shackle mount question (1 Viewer)

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g-man

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I helped a fellow mudder install OME springs and shackles this weekend. I noticed the shackle mounts were almost and inch skinnier than the OME shackles. The bushing sticking out prob 3/8 of and inch on either side. I'm a 60 guy and not to familiar with 40 series. They looked oem but I don't know. Are OEM shackle mounts this thin on a 40? Is this going to be a problem with the springs moving laterally? The fixed pin hangers fit the OME right.

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Are those shackle pins shouldered, so you can’t over tighten them?
Yes. As I recall both ends have a shoulder just inward of the threads. so the plates can't move inward on the pin. And the nuts were torqued to spec.
 
I figure you have 2 options. 1 find frame bushings with wider/thicker shoulders or 2. use the existing bushings and add washers to fill the gap differences.
 
the leaf springs we took off were aftermarket and narrow with 3 heavy leafs and tall shackles.
If this shackle hanger is stock then maybe there is a tapered shackle that would fit?
The shackles you removed were not stock since you said they were "tall" so the new shackles should be the correct width. The FJ-40 does not use stepped shackles they are the same width top and bottom. If the new shackle is wider at either end then the wider end might have caught on the threads or a piece of bushing that scraped off. You might double check that all the bolts were torqued and that one or more may not be fully seated.
 
The shackles halves in question are 2 separate flat plates. The shackle width, in this case, is determined by the width of the lower springs plus the lower bushing shoulders. To match the wider lower assembly, the narrower upper width needs a frame bushings with thicker shoulders so they match the lower width or add washers as spacers to the top assembly to compensate for the lower wider springs and bushings or shouldered bolts. It might take 1 washer or 2, to make the shackle 1/2's to be parallel to each other. You do not want any slop, the bushings should be snug against the shackle plates and parallel.
 
I see the same amount of bushing shoulder in the shackle hanger as I see on the spring. There is a protrusion on the tube, it is covered with bushing grease. FJ40 FJ45 Spring Perches Front BTB 20-2304 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 - Landcruiser Parts - https://manafrelv.com/product/btb-products-fj40-front-spring-perches-58-8-80/

There are different leafs springs for later 40s then the rest of us, but I'm not seeing that here.
 
Was the inside of that shackle mount as rusty, crusty as the outside? May have needed more prep before installation of the bushings. Like reaming out with a grinder bit or a large course file.
 
The shackles halves in question are 2 separate flat plates. The shackle width, in this case, is determined by the width of the lower springs plus the lower bushing shoulders. To match the wider lower assembly, the narrower upper width needs a frame bushings with thicker shoulders so they match the lower width or add washers as spacers to the top assembly to compensate for the lower wider springs and bushings or shouldered bolts. It might take 1 washer or 2, to make the shackle 1/2's to be parallel to each other. You do not want any slop, the bushings should be snug against the shackle plates and parallel.
Take a look at this picture:

emu-omegs8_xl[1].jpg


The pins have shoulders on both ends that the plates sit against. The larger end of the pin screws into the plate with the anti-inversion end and a nut on the outside holds it to the plate. That is also the end that gets the zerk fitting. This assembly is then inserted through the hanger, springs and bushings. The second side plate is not threaded and simply slides over the smaller threads on onto the step (same size as hole in plate). A lock washer and nut tighten the plate against the shoulder of the pin. The width is the same top and bottom and is the same as the length of the larger diameter of the pins.
 
Take a look at this picture:

View attachment 2821823

The pins have shoulders on both ends that the plates sit against. The larger end of the pin screws into the plate with the anti-inversion end and a nut on the outside holds it to the plate. That is also the end that gets the zerk fitting. This assembly is then inserted through the hanger, springs and bushings. The second side plate is not threaded and simply slides over the smaller threads on onto the step (same size as hole in plate). A lock washer and nut tighten the plate against the shoulder of the pin. The width is the same top and bottom and is the same as the length of the larger diameter of the pins.
So it really matter if it's the width of the spring and bushing or the shoulders on the shackle bolt. He needs to fill the gap/slop in the upper mount to match the width of the lower setup. It appears to me the frame mount is stk. The shackle plates should be parallel. He needs either frame bushings with a thicker shoulder or add a washers or 2.
 
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So I cleaned up the grease and took another look. Here’s another from further away and of a rear shackle. Everything black there on the top part of the shackle is actually metal and part of the frame perch mount. I could’ve sworn there was a gap as we were installing it too, but I felt around it with a pick and don’t see a gap there anymore and the plates look parallel. Maybe I should retorque these again
 
I see the same amount of bushing shoulder in the shackle hanger as I see on the spring. There is a protrusion on the tube, it is covered with bushing grease. FJ40 FJ45 Spring Perches Front BTB 20-2304 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 - Landcruiser Parts - https://manafrelv.com/product/btb-products-fj40-front-spring-perches-58-8-80/

There are different leafs springs for later 40s then the rest of us, but I'm not seeing that here.
Thanks....problem solved!
 
Was the inside of that shackle mount as rusty, crusty as the outside? May have needed more prep before installation of the bushings. Like reaming out with a grinder bit or a large course file.
we tried cleaning up the inside ...of course it had old grease and crud inside. But we just cleaned them enough to get the new bushings in. I assume that as the shackle moves most of the sliding will occur at the inner greased shackle pin and the bushing and that the bushing will stay fixed where it contacts the shackle mount. It would be great if we could have gotten them shiny and smooth but we didn't have the right tools for that. I think the outside is quite a bit more crusty than the inside just because the inside was protected from the elements due to the old bushings covering them up.
 

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