getting ready to make my shackles.. frame bushings and larger bolts

[jjlaughner]

Whats the original bolt size and whats a good size to move up too? Can I drill out the sleeve a little larger or do I need to remove the sleeve all together or replace it with a thinner wall sleeve? I'm making my shackles 7" center to center on 3/8" flat stock (its 4" wide so I have to cut it in half /forums/images/graemlins/doah.gif) then tap and drill the holes.

Here's the kicker! I'm making my front brackets to custom mount the 52" springs up front. I'd like to have all three sets of bolts the same size /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif Will this require a new frame bushing and sleeve? I'm thinking 9/16" grade 8 bolts. Is that right? /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif


I'm making custom plates and starting to drill holes for the frame bolts and spring eyes, I started out with a 1/4" hole then went to 1/2" for my frame bolts and spring eye, what size should I stop drilling the spring eye at? 9/16"?

 

[jjlaughner]

What about boxing in the frame right there and welding in some tube and using a front spring bushing and a 9/16" bolt? /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif /forums/images/graemlins/ears.gif /forums/images/graemlins/1zhelp.gif

 

[jjlaughner]

/forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

[Stephen]

The 52's will have a 1.5" eye so you'll use a pair of main eye bushing assemblies that will use 9/16" bolts, so that's not a problem. You can't put a 9/16 in the top of the shackle without replacing the frame mount itself with a bigger sleeve, but we have a 1/2" assembly that works nicely there. We have the rest of the bushings too, in greasable of course if you want it.
I'd drill one end of the shackle 1/2" and the other end 9/16" to be able to use bolt in stuff. if you want to start welding, you can use our HD bushing assembly and weld the 3/16" wall DOM tube in to the frame and gusset/box the area to support it.

 

[jekbrown]

not trying to go tooo far OT here, but I have been pondering the idea of having deaver make me a full set of springs and if they are all custom anyway, i figure I might as well set them up for big bushings/bolts. 7/16, 1/2, 9/16 are fine.. but why not 5/8"? lol! is there a factory rig from the big 3 that uses really big spring eyes stock? Wondering mainly because I cant think of a way to make custom bushings. lol! Whats the biggest bushing you can get Steve?

j

 

[jjlaughner]

I have all your greaseable stuff, shackles, zerorates and disconnects in my DD. Good stuff /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif

On the rig I dont think I'm going to use the greaseables. I have several good parts that still have the rubber bushings in good shape.
This is how the frame sits right now

I wouldn't mind welding some DOM to a plate and gussetting it and then bolting it to the frame or even boxing in the frame right there and welding the DOM on the frame and back back plate. Thats what I'm planning on doing to the steering box to brace it up. Since I dont have the body on the frame I want to do as much as I need to before the swap!

 

[az-k5]

I'm running 9/16" in all of the bushings. I used 3/4" .065 wall mild tubing for the sleeves in the front shackle bushings. You will need to drill out the bushings to acomodate the new sleeve. The sleeves are a little thinner in wall thickness and are more prone to flaring. It is a trade off as usual. I have not had any real problems and have had them for a year on my DD/krawler.