leaf springs move side to side when weel is turned

[Flex BT]

Weel. heh. Little typo there.
wHeel.

Is this something that can be fixed with just new bushings or are the leaf springs too small for these shackles? I went to see if the steering box was moving when the wheel was moved but the whole leaf spring and shackle move when the wheel is turned (the steering box looks solid which is a plus).

 

[richardoutwest]

Mine did the same and I had to replace the leaf hangers off the frame. They looked good but the eye would open when stressed. Since I have not had any troubles. Just my 2 cents

Sorry miss read your post, my leaf pack were moving around and clicking. Does look like the may be a little wide, how old are the bushings?

 

[Torxhead]

From what I can see those bolts appear to be 7/16" or maybe even 3/8" in diameter, and they should be 1/2". Those leaf spring bushings are probably worn due to that. Longer spring shackles like that will sway a bit more also.

 

[Flex BT]

I don't know how old they are, I just got the jeep a few weeks ago. I'll check on the bolt diameter when I replace the bushings, thanks for the heads up!

 

[Jimbos76cj]

From what I can see those bolts appear to be 7/16" or maybe even 3/8" in diameter, and they should be 1/2". Those leaf spring bushings are probably worn due to that. Longer spring shackles like that will sway a bit more also.

Cj shackle bolts are 3/8 in diameter.. the spring hanger is 1/2"

Bushings are more then likely bad with alot of flex in them.

 

[Flex BT]

I got the replacement bushings in... what's the best place to jack the jeep up to do this? The frame is so high off the ground I'm going to have to use some cribbing it looks like.

 

[Torxhead]

To replace the spring shackle bushings, you must remove the spring pressure from them. I raise the vehicle up by the frame until the bolts slip out freely, one end at a time, like front end then rear. Sometimes due to different spring pressures, you can only do one at a time. Check the holes on the spring shackle for wear or out of round. Check the spring hangars for cracks, especially near the rivet clearance hole on the front, this is where they break. I use a riser made from 2x6s to support the hydraulic jack underneath, it is about 8" tall.

 

[Flex BT]

What part of the frame do you lift from?

 

[Flex BT]

Okay got the jeep jacked up, had to use some wood blocks as cribbing. Now how the hell do I get the shackles over these bushings? They seem to be really big compared to the shackles.



I contacted Warrior earlier today and they said the OEM bushings should work with their shackles but I don't know how the hell I'm going to get them on there. I think I could brute force them onto the first side with some side-to-side motion but the second side I don't know how I'd get them straight on. How do you guys do this, or do I have a wrong combination of parts?

 

[Torxhead]

I appears that you have a spring shackle for the pre '76 CJ which had a 1 3/4" spring front and rear. The later CJ spring was 2" up front and 2 1/2" in the rear. The aftermarket bushings are a bit wider than oem.

 

[Flex BT]

So how do I get the shackles on?

 

[Flex BT]

Well I finally have 3 of 4 of the shackles done. Holy S is it a pain in the ***. I contacted Warrior who verified I have the right shackles for the 81. I used some thin steel in combination with C clamps, a rubber mallet, vice grips, a bottle jack and a lot of swearing. I thought this job was going to be pretty easy but that is the biggest pain in the *** of anything I've done yet.

 

[Torxhead]

Thanks for the update, I have to do them one at a time since the leaf springs are a bit twisted up and involves a few extra tools like the ones you used. After you do it a few times you don't swear as much.

 

[Flex BT]

Here's the next part of the saga... The front passenger side leaf spring did not line up right with the bracket and now the shackle is at a slant. Can I adjust the position of the leaf spring by loosening the U bolts and moving them down the axle?

 

[Torxhead]

Yeah, that is one of the last resorts, you might as well unbolt the u-bolts completely. this way you can inspect for cracks on welds and stress points plus get everything lined up correctly. Trim u-bolts if they hang down too far or put an extra nut on so the threads don't get scuffed up in the rocks.

 

[CJ jammin]

I was on the same path and when I loosened the u bolts to shake things straight. That's when I discovered the rear spring bracket had been bent and hammered almost back in place. Now I'm trying to figure out how to get the rivets out. Cut, grind, or dynamite.

 

[dunebuggy18]

I am about to tackle the same issue on a frame off rebuild (the old frame had too many cracks to repair safely). One of the front spring brackets is pretty beat up on my donor frame. Any words of wisdom out there on the best way to get the rivet off???

 

[Torxhead]

I would suggest grinding it with a rotary disc.

 

[dunebuggy18]

That where I was going with it, since it's "inside" the old bracket, I figured I'd cut one side of the braket so I could get a grinder in there, then cut the head off the rivet. Sounds simple, but hey, it's a Jeep - Nothing is that simple!

 

[tarry99]

That where I was going with it, since it's "inside" the old bracket, I figured I'd cut one side of the braket so I could get a grinder in there, then cut the head off the rivet. Sounds simple, but hey, it's a Jeep - Nothing is that simple!

Two ways to get the rivets out...........one is you come in from underneath drill a small starter hole in the "center" and increase drill size till at least 3/4 of the inside diameter is gone, take a punch and drive it out.............but because the hangers are sometimes also welded on another approach is to just cut it off with a 4"cutoff wheel.........It's a little bit like surgery cut through the welds at an angle on both sides staying away from the top frame rail.........your cut just needs to be almost to the point of getting into the frame.........then cut straight through the outside leg of the mount taking off the head of the rivet. You should be able to now take a chisel and brake it away from the frame.........once away clean up the frame with the grinder and put your new hanger in place...............It's a dirty job and a PITA but once you have done a few in five minutes its off.