Rear Suspension Completed

Finally finished both sides of the rear suspension.  Beginning the tear-down of the front suspension... 

One Leg Restored

Here's a picture of the passenger side rear, now completely restored.

Installing New Leaf Spring Bushings

The suspension rebuild kit comes with leaf springs, and you install the front & rear bushings by pushing them in "eyes" formed in the leaf spring.  This is a challenge because the fit is very tight.  Here's what worked for me:  I put the bushing in the freezer for a few hours (cold metal should contract), and brought the leaf spring inside the house for a few hours (warm metal should expand).  I lubed the eye with white lithium grease, and then hammered the bushing in.  Seemed to go with 4-5 good hard whacks.  Some (not all) of the bushings have a very slight taper on one end, which makes it easier to get started.  

"There, I Fixed It!" Redux

I don't know how I managed to miss this before:

This is the passenger side front lower shock mount.  I have no idea what's holding the shock absorber in place, but it's certainly not a bolt and washer!         

What is the deal with broken passenger side shock mounts on this vehicle?  The rear lower was also broken with some kludge fix (see Nov 13, 2011 post).  Scary.

Why I Am Replacing the Leaf Spring Mounting Plates

Below is a picture of my driver's side rear leaf spring mounting plate.  The post sticking out is where the bottom end of the shock absorber goes.  Note the gigantic welt.  Can't imagine what would cause that.  No way I am putting this back on.  The suspension rebuild kit doesn't include replacements, so I get to buy these separately.  Cost about $15 each.

The %^!$@! Shackle Bushing Outer Shells

The shackle bushings consist of two concentric metal cylinders with rubber between them.  The inner shell and the rubber comes out easily, but the outer shell seems like it's welded into the frame hanger.  Here's a picture (the offending piece is the thin ring around the hole):

This has to come out or the new bushings won't fit.  After scouring the forums and getting through this myself, here's what seems to work best: Using a hacksaw, cut through the shell at two locations on opposite sides, and then use a chisel and hammer to push the two half-shells out.  If it doesn't come out with a few taps, it's probably because you didn't cut all the way through the shell -- even through it seems like you are sawing straight, the ends seem to cut faster than the middle.

Here's a bad way I found to do:  Use a 7/8-in step bit to clear a little bit of the shell on one end, and then a 7/8-in hole saw to drill the shell the rest of the way out.  It feels great to end that sucker with a power tool, but the problem is the resulting hole ends up a little larger than 7/8-in, probably because it is impossible to hold the drill exactly on-center during the excavation. So, I now have one shackle bushing which fits, but does not fit snug; it has a little play in it.  It seems OK otherwise, but in retrospect I would rather not have done this. 

Repairing an Upper Rear Shock Mount

In my Nov 19, 2011, I reported that I managed to damaged the passenger-side upper shock mount.  The part of the mount containing the threads came off with the nut.  This has turned out to be remarkably easy to fix.  Rather than replacing the entire mount, I ground down the broken (thread-bearing) part smooth, then drilled and tapped a hole for a new 3/8-16 bolt.