Shackle bushing reaming

[Jeff M]

I noticed to ream the shackle bushings you're supposed to use a 14.5mm drill bit. Does this need to be done on a drill press or do some of you guys do this with a hand drill? I have some "claimed" N.O.S. perch pins (prob old aftermarket) that have pretty much perfect bushings installed and then a Tardel spring with new bushings pressed in too.

When I put my aftermarket shackles through the perches one fits good and the other seems to be raised a bit where the bushing is split. How tight do they need to be in the perch pin bushings?

All this stuff is new to me.

Thanks

[Purdy Swoft]

Aftermarket shackles and bushings sizes , old or new, are all over the place. I have purchased bushings from some vendors in the past that fit good with no reaming required. Usually in any case, the bushing gets slightly distorted when installed and will need to be reamed. You can't use a drill press to ream an installed bushing in most cases. I first tried the drill bit method years ago and found it difficult to do a good job. The bit would bind and it is difficult to hold a hand drill and keep it straight. I bought a shackle bushing reamer from Brattons in the ninties and it has served me well. I'm always puttering around in the shop with model A's. After buying all of the different reamers sold, by Brattons, I bought a set of adjustable reamers to use for odd sizes of other repro model A parts that won't fit without first tweaking.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I've had the same experience as Vince, they just fit. I bought my last set of shackles from Bratton's about 10 years ago, and then bought the seperate replacement bushings and used them instead of the bushings that came with the set. The fit and quality was better this way.

[Purdy Swoft]

I didn't ream the bushings for a thousants clearance measurement. If the shackle would enter the bushing after installatation without bind, that was good. In many cases the shackle wouldn't enter the bushing after installation and had to be reamed. That is the only reason.

[Jeff M]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

I didn't ream the bushings for a thousants clearance measurement. If the shackle would enter the bushing after installatation without bind, that was good. In many cases the shackle wouldn't enter the bushing after installation and had to be reamed. That is the only reason.

Yeah, that's my problem my NOS perch pins already have bushings installed. One fits great, the other doesn't and needs to be reamed I guess. Also the replacement main leaf I have already came with new bushings pressed in, and they need to be reamed too because the shackles won't fit.

[JoeWay]

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I agree with Vince. Take a file, or a Dremel grinder, to the shackles and remove the high spots--which will probably be quite obvious.

Joe

[Tom Wesenberg]

I agree with Joe and Vince, and I do remember having to clean up the high spots on some shackles by using my 1" wide belt sander.

[Jeff M]

Alright I trued up the perch bushing and sanded down the shackle until it slipped in fairly easy. How tight of a fit should it be? I'm assuming it'll eventually wear in, the other perch bushing was perfect and the shackle slipped right in, but it's definitely easier moving than the one I had to make fit.

[montanafordman]

I'm pretty sure it should be a good fit but turn easily. I put a new spring and shackles on the front and new shakles on the rear. I only had trouble with 1 bushing from the whole works. It fit on the shackle fine until I pressed it into the rear spring. it must have compressed slightly along the seam and would not fit the shackle despite filing any high spots on the shackle, it was not peened on the end either. I bought the 14.5 inch drill bit and used my cordless 18V drill to ream it out while it was installed in the rear spring on the car. Easy job and now my shackle fits perfectly.

[Purdy Swoft]

I would probably try and make them the same as close as possible.In the not so distant past, probably still in some cases the shackle bushings needed work to fit after installation. I see now that Bratton says that their shackle bushings fit and they no longer offer the shackle bushing reamer. Snyders Lists the front spring perch with bushing that fits. Snyders doesn't state that the shackle bushings that come with their repro shackles fit. Snyders still offeres a shackle bushing reamer but the price is TOO high for a one time use. If incorrect i.d. bushings have been installed it will take some work to make them fit. Back in the day when most of the repro parts were bad, some had to resort to rat tail files and such just to get by. Bratton offersi reamer for just about every bushing in the model A. Not meaning you but people that have repaired and built up model A's should know that most bushings need to be reamed after installation to obtain a fit.