33 front spring/shackles.

[lotsagas4u]

My 33 coupe has the original, cotter pin bushings in it I believe. The top of my axle has indents where the shackles have bottomed out. You cant get a finger between the shackle/axle. Where do I start? Thanks

[FlatheadTed]

Classical gas ,Have your front spring reset at a spring shop .if the shackle pins are worn , pulled to one side replace them .Others may guide you on suppliers ,

[Bored&Stroked]

The original shackles are probably all worn out - that is why your spring can hit the top of the axle and make an indentation. The original ones are not easy to replace (you can't do it in the car for example. The spring itself will probably need to be re-arched and new shackles/bushings installed. The same goes for the spring perches - they'll also need new bushings/shackle components. In order to do all of this, the front-end will need to be removed from the car so that it can be easily worked on.

There are quite a few modern suppliers of shackles with oil-lite bushings, grease fittings, etc..

Also, taking the old shackle bushings out is a labor intensive process - everybody has their own way of doing it. There is a thin steel liner that was part of the original bushing assembly that was pressed into the spring ends and the perches. All the old stuff has to be pressed out and usually the liner has to be extracted via some "creative" methods involving cutting the liner, collapsing it, prying the pieces out, etc..

If you don't have the expertise and tools, you might want to see if you have a good local vintage hotrod shop around your area - who knows this stuff and has done it before.

Best of luck!
B&S

[Lawrie]

I had a big job to get the originals out from my 33, I ended up making some bushes from a special yellow self lube nylon, I made a set for the rears and put them in to see how long they would last, expecting them to fail in a short time, so far they have been in for about 15000 miles, and my 33 gets a work out, dirt roads and mud etc.
Lawrie

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by lotsagas4u

My 33 coupe has the original, cotter pin bushings in it I believe. The top of my axle has indents where the shackles have bottomed out. You cant get a finger between the shackle/axle. Where do I start? Thanks

Your situation is caused by a flattened (worn-out/no arch) spring pack which forces both shackles to spread beyond the normal angle, and point downward toward axle. The situation is usually exacerbated with worn-out spring perches (second picture BELOW) allowing the spring ends to sink down and rub top of axle. The FIX involves total disassembly of front end, replace spring perches, along with new shackle bushings, and new or re-arched spring pack.

Coop








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[lotsagas4u]

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Yessir, that looks the same as mine. I talked to Eaton spring this morning, 5 or 6 weeks out for a new spring, looking for new perches also, one of mine has been welded on, thanks for the reply.

[Robert/Texas]

I bought an NOS front spring for my '34 roadster about four months ago from Fred Wilner @ Southside Obsolete in Minnesota. I prefer this to a repro. His phone number is (507) 332-6789. I was able to pound the old shackles out easily with my air hammer. Note, I was 87 years old at the time. You will need a spring spreader to do this job. Shortly after I bought the car in 1994, I replaced the main leaf with a repro because the car had a reverse eyed spring on it. It was this repro leaf that broke.

[Bored&Stroked]

You might check with a spring manufacturer like 'Posies' - they've supplied a lot of my springs (and they have options as well). They have what the refer to as a "Super Slide Spring" - it has delron/poly 'pucks' between the leaves . . . gives a smoother ride if that is something you want:

http://www.posiesrodsandcustoms.com/...slide_springs/


You might also check with the Early Ford Store - they supposedly have new perches and springs (whether they are in stock - is worth checking!)

https://www.earlyfordstore.com/produ...ng-perch-bolts

[lotsagas4u]

What size bushing is required for the front spring? it is larger than the front perch pin hole.

[deuce lover]

...

[Andy]

Delete

[DavidG]

Originals were 7/8" for the spring and 3/4" for the spring perch.

[Bored&Stroked]

You can purchase spring/shackle kits from folks like Bob Drake, the Early Ford Store, possibly Pete and Jakes, etc.. They will be modern style - with either Poly/Urethane bushings, bronze bushings, etc.. The hard part is getting the old stuff out - putting new stuff in is not a big deal.