Leaf spring hanger gap?

[nutt7]

Hey, I’m currently upgrading my rough country front leafs to ORDs on my 89 burb. When I mounted the RC awhile ago, I had to pinch the hanger and didn’t like it. I thought it was shitty bushings from RC. The ORDs also have the same width. Pinching causes a weird angle on the hanger and bolt. Should I shim the bushing sleeve with washers? I’m under the impression that the bushing sleeve is supposed to be tight in the hanger. Is that right? It doesn’t seem like it should slide around on the bolt.

 

[nutt7]

@Stephen do you have any input?

 

[shady]

You need to use washers. Original spring is wider at the ends, than the aftermarket ones

 

[centexk5]

Same here. I just used some thick (like 1/8") washers on each side.

 

[shady]

The rear end of the spring needs to be addressed as well. Make sure your shackles are parallel and not pinched in at the bottom.

 

[nutt7]

The rear end of the spring needs to be addressed as well. Make sure your shackles are parallel and not pinched in at the bottom.

Ok. I replaced the upper shackle bushings with prothane ones I bought a long time ago and the metal sleeve on those is shorter than what I removed too. Either way, I’ll make sure it’s parallel. I can pick up some thick washers for the front too.

 

[Stephen]

For whatever reason, the aftermarket settled on 3.5" wide for gm spring bushing assembled width long ago but the factory spring bushing assembled width is 3 5/8"-ish. A washer is a fine addition to keep the ears more parallel. We don't mess with it since lots (most maybe?) of the trucks are already squished in so we stick with the convention.

On the shackle end, we control the bushing stack up on top and bottom so they should end up parallel without messing with widths.

 

[nutt7]

For whatever reason, the aftermarket settled on 3.5" wide for gm spring bushing assembled width long ago but the factory spring bushing assembled width is 3 5/8"-ish. A washer is a fine addition to keep the ears more parallel. We don't mess with it since lots (most maybe?) of the trucks are already squished in so we stick with the convention.

On the shackle end, we control the bushing stack up on top and bottom so they should end up parallel without messing with widths.

Thanks. I was able to rig up a screw press to straighten it a bit and stuff a pair of standard washers in there. It still squished down a bit, but it’s pretty good now. Also, the upper hangar bushings are prothane and they may taper in a very small amount at the top, but it’s hard to tell.