1987 Chevrolet V20 front leaf spring replacement

[iamtherealJayy]

I have an extra set of bushings because when I bought the springs it said bushing not included but I ripped the bubble wrap off to find bushing already installed. I don’t remember exactly what springs I got but I believe pro comp 2.5” lift leaf springs. Trying to keep around the same ride height and get rid of the blown out springs and 2” lift blocks in the front that sketch me out.

 

[Grit dog]

Grade 8 is fine. And hardware store bolts will work if the shoulder is long enough.
Nice looking truck l. I’d get greaseable or factory bolts eventually though.
Bolts on my Jeep were froze solid to the bushings. Drilled out the rubber until it broke loose

 

[77 K20]

^^^^ Yeah, what he said. My bolts were rusted solid to the steel sleeve inside the rubber bushings. Anytime I hammered it with everything I had the rubber would absorb a lot of the impact.
Had to cut/chop the bolts to get them out of there.

 

[75gmck25]

I upgraded to poly bushings on stock springs.
My front rubber bushings were frozen to both the bolt and the spring eye, so beating on the bolts did nothing. My new bushings came with new bolts, so I just cut the old bolt ends off on the front hangars and dropped the spring down and clear of the hangar. Then I had to drill out the rubber and finally get it loose from the spring. On stock springs there is also a metal sleeve around the front bushing and it has to be cut and hammered out. The smaller bolts on the rear hangars broke loose and came out without any problems,

Another really messy method I’ve seen in several YouTube postings is to use a torch and completely burn out the rubber bushings. Lots of very black smoke.

 

[Grit dog]

Grade 8 is fine. And hardware store bolts will work if the shoulder is long enough.
Nice looking truck l. I’d get greaseable or factory bolts eventually though.
Bolts on my Jeep were froze solid to the bushings. Drilled out the rubber until it broke loose

To qualify, I was re-using my springs, but new bushings and drop shackles, in the OP's case, not re-using the springs, I'd have given them about 5 minutes of effort before moving on to a grinder, sawzall or liquid metal maker!

 

[Grit dog]

Another really messy method I’ve seen in several YouTube postings is to use a torch and completely burn out the rubber bushings. Lots of very black smoke.

Ya, not everything on Youtube is the right way to do something, lol. Trust us, when we say drilling out the rubber is a better method!

 

[iamtherealJayy]

I’m looking for new bolts right now then cutting old ones out so I can get my truck back already lol I miss it

 

[iamtherealJayy]

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[iamtherealJayy]

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Photos of current conditions and photos of why I’m replacing the springs. I have found one bolt for the front replacement so far. None of my bolts in stock are long enough so far.

 

[nvrenuf]

It looks like a you could drive that bolt out with a punch and hammer - no?

 

[iamtherealJayy]

Nope 2lb sledge hammer won’t make either of them budge. I got the first one to where it is by hitting it with all I had I bet the bolt is seized to the metal sleeve inside bushing and the sleeve is stopping it from going farther.

 

[nvrenuf]

If the bolts are seized to the metal sleeve then they are junk, If they wont come out they certainly wont go in to the new sleeves. I'd go ahead and cut them so you can move forward when you get good bolts. You keep talking about the down time, leaving them in will just slow you down later when you need to be putting it together.

 

[iamtherealJayy]

I’m in search of new bolts because I need the truck back together by Wednesday. I’m hoping the ubolts aren’t too long, the ones on it are longer because of the blocks? I guess they can be cut down ? I wouldn’t think four bolts would be that difficult to find, but I can’t find long enough ones that have the threads in right location. Is a little threads inside the bushing fine?

 

[Bextreme04]

Ya, not everything on Youtube is the right way to do something, lol. Trust us, when we say drilling out the rubber is a better method!

When I did mine, drilling didn't work at all. I ended up having to heat up the sleeve enough to slide it out of the rubber and then the rubber was able to fold in on itself and come out. I ended up having to use a sawzall with a carbide tipped blade to cut the bolts that were stuck. There was no way to get a cutoff wheel on them in the spot they were in on the rear. All bolts/bushings in both the front and rear are now ORD kevlar with greasable bolts.

 

[Bextreme04]

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Use a sawzall with carbide tipped blade and just cut between the spring and the hanger on the inside of that front hanger. For the rear, just unbolt the top bolt... The side will come right off and then you can grind or cut the head off the other bolts to get it the rest of the way off. Yes you can have threads inside the bushing.