shackle flip install tip - removing spring hangers

[monster man]

I tried all the reccomended methods of removing the stock hangers, and the best one by far was the torch. Plasma cutter wasn't good on a round headed rivet, I couldn't get it in there enough to shear the head off without hitting the frame. Air chisel was extremely loud and had rust flying all over, and was pretty slow, same thing with the grinder. I settled on the torch and was able to heat the rivet individual from the frame, all the heat transferred only through the rivet, and when it got hot enough it just sheared the head right off even with the frame without much additional oxygen push. I made the mistake on the first side of doing the outside, then I had to separate the hanger from the frame but the rivets were still stuck in the frame. I had to drill and pound those out.

On the other side, I just sheared off the heads on the inside of the frame, then when I separated the hanger from the frame with a wedge and hammer, it took the other half of the rivets with it. THat side only took about fifteen minutes

 

[Stephen]

We've had the best luck with a burly air chisel, or heating the rivet heads and taking them off with a less burly air chisel. Torch is a close second, for a while we even had a bent tip that was great for that kind of thing. We rarely have to remove the inside head, we usually just take off the outside head and pound the shank through the frame. Sometimes if the shank has a bad offset to it, we'll have to grind it down but that's rare.

 

[jolane]

I agree with Stephen. I too used a burly air hammerwith a GOOD SHARP chisel bit (bought at Sears). I removed the rivets from the outside of the frame. I started by cutting the head into two pieces (like cutting a pizza). Straight into the rivet through the middle. Then go at it from the side. The first cut acts like a relief cut, allowing the sideways cut to go through quickly. Cutting the head off in one piece is a pain.
Once the head was off, I used a drift like attachment in the air hammer, and just drove them through the frame. It did not take long, and was much easier than the first time I removed these rivets.

I drilled the rivets out on my first truck, that took almost all day for both sides! DO NOT recommend that method!

My concern with the torch is that the fuel tank (at least on my Burb it is) is right there. I would hate to explode a gas tank. Even my plasma cutter would be off limits working back there. On a truck, I would grab my plasma with a gouging tip, and burn the heads off the outside. Could be done in minutes with this method.
Oh, working from the outside also helps protect the frame, since the bracket is there. The brackets did get chewed up using the air hammer method, but I was throwing them away anyways.
Just a few tips I found as well. Hope it helps someone!
Joshua

 

[monster man]

should have mentioned this was on a truck- no gas tank nearby!