Need lift shackle advice

[FPGT24]

i ordered these from ebay Rear Steel Rear Shackle | 2" inch Lift Leveling Kit | for 95-05 Ford Explorer

the problem i need help with is what i need to install them. ive been searching for numerous hours on this forum trying to find a straight answer and i cannot find any simple straight forward answer.

what i need to know is:

- do i need new bushings for the leaf spring hole
- what size bolts and nuts do i need for these aftermarket shackles (i've seen 9/16 x 4.5 & 14mm x 4.5 but no stores around here have any of those)
- ive read about something called a holding bolt or locking bolt, do i need one?

if anyone knows somewhere i can get all of this in one kit please let me know. this has been a huge hassle and im posting here as a last resort. i dont want my wheels falling off going down the interstate.

 

[Glacier Explorer]

You reuse all of the same hardware. The bushings stay in the end of the springs. If they are damaged, rotted, or falling apart, you should definitely spend the time/money to get some fresh ones. You can reuse the same bolts too, or if you shackles come with new ones, use those.

Just loosen the bolts on the stock shackle, jack the vehicle up by the frame, finish removing the bolts (may need to tap the old bolts out, careful not to damage the bushings they are in), then put it all together again. You might want to use the factory bottle jack to get the upper and lower shackle bolts lined up properly (place it on top of the spring, pushing on the frame above to open the gap for the longer shackle). Whether you want to use a lock nut or not depends on the bolt length, but it didn't come with one from the factory. All it is is a second but that you screw on after the first one. It helps prevent the first nut from backing out over time.

Lastly, questions like this one should be asked in the "modified" 2nd gen forum. You'd get a lot more feedback since most of the people over there have done this to their truck.

 

[MAS Tequila]

Lots of Deep Creep will make the job easier.

Don't just spray the nut, but spray the bolts where they go through the bushings and they will come out a lot easier.

Being in PA, how rusty is your EX?

If the bolts aren't falling apart then just reuse them.

Your shackles look like Warrior knock offs.

Something to think about is that on mine the stock bolts were a bit shorter than the bolts that came with the Warriors.

There weren't enough threads for the bolt to protrude from the nut.

I would wait until your shackle arrive and take them to a supply house that has grade 8 bolts, and get new ones that are long enough for the nut to completely fit with several twist sticking out.

And use nylock nuts.

MT

 

[FPGT24]

I have the shackles here in my hand, i got them months ago. I just can't get a straight answer what bolt size i need. Many threads on here say that the stock bolts WILL NOT work for aftermarket lift shackles. I have searched for numerous hours for days on here, stopped at multiple parts stores as well as lowes, home depot, and 2 ace hardwares and no one can give me a straight answer as to what bolt is needed to make these shackles work and be safe so i dont have wheels flying off. I'm not a mechanic, I'm an independent one-man-operation car dealer but not mechanically inclined. I dont want to blow the money to take the Explorer to my mechanic as i already have enough money in it.

Most of the explorers ive owned were very rusty but this one i have now is mostly rust free. The stock shackles look decent but do appear to be the original, so i dont expect to be able to reuse the bolts. This is currently my only vehicle that is on the road so i cant be tearing it apart and relying on reusing the old bolts in the event that one or perhaps both of them break or strip out when im removing them.

Someone on here has got to know what size bolts go to these shackles......

 

[MAS Tequila]

According to RockAuto.com the stock bolts are 9/16" X 4 1/2" grade 8.

I would take the new shackles and make sure that the bolt not only will fit through the hole, but is long enough to have enough threads catch on the nut.

The shackle is not going to compress, so make sure the length is adequate.

And use nylock nuts.

MT

 

[Glacier Explorer]

According to RockAuto.com the stock bolts are 9/16" X 4 1/2" grade 8.

Just went out to check the bolts that came with the (aftermarket) Warrior shackles, and they are slightly shorter than 4.5" and ~1/2" in diameter (quick tape measure measurement). As long as you get a grade 8 bolt that is long enough to pass all of the way through both ends of the shackle, and have enough threads to get a nylock nut on the end, you will be fine. Take the new shackles to a parts store, and test fit with grade 8 bolts.

Spray the old bolts as much as you want with good penetrating oil, not WD-40. The more often you do that, the easier it'll be to remove the bolts. I sprayed mine 3 or 4 times over the 2 days before I started the shackle swap, and didn't even need a breaker bar. For reference, my Explorer was in a coastal town in NJ for 7 years (salted winter roads, perpetual salty air from the ocean). Nothing broke or stripped like you are worried about. Grade 8 hardware isn't soft/brittle pot metal by any means.

 

[Big Z]

The original bolts are metric, 14mm grade 8.8 about 100-105mm long. The standard bolt equivalent is 9/16 grade 5. If you use a 9/16 bolt instead of 14mm, you may need to run a 9/16 drill bit through your bushings so the bolt will fit through easily. You wouldn't remove much material--really it would just skim the rust out, 9/16 is barely bigger than 14mm. So. If you get metric, considering the replacement shackles are thicker I would get 14mm x 110mm grade 8.8 or grade 10.9 flange bolts. OR for standard size, 9/16x4.5" grade 5 or grade 8 flange bolts (standard head bolts with flat washers if you can't find flange bolts). Get flange lock nuts..OR flat washers and lock nuts to match the bolts. You will have better luck finding these sizes if you look for grade 8.8 metric or grade 5 standard, rather than looking for the higher grades that aren't necessary. These sizes should be available at big box DIY stores like menards, home depot etc..but it's practically guaranteed they would have them in stock at a store like Fastenal. Just carry the shackle in and drop the bolts in to make sure they'll be long enough to leave a couple few threads sticking out when it's tight.

As for replacement bushings..basically, if you can get the bolts out, you can leave them be and reuse them. If your bolts are seized, you will have to abandon the project until you get new bushings as you'll have to cut the stock shackle off with a reciprocating saw or hacksaw and burn the bushing out. For this reason, leave the nut on when you're hitting it until you know the bolt has started to move out. This way you can tighten it back up if you need to bail..

 

[FPGT24]

Glacier & Big Z, thank you very much for this information. I really appreciate it. I sprayed the shackles/bolts earlier with some Zep 45 and i'm going to blast them again for another 2 or 3 days to make this easier.

 

[DRanger024]

Not to dig up an old thread but I just got done dealing with this and may save someone a headache in the future. What I did was drop the spare tire for working room and drilled a 1/4" pilot hole through the bolt head followed my a 3/8" bit. I wouldn't go any larger than 3/8 as you probably won't drill the pilot hole on center. Drill in about 2 inches or until you break through the bolt and see the rust between it and the bushing sleeve. Then bust the anti spin tab off the bolt head and use a 13/16 socket to shear the bolt head out. You may need to tap the socket onto the bolt head. Once that half is removed, go to the nut side with a breaker bar and 22mm socket and TIGHTEN the nut until it stops. Back it completely off and put 4 (or more) thick washers and anti seize on it (make sure the nut is fully engaged with the bolt, the nuts are soft). Tighten until it bottoms or the bolt spins. Add more washers if need be. This effectively pressed the rest of the bolt out. Use something smaller than the diameter of the bolt to pound the rest out with a hammer after it breaks free. Grease, not anti seize, the shank of the new bolts. Torque the new bolts with the truck at ride height.