chopper35nj Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 I just did the rear springs on my MJ and due to the condition I was not able to reuse my shackles. I'll bet a lot of you have been there.after extensive searches I have found that stock replacement shackles for the MJ are in the unobtanium category and the only options seem to be the Chevy/GMC lowering shackles or some such other piece that in our case give lift. I was not after lift and wanted to keep my pinion angle correct. By chance a buddy was in the process of doing a Ford F150 bastard pack on his MJ and I noticed something, with the exception of the bushing size and that they seem to be made of heavier material, the F150 shackles are almost Identical to stock MJ shackles. The F150 shackles are about 1/8" longer eye to eye which for all practical purposes equals no lift. And the best part..... they are cheep and readily available. I got mine at Advance Auto, they are for a 2002 F150 2WD, for $29.99 ea. Dorman OE Solutions Part# 722-019. I would post side by side pictures but posting pictures on here is a PITA. I hope this helps those of you in my position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 excellent! :clapping: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 Here you go. Looks like these Ford shackles are of good quality. W/o knowing the exact dimensions you might need some shimming washers on the hanger end but it sure looks like these will work just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Ya know a few months back I installed some drop shackles for a customer's '05ish F150 and though the factory ones looked fairly close too; guessing I probably took measurements and decided otherwise because I didn't take the old ones home :laughin: I'll bet the bushing diameter isn't correct for our springs; that would be too perfect ya know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 I emailed their tech support asking for a full dimension breakdown. Here's hoping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Got this reply: Hello Alan, The leaf spring width on this is 82mm The frame-side width is 65mm Center to center on the bolt holes 113mm Thank you for your inquiry. I'll have to ask what the dimensions on the bushing are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Got another reply; The ID of the bushing is 14.3mm. The OD is 34.5mm And according to NAPA's online catalog our rear bushing is: Dimension A I.D. : .558"Dimension B : 2.5"Dimension C : 3.19"Dimension D O.D. : 2.503" Not even close on the bushing :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Chopper got them installed and I posted up a pic for him. They look like they fit very well, damn well in fact. They would be fine like this as they fit better than the Chevy lowering shackles as is, but I'd add some appropriately sized stainless fender washers on the bolt between the spring bushing and shackle arms to straighten the arms and prevent possible binding. Nice job and you found an excellent substitute for another obsolete MJ part. Love to see all that lithium grease on all the moving parts too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopper35nj Posted September 29, 2015 Author Share Posted September 29, 2015 A-man, I am not the least bit worried about the size of the bushing as the F150 is, I believe a considerably heavier truck and at least these parts are available for replacement. Changing out that bushing every 4 or 5 years is fine with me. A big thanks to Hornbrod for posting these pics for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 A-man, I am not the least bit worried about the size of the bushing as the F150 is, I believe a considerably heavier truck and at least these parts are available for replacement. Changing out that bushing every 4 or 5 years is fine with me. A big thanks to Hornbrod for posting these pics for me. This option is considerably better than the cheap and popular (because it's cheap) Chevy lowering shackles for MJ fitment. Check the dimension and bushing specs on the Chevy shackle. The Ford 150 shackles don't provide any lift as the shaky Chev shackle does, but if you need to stay at stock height, this is the way to go. OEM MJ shackles are still available for about X4 the price of the Ford shackles, and I'm all for OEM parts, but I'd have no problem using these to replace the stock MJ shackles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 A-man, I am not the least bit worried about the size of the bushing as the F150 is, I believe a considerably heavier truck and at least these parts are available for replacement. Changing out that bushing every 4 or 5 years is fine with me. A big thanks to Hornbrod for posting these pics for me. I was only hoping the bushing was usable too since you're stuck buying it with the Dorman kit. This is a good find indeed. OEM MJ shackles are still available for about X4 the price of the Ford shackles, From who? Chrysler?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 From who? Chrysler?? Who else? OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer = Chrysler in this case. Here among other places: http://collectorsautosupply.com/ A mere $84/ea. :eek: Plus shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopper35nj Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 Oh, you meant the spring eye bushing? Yeah right? that would be awesome but I did just install a new set of polly bushings a few days earlier, so no worries on my end. But, I'll tell you this, the next time I have to do a set of springs on an MJ (I'm sure this won't be the last time) I am installing a set of F150 springs Lock, Stock and Barrel and just drill new holes in the rear spring pockets 1 inch back, using the Dorman shackles I'll only have to replace the front bushing in the mains. I think this will be a cheep and effective upgrade as the F150 springs are cheep, progressive and wayyyyyy more modern than the MJ springs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 I'd like to throw another candidate in the mix; Dorman 722-006 They're listed for 1/2 ton Chevy Express or GMC Savanna vans and they appear to be a tad bit narrower on the spring eye side and even closer to our stock 4 3/8" length. I've found ones made by Automan on ebay too. Pending a confirmation on the dimensions I'll probably be buying the Dorman ones via NAPA since I get a discount there, but the Automan ones on ebay look like a good deal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Automan? Probably just rebadged Dorman junk. Maybe even a step below, if that's even possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 Could be. Apparently they're a truck parts company. I'm gonna order both and see which ones are sturdier (if they're any different at all). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 Got another reply; The ID of the bushing is 14.3mm. The OD is 34.5mm And according to NAPA's online catalog our rear bushing is: Dimension A I.D. : .558" Dimension B : 2.5" Dimension C : 3.19" Dimension D O.D. : 2.503" Not even close on the bushing :( So what? The bushing that comes in the shackle doesn't fit the spring, it's the frame end. If it'll hold up a full-size pickup, it'll hold up a Comanche. There's also a Chevy shackle that's virtually identical to the MJ shackle, but I don't remember what year or model it fits, and I don't have a part number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 I'd like to throw another candidate in the mix; Dorman 722-006 They're listed for 1/2 ton Chevy Express or GMC Savanna vans and they appear to be a tad bit narrower on the spring eye side and even closer to our stock 4 3/8" length. Where did you find dimensions? I didn't see any specs when I clicked your link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 So what? The bushing that comes in the shackle doesn't fit the spring, it's the frame end. If it'll hold up a full-size pickup, it'll hold up a Comanche. There's also a Chevy shackle that's virtually identical to the MJ shackle, but I don't remember what year or model it fits, and I don't have a part number. -I was just looking to see if the bushing that comes in the Ford kit the OP tried happens to fit our spring eye. -I'm not too convinced this Express/Savanna shackle isn't the one you're thinking of. Where did you find dimensions? I didn't see any specs when I clicked your link. No dimensions on Dorman's website, I'm waiting on an email back from them. I found the Automan listing on ebay first which led me to check and see who else offered a replacement shackle for the Express/Savanna; hence the Dorman # Automan? Probably just rebadged Dorman junk. Maybe even a step below, if that's even possible. FWIW I can't say I've had too much trouble with "Dorman junk" over the years. In my general experience Dorman hard parts are more often a "hit" than a "miss"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8valvehero Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 This thread should be repaired and pinned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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