Help shackle install/removal

He must feel like he has 15 bosses watching him right now.... Didn't we tell you to unbolt that rear sway bar. c'mon son... get to work.

 

@porkitt I meant Monday. I did it on Monday LOL I took the day off because of a hangover from Sunday.

 

It’s unbolted still bound up in the lower bushing!

 

sounds like torch time...if both sides are unbolted.

 

Watch video above to see how they come out?

spray with pentrating oil?

 

Were you able to completely drop the Jack off of the bottom of the differential to confirm it’s hanging?
Did you lube it at all with some type of rust release penetrant? Push it back into the frame and focus on breaking loose the bolt from the eyelet. Also so you don’t mess up the threads of the bolt, put the nut on the threads of the lower bolt. Try persuading it with a hammer. PB blaster is amazing. You can watch it suck into any crevices that you spray it on.

 

Yep I’ve done all that sucks I don’t have a touch

 

Sadly, I know the feeling. Apparently I ate a lot too.

Back to the thread...Op, you may need to jack up the truck a little higher to get the droop, and be careful with the pry bar in case it slips.

 

My. .02

Heat the outside of the leaf spring and beat the crap outta it.

 

No doubt! I kept picturing the ball joint press knocking a couple teeth out. Reminding myself to be off to the side.

 

maybe take a drill to the rubber part of the bushing. make some holes?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8uD679kqww

 

Got mine installed on Friday 2” coachbuilder shackles and the rear ride like buutter..and very little bed bounce @15whtrd

 

There is a metal sleeve around the outside of the bushing as well as the metal insert inside. If you drill out the inside it’s going to be fun trying to get the sleeve out along the inside surface of the eylet. Will probably take some serious chisel action after that.

Op you might have to get a two or three jaw puller to push that bolt out. Maybe you’ll get lucky and the bushing will come with it.

 

I just did this myself last week. Be CAREFUL prying and beating on that thing. I nearly put my eye out when my pry bar slipped and flew back in my face. Good luck getting that bushing out without the proper tools. I screwed around with mine all day, even tried to beat it out with the back side of a splitting maul. It was STUCK. I ended up taking it to a shop with a bigger air compressor and air hammer than I had. They had it out in about 15 minutes.

There isn't anything except years of rusting that keeps it in there, but don't underestimate how strong a bond that can be. Your C clamp probably won't be enough. I had mine in a vise with a cheater bar, and ended up breaking the vise before I could get both of them out.

 

Nice!! But now I don’t think I could fit a 35 inch spare under there. I think 33’s will be my max. Also I need some extended links for my sway bar. At full droop my leaves contact the edge of my swaybar.

But seriously anyone who hasn’t felt the difference between stock and poly bushings, doesn’t know what they are missing. I didn’t think it would be this much of a difference.

 

Maybe because my truck is rust free. I used a ball joint press. I don’t have any air tools so I used my 1/4” Drive Milwaukee impact. That got me most of the way with tension and then I just used a big ratchet to squeeze it out of there.

 

I did end up using a ball joint press on mine that I rented from Autozone. The squared end on the one i used was 3/8" square drive some my impact gun fit it perfectly and i just spun the screw down until that rubber bushing popped out. Yes , as mentioned earlier , there is a metal sleeve on the out side of the rubber bushing that is a pain in the ass to fight if you dont get it with the press.
PB blaster on everything that looks like it needs to move.

 

^^^What all these guys said, sway bar disconnect, PB blaster, torch.... get you some wood blocks to go under your jack stands to give you more height and one for your jack. get a cheap propane torch from HD or Lowe, doubles as the best grill lighter around too. Rent the ball joist press for removing those rubber bushings, you may need to use a tall socket in conjunction with it to get the depth you need and put a hockey helmet on, that thing come out of there like a rocket.

 

Should I remove the leaf pack?

 

I can’t get it out for the life of me I heated it with a little torch everything now the stock hard ware is so messed up I can’t even put it back together lol

 

Have you tried putting a breaker bar and socket on the bolt itself and breaking it free from the sleeve? If you can get the bolt to spin it should come out.

 

+1 here. My brother is a mechanic by trade. When I put my Coachbuilder shackels on this is what I used. But not everybody has one laying around.

 

Bolts are pressed in the stock shackles

 

but in all seriousness cut the whole bolt off with a grinder and get that ball press and push the whole bushing out...or you could pull the leaf pack but you still might not be able to get it out if its stuck like that.

 

yup just cut that bolt off and shoot that shit out with the ball joint press. worse case scenario you have to burn the bushing and cut the sleeve out.

 

That’s right, my bad. I forgot about that part. Do you think it’s at all possible that you could pull it out of the frame? Maybe then you could crank on that shackle to get it to break free from the bushing.

 

Good idea! Cut both sides of that mold off and just press it out as a unit.

 

This happened to me last year when I installed my Coachbuilder +2

 

Damn! I must’ve got lucky. Mine pretty much came right out. I didn’t even pre-soak them. Just a quick blast before I began. I didn’t even have air tools. Just my little impact to get it started and then I had to do it by hand with a half inch drive ratchet.