VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc 1932 sedan spring shackle bushings

Hi folks,

Looking to begin replacing spring shackle pins, bolts and bushings. Not having done this before, what are the recommendations before I start? Thanks to everyone.

Mike

My method (may not be the best), support the chassis solidly allowing the wheels to hang a couple of inches clear of the ground. Support the axle with the jack so that there is no pressure on the pins and remove the pins.
Grind the head of a 1/2" x 4" or 4 1/2" bolt so that it is slightly smaller diameter than the outside of the bush, then a piece of pipe slightly larger inside diameter than outside of the bush on the other side of the spring to the bolt head. A heavy flat washer over the open end of the pipe for the nut to tighten against. By tightening the nut it will pull the bush through the spring.
To fit the new bush is same procedure, dont use the pipe but put the washer against the spring.
Tony

Thanks for the advice Tony. I really appreciate it. I'll get this started this weekend.

Mike

Your going to need 8 taper pins and 4 spring eyelet bushings. All of which can be had at the Fillingstation.

Pressing the bushing isnt the hard job. It's the Taper pins pressed into the chassis of the car, which are pressed in with a couple tons of preassure. This is were your fight is going to come in.

I did not have the correct tool at the time to press OUR taper pins in our '32, so i had to make a pusher and use a couple of grade 8 FINE THREAD bolts to PUSH the taper pins out and press the new pins back in.

I'll tell you it's not a job that can be done in a day.

I averaged 1 pin every two hours cranking the bolts and i averaged 2 grade 8 fine thread bolts PER SIDE of the frame/chassis. That was with my "makeshift" press.

Now the pins IN the springs are not that hard. Nor are the bushings inside the springs. I used a 6" vice for that.

Another thing, TOO, that will pose a problem concerning the rear taper pins to the back of the car, the ones pressed into the frame, you will note that the rear fenders will be in the way of a clamp or anything you try to use. Thats why i made MY press out of two seperate peices of 1/2 thick steel, so that the two peices would slide into the tight area with ease.

If you would like more spacifics on how i built my taper pin pusher, just ask. I will try to post pictures with diamentions.


One thing i will note is that you will want to check the shackle sides aswell, once you pull them apart. If the taper holes are worn, they will never tighten up, so you'll probably have to call Don Rossi for shackle sides.

In my case, nearly everything was absolutly WORE OUT concerning the suspension. So i've spend about an hour on the phone with Don, before. He's quite the guy to talk too, i might add.

I have removed several sets of bushings and pins over the 40 years I have been restoring '31-'32 Chevys. Found that an air hammer with a shouldered blunt ended tool works the best. Sometimes a little heat is required to get the pins to move but once they move the hammer "walks" them out. Only takes a few minutes per pin.

Thats something i'll keep note of. Like i said though...at the time, i didnt have anything but some grade 8 bolts and some peices of steel.

I have the air hammer and have just modified a chisel point to work on getting the things out and I moved them a bit but I think some heat will help. Just too hot already today to continue today..already 87. Thanks for the help. This is not an easy job.

Mike

ok. Hoping the picture goes through, this is what i did.

Note: I didnt take much time, cosmetically, on this but it did it's job.

The thick peice of steel that you see with the through hole (lower peice in the picture) is 3/4 thick. You can acheive this by welding 2 peices of 1/4 steel togeather. It's 1-3/8 wide and 1-7/8 long.

This peice will be your puller. It will have a through hole that will be 7/8 in diameter.

Now your pusher, which is the upper peice in the picture will be 4" long, a heavy 1-1/4 wide and a heavy 1/2" thick.

Your going to need EVERY BIT of this thickness for strength. Otherwise, the pusher will bow under preassure.

The pusher has a 7/8 center hole aswell but it DOES NOT go through. It is less than half way through this peice. That is so you can have a round peice, acting as a piston, to push out the old taper pins.

I used an old taper pin, cut it in half and ground the out side down JUST smaller than the pin that you are pushing so that your pusher piston does not get pressed in, it's self.

OR, you can use a socket or a peice of cold rolled round stock steel just smaller than the taper pin.

The bolts i used, were of grade 8 stock 1/2 diameter (NOTHING LESS) fine thread. I beleive that was 28 T.P.I. (Threads per inch) along with the use of grade 8 nuts. 4 grade 8 washers were used underneath each nut to keep from gouging into the Pusher and puller. Each bolt were 6" long. You will need to drill atleast a size or two OVER the bolt holes, to the side of the pusher and puller, so that the bolts do not bind on the two peices.

these pins will be so tight that you will PROBABLY go through atleast 2 sets of bolts, nuts, and washers like i did PER SIDE, PER PIN, But again, this is all i had to work with.

The space to work with will be snug/tight, there will be alot of wrench turining and a few hours spent. AGAIN, this is all i had to work with. I hope that this will work for you and many others aswell, if all else fails.


http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy50/RustReaper/Shackelpinpress.jpg

This is really good advice...I used the air hammer later today after a rain cooled things off a bit and the rear pins are really hard to get too so I made the pusher and puller, cut one of the front pins and tried a grade 8 NC 1/2 inch bolt but broke it real quick. I'll have to get a few NF bolts and try it Monday. My welding skills are not good so mine look pretty bad but work OK. Thanks for the advice guys. Best car group anywhere!!!

Mike

Just curious about an update on yer situation. Did that press help any?