Removing Front Spring Hanger Bolt from Leaf Spring

[11555wally]

I'm starting to change out the front rear spring hanger on my 86 C10 SWB with a hanger to lower the truck some in the rear. The rear shackle has been changed out. Any tricks to getting the spring eye bolt out. The exhaust system is in the way of getting a good wrench hold on the nut to really get some leverage on it. What is the spring eye bushing made of (will the heat from a torch damage it)? Is it possible to cut the head of the bolt off and drive the bolt thru the bushing toward the inside of the frame? Bolt and nut are pretty rusty and I'm sure I'm not the only one that has had this come up. Thanking you in advance for your advice. Larry

[SkinnyG]

On mine, ~all~ the bolts rusted to the metal sleeve inside the spring eye.

To remove them, I used a 1/16" cutting disk in an angle grinder and cut through the stickie-outie bit of bushing to cut the bolt free ~inside~ the bracket. Cutting the head off on the outside will not free the leaf - the shank stub will still contain it.

Factory bushings are rubber. They don't take heat all that well. Take this opportunity to replace the rubber with poly bushings, and it will make this job much more enjoyable.

[11555wally]

Thank you. Do the poly bushings have to be pressed in or do they just slide in?

[donut]

When I did my 4x4, they slid in. Also a torch made bushing removal much easier once spring eye is lowered down to get access.

[NorCalAnthony]

When I did mine, I hit them with some PB Blaster a couple of days in a row before wrenching on them and they came right out. I had to rent a ball joint press to get the old bushings out and that was a huge PITA. Once they were out I had to cut out the metal sleeves that are pressed in to the spring eyes with a sawzall before I could put the new bushing in. I used the Energy Suspension poly bushings for mine. Oh and the front rear spring eyes were kind of a pain to reach for me too with the exhaust being in the way. Once I got the front spring eye and upper shackle bolts out I was able to maneuver the leafs up and down enough to eventually get them out. Overall the job was a piece of cake besides fighting with the old bushings but if you have a better tool collection than I do that probably won’t be an issue either lol.

[piecesparts]

PB blaster for a period of time, wrench on the back side, impact wrench on the outside and hit it hard (back and forth). They usually will give up after a while. I have done quite a few this way.

[greg64]

I used the cut off wheel inside the bracket as well, to cut the bushing and bolt off (total of 4 cuts). This technique does not cut either the spring or the hanger. I've got a 3/4" impact gun, but it wouldn't break these bolts free. Oh and the bolts themselves are 9/16 x 4-1/2 grade 8.

[donut]

I was looking at where the OP was from and my 4x4 was a Maine plow truck. Odds are pretty good the bolt is seized in the bushing, an impact does a pretty good job of jiggleing the rubber...