll just say this, if you can hammer those things out of there you're a better man than me. I bought a basic ball joint press from Harbor Freight and then spent about an hour trying to figure out the best way to press them out since the kit is not exactly designed for this job. Ended up using a bolt with a large washer just smaller than the metal sleeve of the bushing and got it going with an impact gun. It moved pretty well after that, but the sleeve from the press kit was too short and the bushing was bottoming out. A little redneck engineering and I finally got them out. First side took about 2 hours total, the other side took about 15 minutes, haha!

Once the bushings were out of the way the install and reassembly was super simple. Grease up the bushings and hardware, install the shackles (use the jack to raise/lower the rear end as necessary), reconnect the sway bar, shock bolts, and tires and set it down. Torque everything to spec and you're good to go.

Did a quick shake down run just to make sure everything was good. I could immediately feel the rear end felt more stable/solid.
Will do a more thorough comparison driving to/from work this week, but so far I'm glad I went this route.
Prior to the install my truck was pretty level with coilovers up front set at 2". I knew I'd be gaining a little over 1/2" in the rear and had considered raising the front slightly to keep the stance, but now that I see it, I think I'll keep it this way for a while. Slight rake visually now.

Anyway, glad that job is done... time for a beer or three.

 

Which press from Harbor Freight did you use? Got a photo of the bolt and nut "tool"?

EDIT: Looks like this is the tool? and this is a video showing how to use it for this exact problem?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbwT5DEYe6E

 

I had basically that same setup. Large press with cups and spacers for different size ball joints/bushings. The problem I ran into was the threaded part of the press was just pushing on the inner sleeve and rubber part of the bushing and not getting any pressure on the outer sleeve. I’m not a mechanic so this may be obvious to some, but I messed around with it for a while and then finally figured it out. I dug around the workbench and found a large bolt that fit in the bushing inner sleeve, and I found a couple of large washers that were the same size as the outer sleeve. Probably about 28mm or so. Put the washer on the bolt and stick into the bushing, then clamp down the press and hit it with an impact and it started moving. Once it starts you can switch over to a large ratchet and it moves pretty easy and is way quicker than the impact gun. Maybe those more experienced would have figured this out much quicker, I probably spent more brain power than I needed to, but got there eventually. I’ll take a pic of the bolt and washer I used when I get home.

 

Follow up on my previous post... yes, that Maddox kit was the one I used from Harbor Freight. It was on sale for $49.99.

Here's the bolt and washer I used to press the bushing out.
Not sure if the guy in the video was just pressing straight on the inner sleeve of the bushing or if he had something in there, but I coulnd't make any progress just pushing the rubber. The bolt and washer made quick work of it.

 

Awesome @OnespeedTRD. Thanks for the tips!

 

Thanks David! I received the @Coachbuilder1 Pro Kit today and awesome Tumbler! Packaged Perfectly too. Now just awaiting the Wheel Spacers. Have you heard anything yet?

 

Finally some swag! David I need some decals. I'm trying to send a bunch of business your way showing everyone my steering ends and shackles. I should have jumped on this - I'm gonna need to swap my +2 for +3 when I get my rtt

 

Awesome, glad parts made it Thanks for the call yesterday, Wheels pacers should be arriving shortly.

 

Yes, This year will bring many new items to the Coachbuilder line including a ton of Swag!!! Thanks for the support, its greatly appreciated!

 

They called back after we spoke yesterday and said 3 weeks. I sent them $100 to rush them to early next week.

 

Great info on the OE bushing removal guys. We have seen and heard all kinds of horror stories from guys that don't have a solid game plan on getting the OE rubber bushing out. It really is pretty simple and would recommend spraying the rear eyelets a day or two before installing your parts. Tool of choice is a ball joint press tool or air hammer with chisel attachment. The steel outer collar can be stuck in there pretty good but with constant pressure on the outer sleeve it will pop out of there.

 

If anyone is interested, it arrived today, appears of good quality, and seems to be the same thing sold at Harbor Freight, only $42 (they accepted best offer of $41.50, FYI) and not $89. Just waiting on my +3's and can let you guys know how it works out!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Heavy-Duty...oval-Tool-Kits-with-4x4-Adapters/153788939794

 

Do you happen to know what size those washers are? Wouldn't mind having some on hand when I install my shackles Monday.

 

Looks to be a 1 1/2" washer. The gold washer in the pic is too small, the grey one is what worked, which is right at 1 1/2" but its not a standard washer, its actually a spacer for an old set of bicycle cranks that I had in the parts bin. The inner hole of that was too big for the bolt, so I needed the other washer to make it work. That's a long way of saying 1 1/2" should work.

 

Anybody else still waiting on their parts from this sale?

 

Had the +1 delivered to Canada super fast. There are still some +2 and +3 being built and shipped.

 

Yeeeeeep

 

We still have a hand full of +2"s and +3"s still needing to ship and expect more back from anodizing in the next or two. We received a good amount wed morning and had them shipped same day. Thanks for your patience guys!

 

this guy! Got all my other components

 

Hi David,
I’m still in the waiting group...no worries tho! I know you’re cranking thru them!

‘Just wanted to clarify your last.
“...expect more back from anodizing in the next ??? or two.”
Is that supposed to say day, week, month?

Thanks again!

 

Year

 

Received my shipping info yesterday. +3’s and shims.

 

Finished the install this afternoon. Came out perfect. Thanks again @Coachbuilder1!

FYI ball joint press is the only way to get those shackle bushings out in my opinion.

Front:
CB .5 shims (2 driver/1 passenger)
SPC UCA’s
6112’s on top setting

Rear:
5100s
CB +3 shackles

 

What size wheels and tires?

 

285/70r18s tires and 18x9 wheels