Suspension Front frame bracket shackle bushings are loose. new bracket, new shackles.

[Trace63]

83 cj going through an almost complete restoration of the drivetrain and suspension. My current problem is front frame bracket shackle bushings are a loose fit. new bracket, new shackles. the old brackets were bent and old so i got new ones along with fishbone shackles. The old brackets had a slighter smaller hole for the bushings and it appears to be because the steel was rolled over a hair more to create a tighter hole than the new ones. The old shackles had a tight fit with the old bushings.
Shouldn't these bushings be a tight fit.?

 

[TSB8C]

Yes. The bushings should be tight/snug fit and should not have the gap or play your pic shows. The stock outside diameter of the bushing should be 1" (the part that slides into the hanger eye, not the "flange part). Looks like your hanger eye inside diameter is larger than that. I've heard of people getting replacement hangers that were 1 1/8" inside. Don't know why/how, but a problem for sure.

Aren't YJ hangers larger diameter than CJ ones? Of course they are also wider as well (2.5" vs 2"). Any chance those new hangers are the wrong ones? I'd contact where you got those hangers to see if they can answer or send replacements. Or perhaps get a set of YJ bushings.

 

[Trace63]

Thanks for helping out.
The new ones I got were from Omix, are definitely the right ones and cost around $15 each and are made in India. All dimensions other than the bushing hole diameter are perfect, I just think it's a case of the manufacturer not keeping close tolerances at that step in the manufacture.
I talked to a guy at Bonefish, where I got my shackles and he confirmed what you said, that the inner diameter should be 1"on the brackets. He didn't even try and sell me the ones they make, which cost $75 each. I'm sure they work better but I'll try and make the ones I have work and if they cause bushing failure down the road, I'll consider the expensive ones or do better research in hopes of finding a better bracket for less than 75 each.
I have a torch and a couple of big hammers and that and a few hours seemed to work on the fronts. The backs are welded into a loop(the fronts were not) so I'll have to cut that first but I should be able to at least make it slightly snug for the bushings.

 

[TSB8C]

Good luck with the cutting/welding. Don't know your welding experience, and don't mean to point out the obvious, but spring steel is a bit different than regular steel when welding. Cut, roll, re-weld - just watch the heat further down the springs.

 

[Trace63]

Okay, thanks but I'm not going to weld after all. I'm just going to cut the original weld on the new back ones and do what I did with the fronts. If I feel like it's going to fail, I'll have to get something better.
Anyway new related problem popped up today. I installed the new front shackle brackets without problems but the new shackles inside width is about 3/8" bigger than the leaf spring width . The leaf springs are verified 83 CJ7 springs, not yj, and the shackles have been triple checked for application. The reason we're replacing the shackles and brackets is because both springs shackles were bent towards the outside at the bottoms and both brackets had a small twist.
When I torqued the bolts on the first shackle, the plates bent in a little on both ends so I stopped. Do you know what is wrong? Are the shackles plates supposed to bend, which doesn't seem likely but I just don't have any experience with something like this. I thought about adding 2" washers with a 1/2" hole, but I can't find any info regarding if that's something I should do.
I still have a ton of work to do to get the cj going and the shackle brackets are the start of the putting everything back together phase so I'm really hoping that the rest of the rebuild goes a little smoother and I truly appreciate any help or advice I can get.

 

[TSB8C]

Your shackles should not be bending. The spring hanger width should be the same as the spring width. Now you could make it work if you have shackles with no center supports; they'll just bend and bolt up when tightened. But that's not ideal. And shackles with center supports would never work.

Types of shackles with center supports:



IMO - I'd get different hangers that aren't too wide and have the right size openings in them for my bushings. Multiple issues with what you have is not a good sign and may present future problems to deal with again.