I need to know if there is supposed to be a sleeve inside the rear shackle bushings where the bolt passes thru,my 68 had some nylon type bushings which I threw away and am now ready to install the rubber factory type and it looks like you would want a sleeve in there. Any opinions appreciated also a part # would be great. Thanks for any help.

My old ones had nothing as did my new ones.... not sure if right but I think the old ones were original.

I just replaced my frame rails and trunk. Why did you replace the "nylon" bushings. They are actually neoprene and much better performing than the rubber ones. If you going for originallity, "never mind" . The shackle bushings have a special bolt, the front leaf spring bushings have a sleeve. I replaced mine with neoprenene. It is a long way away from stock.
I am returning two shackle kits that consist of 4 rubber bushings, two plates that hold everything together and two special bolts and nuts. I was able to reuse the old ones with the new bushings. Hope that helps. Just a word, IMHO you can get black neoprene bushings that will perform much better and it is not something that you would notice.

Factory original rubber bushings had a steel serrated end sleeve. Reproduction, and polyurethane may not. You could fabricate a sleeve out of electrical conduit if the bushings are being drawn together on the bushing when tightening the bolt. I used to replace stock shackles with chrome plated bologna slicers all the time in the seventies.


Larger Dave

Thanks for the help guys I wondered if there might have been something to keep the shackle bolt from being overtightened on the bushing. Stewie I tossed the other bushings because everthing the PO installed was cheap junk and these bushing were made of the hardest plastic type material I have ever seen and along with the five leaf made in India dump truck springs that car rode worse than a buckboard. I may consider a quality set of poly bushings what are you guys running?

The bolts that came with my install kit were tight in nthe bushings. I had no room for a sleeve.

If the grade eight bolt provided has a shoulder (the diameter of the bolt is larger than the diameter of the threaded area) so the nut bottoms out on the bolt and not what is being clamped; you will not need a sleeve. If it is a common grade five hardware bolt with threads cut into the shank without a shoulder it will require a sleeve to prevent the bolt from drawing the shackle together, and a harder bolt to prevent it being sheared.

Correct hardware is important for reasons other than esthetics (correct date code, cladding, color).


Larger Dave

Thanks for the clarification.

Thanks again guy's, I was in the shop this morning and took a look at the bolts and they do have a shoulder and the bolt diameter matchs the i.d. of the bushing. Now all I have to do is go back to NAPA Monday and get the correct bushings. LOL.
Mike

Yes Mike. I should have been more descriptive in my explanation of the "special" bolts. The shackle bolts have a shoulder so you do not need a sleeve.