Suspension eye candy

[73kay]

Just got my new suspension parts for my 53 3100. The old hardware was rough and fisheyed. I searched a lot and didn't mind much out about how much an improvement this will do for the ride. I'll report my findings after I install the new bushings and shackles.

[crapy67]

Looks like nice stuff let us know how it is!

[73kay]

Well is what my bushings looked like! They were toast. One bushing wouldn't play nice so I cut the hanger off and I'll use grade 8 to reinstall it. I also broke my hb vice today so a good excuse to get the really big one I wanted . Today was just the rear so I'm curious what the front will be like. I hope it improves my handling a bit. All this hardware cost a bit of coin.

[73kay]

And the vise. Cracked pressing in the new bushing in the leaf spring.

[joedoh]

thats why I call it cardboard freight! my brother calls it the bic lighter store, because you use it and throw it away. haha. get on craigslist and get an old US made vise you can actually beat on, I got two, a big one for 30 and a smaller for 20.

those shackles look beefy!

[dsraven]

cool the bushing in the freezer and warm the housing a bit with a blow dryer or a blow torch (easy does it). use a piece of all thread with some thick washers larger than the bushing to pull it into the housing. an impact gun with a deep socket works well here. make sure the housing is clean and smooth inside, also that is has a slight chamfer to the hole so the bushing gets a good start. use a good quality lube on the parts for the interference fit, or some antisieze compound.
have you checked your king pins and bushings? if the spring pins are worn the rest can't be too far behind. jack it up and set it on stands under the I beam to check them for play. the weight should be off the wheels to do it properly. kingpin bushings require a reamer to fit the pins. or, remove the brakes and backing plates then hammer out the old ones, clean everything up nice and take the parts to a machine shop for bushing install and fitting. maybe a good idea to spray some penetrating oil on the kingpins now so it can work its way in. they are a bugger to get the pin out of the I beam.
good luck with the job,

[dsraven]

record makes a pretty good vice. made in England if you can still find one.

[dsraven]

an old piece of rail track makes a good anvil, again, if you can find a piece.

[dsraven]

a brake cylinder hone works pretty good for cleaning up the bore for the bushing, just don't over do it because it is taking metal away.

[73kay]

Thanks dsraven for the advice I'll give it all a whirl tomorrow. As for the kingpins I'm gonna hold off for a little bit. I want to do the back then compare the ride, then the front, then replace all the shocks. After that save my pennies for a drop axle, new kingpins, and modified steering. After restoring a 76 in a year, it wore out my wife and my savings lol. It's killing me to be methodical and slow but this is the best part of the builds!

[Mac the Yankee]

New bushings, etc will make a big improvement in your ride.

Where did you get these- they look like good quality?

[73kay]

Shackles were the cheapest via rock auto and the actual bolts were cheapest thru classic industries. I compared classic parts, rock auto, and classic industries. All said and done I think I'm in about $170 or so. It's not sexy like a new grill but I needed to fix the suspension. The rear shackles were angled bad.

[dsraven]

if you plan on using the stock spindles you should prolly check the kingpins. if the bushings wear thru (have seen a few) then the bore becomes the wear area and gets out of round so a new bushing is loose in the bore. better safe than sorry. it would kinda make the case for a new style front suspension though.....

[mr48chev]

I've found that by popping a hacksaw apart and running the blade though the bushing and putting it back together again you can cut just through the old bushings in a couple of places to easily knock them out an not fight them for hours on end.

I'm another one who checks rock auto's prices on chassis parts on a regular basis and they usually compete well especially on the older stuff.

[Mac the Yankee]

Thanks for the info! The shackles and bolts are pretty good on my '59, but the rubber is all shot- trying to decide whether to just bite the bullet and get all new, or try to find new rubber for the time being...

[dsraven]

I have used that method as well. I also use a modified 3/8" cold chisel that I have ground into a diamond shape, so one side is round that fits against the bore of the spindle, and then take a slice out of the bushing that way. you could also use a round punch that you have sharpened the end to make it look like a rounded chisel. a die grinder with a burr also works pretty good if you have access and a good eye. sometimes you can catch an edge on the bushing and fold it into the middle, then push it out from there. use a socket with an extension installed from the wrong side (so put the extension in where the bolt usually would fit) as a driver if you don't have a correctly sized piece of scrap, thats if you have some old tools kicking around.

[73kay]

Good idea mr48chev! Good options to think about for the bushings.

[73kay]

Woah! The truck rides great! I could only go about 40mph sateen before I replaced the rear suspension hardware and now I went to get gas and did 50 MPH easy! She stayed straight and was responsive. I haven't even done the front hardware yet and I still need to install rear shocks. Total night and day!

Bottom line: totally worth the coin imo. I'll report back regarding the front and when I get new shocks. Imy trying to evaluate each component at a time sorta. Thanks for the help thus far.