VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 31 spring shackle tension washer

I noticed that the spring shackles I removed from a 31 parts car had special washers under the bolt heads, but these washers were not present on my 31 chassis. However, I found a few in the boxes of parts that came with my car. I found a picture and instructions on page 263 of my Chevrolet Repair Manual, which also refers to a tension washer gauge, Kent Moore #384. From what I read it sounds like this gauge is similar to a feeler gauge. Does anybody know how thick the gauge is? Also, my spare spring shackles had 2 of these washers under the heads of the rear shackle bolts and 1 under the front ones. Do they need to be doubled for some reason?

Don't know anyone that has a KM guage. The washers are necessary to accurately load the spring shackles. Since the shackles used "heavy oil" and not grease a load was required to keep some of the oil in the center of the pin to lubricate each end. Yes one on the front and two back to back on the rears. Guess someone decided they were not needed. Happened with several other parts that "mechanics" did not consider necessary.

Yoi know you're an engineer when you can put it back together and it still works with PARTS LEFT OVER

Chipper, is it the same for the '30? I mean do I need two of the spring washers on the rear shackles and one on the front? And how tight do I set them up? Has anybody estimated a torque -- that would be easiest. Or do I compress the spring washers a certain number of thousandths, or take up the nuts a certain number of flats from hand tight, or tighten until they're almost touching the shackle, or?????

Thanks!

Chip

The shackles are the same for 1930 as 1931. Yes you need all the washers. If you deflect the washers approximately 1/3 to 1/2 then it will be ok.

Great!

Thanks.

Hey Chipper,

So I was looking tonight for where you came up with 1 washer in the front and 2 washers in the back. Can't find anything. Now when I was building my chassis a few year ago I use NOS GM Spring Shackles. They only came with one washer in the front and rear. I also looked in a few other sets that I have, the rears only have one. Any pointers would be great.

Strange! Most of my rear kits (most are aftermarket) have two washers. The bolts are all the same length as the fronts which have the legs of the washer on the raised buttons. The rear buttons are too wide so another washer put on backwards was used to get the bolt length right.

It is possible that some of the rear kits had shorter bolts that would use only one washer and others had the longer bolts and two washers.

Need to do some more checking.

I just checked my old rear shackles which I'm pretty sure were original. They did in fact have two washers, nested, on the bolts and the front had only one. It's actually hard to see unless you're looking for it -- just looks like a thicker spring washer on the rears, but in fact it's two washers nested together. But interestingly, the NORS rear shackle I recently bought has only one spring washer!

But more importantly, somebody out there must have one NOS or NORS rear shackle for a '30 they would sell me. Mine are REALLY worn -- the pins bottom out in the tapered hole and wobble around like crazy. I found one on eBay, but I've been watching for another one for a long time. Can anybody help?

Thanks, Chip.

Thanks for all the information guys. I'll install my washers in the next few days.

How do you get heavy oil into a grease fitting on the shackle? I have a grease gun but I don't have a "oil gun".

Thanks,
Fred

Bruce,
Checked my kits and all but one have two washers in the rear and one for the front. Since the boxes were not sealed I can not be absolutely sure what was originally in the box. All my vehicles that I considered "original" had two on the rear.

Even though Chevrolet called the Alemite Junior Compressor Model C-1033 a "grease gun", Alemite literature specifically states "Do Not Use Grease". The Model C-1033 was the "grease gun" supplied with other 1931 tools. I have a copy of "Directions for Using the ALEMITE HIGH PRESSURE Lubricating System". The lower part of the title page further states "Use a Fluid Lubricant in the JUNIOR COMPRESSOR Model C-1033" and finally at the bottom "Do Not Use Grease". The directions were printed on a light blue paper, folded and placed in the Compressor. I removed the paper from an unused "grease gun" that was in a '31 Chevrolet when I bought it nearly 40 years ago.

It is a common misconception that the 1931 Chevrolet used grease to lubricate suspension and steering parts. It was "heavy oil" or "fluid lubricant of heavy body". It is particularily critical in steering gear box, u-joint housing, truck drive shaft housing.

Alemite still makes the fittings. I have seen them installed in industrial equipment and those applications use oil not grease.

Thanks Chipper for the information. I have one of the "grease guns" that would come with a 31 Chevy which is a NOS one. The only heavy oil that I could think of would be the gear oil like the oil you use in a transmission or rear end.

Before Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standardized oil and grease specifications oils were called by various names by manufacturers and users. Heavy oil became 600 W and several years later 160. If you look in your 1931 Owners Manual on page 49 you will find that the suspension and steering parts are lubricated with "heavy oil". Transmission and rear end with "heavy oil of consistancy of 600-W".

Ebay seller grandants4 has several auctions for '30-'35 Chevy shackle kits with varying contents. They all run until 12-20-07 and are reasonably priced right now. Also, if you have trouble locating real 600W oil, Model A F**d sellers carry it.

The Filling Station also carries the 600W oil as well.

:) :grin: