Springs and Shock Absorbers

The original front springs had to go. In 1983 one of them broke at the rear pivot bolt and the spring end rode on the frame in front of the bolt. We took the truck to Superior Spring in North Little Rock for repair. They supposedly re-arched all four springs and rebuilt the front two. When I removed the springs I found one of the front springs had it's rear pivot eye broken. A call to Carl Walck and new springs, front and rear, were on the way.

Note: When you buy new springs they will probably come with the rubber bushings in the front end for the newer style shackles. I talked to Carl Walck about that because I wanted to use the older style shackle. He said to remove the rubber bushing and the old style shackle would then fit. So that's what I did and everything fit perfectly.

If you have a bad back get help lifting the rear springs. They are HEAVY!!! The spring pivot bolt holes in the frame for the rear springs took a great deal of punishment over the years. I took the frame to Denham Welder's in Morrilton and they welded up the holes and re-drilled them to size. All of the parts came from Carl Walck.

Note: The bushing in the shackle requires reaming to fit. Also, the new shackles are made of thicker material than the old so the pivot bolt will be too short for the cotter key to go in through the castle nut. Carl Walck advised me to cut the 'castle' deeper so that the cotter key may be inserted. I haven't tried this yet but will take photos when I do.

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Copyright © 2000 David Hoelzeman
Last Updated: June 4, 2000