Replacing the leaf springs and removed old leaf by the shackle because I’m installing adjustable shackles.
Good thing I did. Look at this rusted rotted mess....

 

Brave statement saying you're replacing those.

 

I can't even...

 

how did you even get them out?! I planned on replacing mine when I did my lift but just like the leaf to frame bolts, these bolts are rusted to the sleeve of the busing. They would spin but not back out and I could even see the sheet metal kind of starting to bulge out. I eventually gave up and installed the new springs sans new shackles, but it's also worth mentioning that mine were still in one piece. I thought I'd need them for the lift but it actually sits level so that wasn't a problem. But I'm sure the day will come when mine turn into that and I just don't know what I'll do lol. Outside of a cutoff wheel.

 

It wasn’t easy! 21mm socket and breaker bar. Once it broke free it didn’t spin freely. I had to pull like hell and it would let loose. Pull like hell again and it would let loose. The second pull would throw my arm into the drum. I’ve got bruises and scratches from that. Eventually it would turn but was a hard turn. Once the threading passed the frame side I had to beat it out using a screw driver and hammer.

 

man, that is horrible. i am glad you decided to do the work you are because that would have been terrible to have the back rusted like that and then the front bolt breaks off

 

I was nervous to keep going cause I thought I was going to break something that would require welding to fix since i saw the metal bulging. It's my DD and I can't weld! For the frame side I cut the leaf off just before the eye, then cut the metal part of the eye leaving the rubber bushing and inner sleeve, then cut away the rubber bushing, then split apart the sleeve with a chisel and hammer and locked a pair of vice grips on the sleeve so when I spun the bolt the vice would bind against the frame so it wouldn't spin. I saturated the sleeve with PB blaster on top of that. When I finally got the damn bolt out I looked in the sleeve and all the rust essentially created threads in the sleeve...jesus. that was both sides mind you

 

Good lord! What a pain in the ars that must have been. Although rust has eaten away my floor boards, rockers, cargo bay and such I haven’t broken a single bolt yet 🤞
Keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t. I still have driver side leaf to work on.

 

I think you just got to that in time

 

A marked improvement I’d say....
I used original bolts through top of shackle as the new bolt that came with the new shackle was making me beat it into the shackle sleeve with a hammer, it was that tight. I knew that trying to ratchet the bolt into the frame would be more strenuous than I was willing partake in. I backed it out using punch and hammer and easily installed the old bolt. I stuck with the old bolt through leaf eye as well.