was putting on shackles today and got the back left one on and the bottom bolt would not come off?...even got the nut off and could move it just a little bit but it seems like it would just like flex back and forth. i put the original ones back on and could not get the nut back on the bolt that got stripped from us trying to hammer it through is this a big problem?

thanks,
brad

 

heat it up and you should be able to get it out

 

I'm just a bit confused as to what exactly you did or did not do, but if you have a bolt with no nut on then that is a problem.

 

yeah i do right now......this bolt would not budge one bit...and we messed of the head of it trying to hammer it through

 

There is a metal sleeve inside the bushing that the bolt goes through. The bolt and sleeve rust together. You just have to work at it and get it out. Heating it up should work, but make sure you get some replacement poly bushings for the leaf springs. If its this stuck you'll most likely damage the bushing trying to get it out.

Do you have any PB blaster? Soak the bolt in PB blaster a few times a day for a day or two (or however long you can spare the truck) to give you some help.

 

by a mapp gas torch. they are very useful and a lot hotter than propane. it should work perfectly

 

I prefer the cancer causing fumes of benzene torches

 

thanks if i cant manage to get it out i will take it to the shop and get them to put a new one in....then finsh putting on the shackles....another question on the one side (the one we put the shackles on it was really hard to pull the leaf? i think the flat metal rods down to fit the shackles? any ideas

 

If by 'flat metal rods' you mean the leaf spring, then yea its pretty tough to just pull them down. But you shouldnt be pulling them down anyway. You should have the back end jacked up on stands, and then you should be supporting the rear diff. You have to drop the rear axle down 2', not just pull on the end of the leaf to get the new ones to fit.

The other trick is to use a bottle jack right above the axle. As you raise the bottle jack, it pushes the axle down and holds it there while you put in the shackle.

If you simply pull on the leaf, youll end up getting your shackle in at the wrong angle, and can actually end up lowering the back end with the lift shackle.

ie:

 

yeah my friend was saying we needed a bottle jack...thanks wolfpack