Quote:
Originally Posted by ScrapIron
Also note that if you plan on changing the bushing that goes in the end of the leaf spring you will need a press or a special tool to press the bushing in and press the old one out.
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I recently had to replace my leaf spring bushings, and it can be done with a combination of threaded rod and appropriate sockets and thick-walled tubing. That said, I have this type of stuff laying around.
The silver piece in the "removal" photo below was a piece of thick-walled aluminum tubing that I turned down using a lathe chuck on a mill to be just smaller in diameter than the spring eyelet--this was the only "special" tool needed. The dull colored tubing is some Sch 40 tubing I use with my shop press, and was large enough to seat against the spring but act as a receiver as the old bushing was pressed out. The socket and stepped washer (from a u-joint press) are just what I had handy to act as endpieces, with washers and nuts on either end of the threaded rod.
The worn out bushings, new with my aftermarket springs and worn out in a matter of months (!), were 'Type 1' (metal outer, rubber, metal inner). I didn't want the rougher ride and maintenance headaches of poly bushings, so I replaced them with 'Type 3' (rubber outer, metal inner) Moog bushings cross-reference w/ the Ford OEM bushings. We'll see if they hold up! We've done one 3600+ mile road trip with rough roads, and so far they are holding up well.
Removal:
Installation: