rear leaf spring to chassis bushing

[Hawkscoach]

Gentlemen,

59 BN4 100/6 full restoration. I removed the "pin" and the grease fittings on each side that secures the rear shackles that the rear leaf springs connect to. I believe there are two bushings on each side within.....I saw they sell these at Moss. (again, for clarity, these are inside the sleeve where the threaded pin goes through. They are steel and seem to be stoutly secured within) Should I remove and replace and if so, how the heck to you get them out? It took me a while to get the pins out. thought I would ask before I start pounding and making a bigger project if not necessary...............

Thanks,

Doug

 

[rjc157]

Not exactly sure what you mean try to take a pic

 

[Hawkscoach]

sorry, number 23 on this drawing. these bushings go into the chassis near the rear frame rail just rear of the axle. they are steel. I would like to know if I should attempt to remove the existing and replace and if so, how do I remove them. Thanks and hope this helps. Doug

 

[steveg]

I've had my springs off several times. Here's what I think: Is the pin worn? If so, get a new one; lube up with kroil or pb blaster and check fit in bush. If fit is OK, leave bushes in place with new grease.
If the fit is sloppy with new pin, you could probably soak the periphery of the bushes with pb/kroil and tap the inside one out with a drift through the outside opening, then maybe jiggle the outside one with a phillips screwdriver and remove. That kind of thing.

My rear pins and bushes have never shown any particular wear, so I just cleaned everything up and reinstalled with new locknuts and grease.

 

[Hawkscoach]

Thanks Steve. the pins should be replaced as they have some noticeable wear. I would like to avoid removing the bushings, however, I hate to get everything together with wear items replaced, and have an issue requiring disassembly..............and wanted to know what you guys did or have done.

Regards,

Doug

 

[AH100M]

It's a good idea to replace them now. One of those "while I'm at it" things. When I restored my BN2 some years ago I replaced or rebuilt everything except the dampers ("shock absorbers") as they seemed to be fine and not leaking. Guess what I had to do within a year...?

 

[steveg]

If the pins have wear, likely the bushings do too.

 

[Hawkscoach]

that's what I was thinking Steve and Bill. now, how do I get them out?

Doug

 

[rjc157]

pray

 

[57_BN4]

I could only get them out by removing the rear fenders and belting out the inner ones with a big pin punch, then drawing the outers out with threadbar and a socket. They are quite tight.

A similar situation on a different vehicle I have cut through the bushings with a broken off hacksaw blade which releases their grip in the bore then they are easy to tap out. You could also try winding a suitably sized coarse thread tap through both bushings then threading an appropriate bolt in from each end with something in the middle.

Much easier to get back in using a piece of threadbar and nuts/washers. Watch out for misalignment, I had a problem where the bore of the housing was not straight and the pin nipped up each time they were installed. Had to resort to grinding down the outside of the bushings and Loctite to get them aligned.

Leave them be unless they are really worn.

Andy.

 

[Hawkscoach]

as my teenagers say.........OMG
Not touching this unless I have to. I have totally repaired (I think) all the metal, primed and painted the scuttle and was in the process of putting things back on, (suspension, brakes, wiring, transmission, and moving to the back of the vehicle) when I realized I still had these pins in. It took care and patience to remove them so now I will purchase new pins and hope all is good before I consider this. Many thanks for the replies.

Doug

 

[Hawkscoach]

Success! I just thought that I would follow-up so that others may use this information.

I was able to carefully grind off the outer flange on the metal bushing. the metal bushing material is soft. Then, I carefully used a carbide bit to remove some of the inner part of the metal bushing so that it would move. Then, I used a steel rod and "punched" the bushings through. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The only bad thing that happed was that on the first one, I nicked the metal through the bushing and now I am deciding whether it is a big deal and I should tack weld and smooth or JB weld it or just leave it as the new bushings would cover it...........it is only about a 1/16" wide shallow groove. Once I learned how the other side was easy and no damage.

Regards,

Doug