After switching to a 9" rear I have felt the car is a little stiff in the rear suspension. Today I was looking into a fuel leak and noticed my leaf spring shackles are resting on the frame. Now I know this cannot be correct but I don't know exactly how to fix the problem without taking pinion angle and a bunch of other math I don't know into account. Anyone have any pointers?
Mine will "fold" in towards the front of the car, then I have to jack it up and twist them back toward the rear. A bit of a pain in the you know what, but they stay put until I jack it up again from the frame.
It looks like mine have "folded" towards the front of the car as well. Both sides are resting against the frame. New bushings and shackles all around and it still does that. Perhaps they are too loose?
Nope, mine aren't loose either, but if I jack it up and let the rearend hang, they will be in the wrong position when it gets let down, unless I correct them.
Of course, I've not had the pleasure, but one question pops into my mind: can the shackle bolt torque be too low? My understanding, working on the Bronco I once had, and the two F250s Joe and I now have, is that the shackles aren't supposed to rotate much because of the snugness of the hardware?
If you ever had a 63 or 64 full size Galaxie you would be familiar with that shackle reversal problem. A big pry bar was the solution. Had to flip the shackles back every time I put mine on a lift. Nothing was loose or worn out, the rear spring lengths caused the shackles to go over center but easy to fix. EDIT = Be carefull as there is considerable energy stored in those springs.
Thanks for all the info everyone. I got it sorted. Boy, what a difference when the shackles aren't riding on the frame and the springs can do what they are supposed to do. I had to loosen both sides at the spring, then work two pry bars, one on each side, until first the right side popped in to place then the left. The ride height is now correct and it rides a lot better.
I had the same problem with my 69 right after the restoration. Once the springs "flattened" with weight on them, hasn't been an issue.