Repair Rear Shackle Mounts

[Fleetwood]

Hey Folks,
Just pulled the rear spring from a 1928 tudor I just bought. The shackle mount bushings were worn right through and the shackle mounts on the axle are elongated. Does anybody know if there is a repair for this condition? I tried to attach photos but but kept getting loading errors

Thanks

[Russ/40]

What most people suggest is to weld up the worn area and redrill and ream to fit.
I do it differently. I take round stock the size you want the bore to be, put it through the hole. Then take a torch and heat the thin worn area and forge (hammer) the existing thin area to create a fit between the round stock and the perch material. After that, you can easily weld the outside of the perch to rebuild up the lost wall thickness of the perch.

[Tom Endy]

A local Model A restoration shop here in Southern California repairs them by inserting a bronze rod the same diameter as the OD of the bushing into the worn boss. He then applies weld to the worn areas. When finished the bronze rod is removed as the weld will not adhere to it.

Tom Endy

[jw hash]

that part of the housing is a forging. i have steel shaft the same size as the bushing. heat the boss red hot and reforge to the shaft. remove the shaft and insert a brass shaft in the boss and do all the welding from the outside.

[Russ/40]

Originally Posted by jw hash

that part of the housing is a forging. i have steel shaft the same size as the bushing. heat the boss red hot and reforge to the shaft. remove the shaft and insert a brass shaft in the boss and do all the welding from the outside.

hmm, isn't that exactly what I just said?

[David R.]

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Russ, would your method work on front spring perch as well? I have a good bit of wear on front perch shackle bores on my AA I need to adress.

[Fleetwood]

Thanks for the replies gentleman. I like the idea of heating and re-forging; great idea. I believe that will work and I don't have to pull the rear axle out to do it.

[Mulletwagon]

Originally Posted by Fleetwood

Thanks for the replies gentleman. I like the idea of heating and re-forging; great idea. I believe that will work and I don't have to pull the rear axle out to do it.

Probably easier and safer if the rear axle is pulled. Might also have to pull the brake backing plate to get direct centerline access to the perch bore. The radius rod will have to be removed before pulling the backing plate.The replacement bushing is steel so maybe instead of installing a temporary rod in the bore the bushing can be hammered in before hammerforging the outside. The bore should be chased first with a .75 inch drill. May have to ream or drill the bushing afterward - 14mm or 14.5mm. Let us know how it goes. Good Luck.

[Fleetwood]

Good advice Mullet. You guys on this forum are a great help with all your experience. I'm going to explore all option before tearing into this but I'll provide results here when it's done. If I can find good axle housings with ball mounts for the shocks (somebody cut these off) I'll go that route. but I'm very happy to learn here that I can repair what I have and maybe put a modern shock conversion on the rear.

[BillCNC]

No need for a Bronze Rod. Copper Tubing works as well and it's cheaper and easier to obtain. I used a steel rod slipped inside the copper tubing to act as a heat sink. Make sure the rods are parallel and inline.

Regards
Bill

[Russ/40]

Originally Posted by David R.

Russ, would your method work on front spring perch as well? I have a good bit of wear on front perch shackle bores on my AA I need to adress.

It sure will, as the goal is exactly the same. I devised this technique years ago when experiencing the difficulty of welding inside the perch bore. So much easier. Go for it.

[David R.]

Thanks, not sure I would have thought of that. I have spares, so I think I will try repairing the worst pair first.

[john charlton]

I have had very badly worn rear axle perches . Normally part of the steel bush remains in the hole and is easily driven out . I then insert a new steel bush and after trimming the hole back to fairly solid I MIG the damaged area shut neatly . The shackle will slip in with no reaming and it is a nice repair for me anyway . My reasoning is that it my lifetime it will never wear out if correctly lubricated and even if it does you can repeat the procedure .I put the bush seam away from the repair so I MIG onto a solid bush surface so the bush does not deform when welded .

John in Tonbridge Wells England having a lovely family Xmas !!!