Front leaf spring bushing HELP!!

[Jennandrand]

Tackling replacing the front leaf spring bushings. The rear shackle bolts came out, and the leaf spring dropped down, giving easy access to remove and replace the bushings.
Next comes the pita of removing the bolt on the front of the leaf spring. It's rusted up pretty good, but I manage to pop it out by torching the edges of the rubber that I could get to, then prying the rubber out with a screwdriver and hammering the bolt through. OOPS! Just realized the front won't drop down like the rear did, its encased in a bracket of sorts, and the bracket doesn't appear to be meant to be taken off.
Question is how to I get to the bushing? Will I have to remove the entire leaf spring? Can I loosen the U bolts, remove the shackle bolts, and slide the leafs back enough to get to the bushing?

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

You might have to. I wasn't able to get the bolt out of mine so I took a grinder to it, but mine came out with a little persuasion. I would try and lossen the shackle first and see if you can wiggle it out.

Does your replacement bushing come with the metal sleeve or is it just the rubber? The stock bushings have a metal sleeve wrapped around the rubber bushing. They can be pita to remove and I ended up using a sawzaw through it without going into the leafspring. Then a hammer and a punch to get it out. It would probably be a lot easier to do that with the leaf spring out.