Need help removing spring shackles - 3/4 ton.

[Hogger54]

Yep... I've searched, and I've read. I still don't understand, maybe because the instructions are different between the 1/2 and 3/4 tons.

The book says to "remove the lock bolt nut, and washer from rear spring pin lock bolt at front hanger. Drive lock bolt from hanger."

I've removed to nut and washer, but I can't "drive" the bolt from the hanger. How do you get that thing out? I'm assuming I have the right one in the picture, the one with the nut on it.

Then, how do you remove the main shackle pin? The book says to remove the jaws from some puller, and install an adapter, thread it into the lubrication hole, and pull the pin out. So I'm guessing mine slides out, where all the others I've seen thread out?

I don't get it because if the bolt with the nut on it is a lock for the main shackle bolt, it should have a "notch" in it that the main shackle bolt sits in.....Hence the name locking bolt. So how are you supposed to remove that before the main bolt.

This is so stupid, or it's just me.

[gale]

Clean off the back side where a bolt head would be. I think that's a tapered pin with the end threaded so a nut can keep it from backing out. If you haven't tried Kroil you should. It's a good penetrant. An even better penetrant is acetone and auto transmission fluid mixed 50/50. You won't hurt that bracket by heating it with an oxygen/acetylene torch and that may be necessary. I'm not sure what size bolt threads into the big pin to use as a puller but I would start with 3/8 UNC and work up. A slide hammer type puller will probably get it out but I would still use the penetrant and heat.

[_Ogre]

like gale has suggested, apply some heat to that bad boy. old hard grease and/or rust can be vicious.
i sold my oxy/ace torches a long time ago, mapp gas works well for this kind of heating too.
try not to mushroom the head, but if you do cut off the threads and use a pin punch to get it out.

for the big pin i ground a bolt enough to use an npt die on it and made my own slide hammer.

[55metalmonkey]

When I did mine they were so stuck I swear they were welded in. The ol hot wrench, penetrating oil, ATF+ acetone and slide hammer work great but it takes time, each side took me hours to free up. I suggest that once you get some slight movement out to soak it again with penetrant and slide hammer it back in a bit then slide hammer it out more and keep repeating. It seemes counter intuitive to drive it back in when you want it out but it gives the the rust and gunk a chance to loosen up and the penetrant to get in deeper instead of all the crud packing tighter.

On a friends truck they were so incredibly stuck and all the above methods failed, after a full day of cursing and swearing our only choice was to carefully drill the center out and cut a slice in the remaining metal so we could collape it enough to pull it away from the walls. this took a very long time ...... I started envying proctologists for all the room they have to work with..... I hope you don't have to resort to this because it is a huge pain in the butt

[gale]

Usually if the outer part gets to a dull red the rust and old grease has thoroughly melted and it will move mostly because the outer part has expanded. It's a myth that the metal is somehow harmed by getting hot because this stuff is not tempered.

[Hogger54]

Man it's frustrating, but thanks for all the answers. And thanks for the humor metalmonkey. I was getting really pissed about it, but hat helped lighten things up.
I think I'm getting somewhere.
Just keep plugging away.

[55metalmonkey]

[Daze57]

my 02 cents worth is this
dont let it get the best of you ! if you get v v v bent over it - walk away ! soak it some more and take your time - it will move !

[franken]

The manual was seemingly written before rust, dirt, and probably time were invented...

For removing 4x4 spindles, the (factory) manual says "gently tap the spindle." Right, no. Heat from an OA torch, beating on it, no way/ Fast forward to today and get the slide hammer and spindle adapter from the parts store or ruin the spindle. Rant off...

From the pic it looks like you drove the bolt out some. Shoot some <insert preferred penetrating oil but not wd40> and bash it back where it was. More poil and bashing back and forth. Put a nut on the bolt so as not to peen it over and ruin the threads.

Back and forth til it comes out, or fire and air power...

[1958Warrior]

I soaked with WD-40, then I unscrewed the nut to where 1 thread was off the bolt , I then took a tapered punch, placed it on the end of the bolt ,the nut will keep it from sliding off, and took my BFH and a good wack freed it.

I then used a long punch to drive the center spring bolt out from the backside. This was on a 58' but looks like the same type shackle.
Auto Zone actually has the assembly on their site usually takes 1-2 days to order and get it. (NAPA will charge for shipping )
Mine hadn't seen grease since 58', what was in ther looked like caulking.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...5_686681_2092_

[gale]

Nowhere in the offered help was WD-40 mentioned. That is NOT a penetrant. The WD stands for "water displacement" and that is it's function. It's pretty good for cleaning, especially bare metal after polishing.

Kroil is an excellent penetrant but even better is a 50/50 blend of acetone and ATF.

[1958Warrior]

Gale .It's there now.
That is what worked on mine ,

[gale]

I'm glad it worked but it won't hurt to know there are better choices.

[DransportGarage]

[QUOTE=Hogger54;6353999] <snip> So I'm guessing mine slides out, where all the others I've seen thread out? <snip>

You've probably discovered this by now, but (at least on my 3100, and probably on yours), the front pin is like your picture, and slides out, and the back pin screws out.

[donandal]

I don't know if this is what you have, but if so , the bolt with the nut on it needs to be driven out ( drive to the right in the picture ). then you can remove the main bolt.this is the tapered pin gale refered to above