VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 1930 Chevrolet, rear shackle installation

OK. I have my NOS rear shackles from the Filling Station.
1)any suggestions on installation? I.E., where to support the car?
2)the new parts don't have the "interior" of the shafts w/ the pin that are 90 degrees and the "button" that goes in and out.
So what gives with that?

Thanks so much in advance.

Not sure what you mean by the "button" that goes in and out. However, the rear spring shackle assembly should consist of two large hallow pins, two shackle arms (clamps), a thru-bolt, two convex spring tension washers, a nut and a nut lock.

Support the car frame just in front of the rear springs. That will allow you to remove the shackles and move the rear of the springs without tension.

In addition to the supports put just ahead of the spring support point (TO CARRY WEIGHT OF CAR), you will also be wise to place your hydraulic jack under the rear end, centered so it supports about equally the rearend including the axles and hubs etc (these pieces alone weigh 150 lbs+0, and put just enough strain on the jack to take part of the weight. This will prevent the spring assembley from crashing to the ground when you remove the shackle and assists in lining up the assembly once you are ready to disconnect/reconnect everything. Raise or lower jack slightly as needed.

I think what you're calling he "90 degree" part with the "button" is an Alemite grease fitting for lubricating the shackles. They are threaded into the end plates with an 1/8" NPT thread. You should remove them from the old end plates, clean them thoroughly with parts cleaner and reinstall them in the new plates. You'll need either an Alemite adapter fitting or an old Alemite grease gun to grease the shackles once you get them installed.

Hope that helps.

All the Best, Chip

Chip,

Good work on sleuthing out the 90 degree pin and "button" identification. I just couldn't expand my mind enough to understand what he was writing about. It now makes perfect sense (or nearly so).

Is there a tool to remove the shackle bush from the spring eye and chassis eye?
I am going to make one using threaded bar and metal bushing piece to push the worn bush out and a larger tube piece to catch the bush. The use of a torrington bearing (thrust bearing) to reduce tension on the thread would help.
I don't think using a hammer to remove the bushes is a good thing.
Your experiences would help. Mine is a '31 Pheaton - Aussie Holden Body.

You're on the right track, and I've also had good results by using a large C-clamp and two deep socket wrenches, one exactly the outside diameter of the bushings and one just a bit larger to allow the bushing to slide into the center of it without binding. That will get the old bushing out. Then just use the large C-clamp (cushioned with a thin piece of wood) to press the new one in.

Hope that helps.

All the Best, Chip

You refer to parts as bushings when I assume you mean the shackle pins! I have a '31 and replaced the shackle pins 2 years ago. Getting the 80 year old original pins out of the frame was quite a task. After jacking/blocking up the car as Chipper advised above, and also placing jacks under rearend to take weight, I removed the shackle plates and the spring assembly (including badly worn front spring bolt and bushing). I then unbolted my 5" bench vise, and set it horizontally on a stool at frame height, and using a series of sockets and large hole washers/spacers, used the vise as a "press" and combined with some occasional tapping with a 3 lb mall, got the pins moving. (see photos of this on an earlier members photo post 11/24/11). I will say, the strain on the vice was enormous. Once removed, I just reversed the same process to install the new ones, made a little easier as I could then grease the hole before installing the pin. I used same gear to remove pins from spring ends, and even these were very hard to get moving. As for spring bolts at other end, they need to be driven out from inside of frame, as they have a knurled end on outside where hex bolt head is shown. I am not sure why they put a hex head on the ends of these bolts as it is not intended to turn? I learned the hard way by trying for several minutes to get one of them to rotate before I went to this site to learn that the hex head is only cosmetic! The brass bushing in this location should tap out easily and the new one go in easily. Most of the rattle/wobble in my rear springs was caused by worn front spring bolts.

Thanks for the advice.