Quote:
Originally Posted by arctictraveller
Yikes, your not the first one to have this happen, glad nothing bad happened. It sounds like regular inspection is a good idea. What exactly was the hard part?
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I spent a while trying to get the lower bolt out until I realized I could fit an angle grinder cut off wheel between the frame bracket and the shackle end to cut each end of the bolt off and the lower part just came out.
The upper bolt however took a lot more work. I ended up cutting the head off of the bolt and putting a length of 1-1/2" pipe over the threads sticking out with a big washer and then the nut, so when I tightened the nut it pulled the bolt and the inner bushing sleeve it was rusted to out of the rubber bushing.
After getting the center out I took a torch to the rubber bushing and managed to pull it out almost whole.
Getting the outer bushing sleeve out of the end of the leaf spring was difficult. I had to use a straight sawzall blade to make two lengthwise cuts on the inside and then use my beater to get it to start curling inward and then use channellocks to twist it inward and pull it out.
The hardest part was getting the new bushing in. Everything was clean and I greased it but it was a TOIGHT fit. Toight, like a toiger. I used a piece of 3/8" threaded rod and some washers to press it in, broke that, moved up to 1/2" rod, broke that. Luckily by that point it was in enough I could use the new grade 8 bolt to suck it in more.
Then with the bushing barely in the right place I had to try and get the new shackle on which didn't quite line up because the leaf spring was off center. A ratchet strap helped pull it over.
I will try to post pics later.