A-Body leaf spring bushing challenge.

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mitch340Duster

mitch340Duster

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Thanks in advance for trying to help. I'm really frustrated with this, and I did a lot of research before posting. 1970 Duster 340 genuine H-code unmolested. Just started putting it back together after 3 years out for paint. Been acquiring parts for the last several years a little at a time. At some point I replaced the front spring eye bushings on the rear springs. These bushings were supposed to have come with the bolts but I can't find them now. Ordered a set of bolts from a popular Mopar supplier and these are way too big but are the only ones he lists. Another big Mopar supplier says the same thing, that these bolts fit all Mopar V8 cars. They don't. My car requires a bushing that is 1.5" OD to fit in the spring (not 1 and 3 eighths), but with a 1/2" bolt. The holes in the front hanger bracket are 1/2". Problem is all of the aftermarkets and even the big Mopar guys are lumping the applications together. If you look-up the bolt/bushing for 1970 A-Body you will find the same P/Ns that they list for all other bodies, and this is incorrect.
Right out of the 70-71 parts book all of this stuff (hanger/bushing/bolt/nut) is unique to A-body cars with any engine, and it's all 1/2". Interestingly the P/N for the nut is the same as for the U-bolt nuts (6023019) so the 5/8" bolts that the Mopar suppliers have are not only the wrong size (5/8 instead of 1/2) but at least the nuts are not "correct" either.
Now let's make it more difficult...regarding the bushings that I installed in the springs, the inside diameter is too small to accept a 5/8 bolt, and too big for 1/2". A closer look showed that the "tubes" in the bushings that the bolts go through have 3 little deals machined into each end of them (I'll call them knurls since NAPA lists their bushings as "not knurled"). It is these things that prevent a 5/8 bolt from fitting.
Now I don't know what to do to fix this. I don't think I'm going to find the correct parts anywhere. Drilling the holes in the hangers from 1/2 to 5/8 so that the new bolts fit seems logical, but because of the knurls in the bushings the bolts won't fit in them, or are the bushings designed so that you hammer the bolts in and the knurls hold them tight? I can't imagine this wouldn't ruin the threads though. Can I drill out the knurls so that the 5/8 bolts fit ? I don't want to un-engineer something that is there for a reason. If I have to remove the springs again to change the bushings "it is what it is" however I'm hoping not to have to spend all summer "trying and returning" over and over again since it appears that I cannot rely on the aftermarket listings for the bushings, or the bolts to be correct.
THANKS !!
 
I have some 70 340 springs here and will check what size bushing and bolt holes they are. I should also have some used 1//2 bolts here PM me if you need them
 
The info would be great if you have time, hopefully if you find the same everyone won't just think I'm nuts. Right now I can't use the bolts since 1/2" is too small for the bushings that are in-there now but maybe depending on what I end-up with.
THANKS !
 
Just went through that recently. NAPA sells the bushing and bolt as a package. If you go to thier website do not put engine size in the data fields for your car. It should come up with 2 listings under rear spring bolts. The one listed for /6 cars is the correct one.

I ordered polys from PST and what they sell fits the spring eye correctly but the sleeve insert is not large enough for the correct 1/2 " bolt. I considered opening up the bushing with the correct size bit and inserting the sleeves from my old bushings, but decided to find the correct factory rubber ones instead.

Everyone else seems to list all V8 applications as the 2" bushing and 1/2" bolt. When in fact it is a 1.5" bushing with 1/2" bolt.
 
Get on line and google eaton detroit spring (eatonsprings.com) maybe they can help. there is a real good tech section you should look into also.
 
NCP2748166

This is the NAPA part #
 
Still working on this. The Eaton Spring tip, combined with Gerald's info may have helped. On one of the many sites I've been to today after searching the Eaton part number (RB109) I was able to find an actual cross from the Chrysler number (2539127) to the RB109. Then I found that the Rock Auto listing for 6 cyl is unique to 1970 only, but different from the one for V8's. Another incorrect listing since they should both be the same, but I'm encouraged about the 1970-only thing. I ordered those from Rock Auto in addition to another set of the ones I already have but lost the bolts for.
Wanted to stick with Rock on this because they almost always ship same-day and priority mail and there's a lot more to this whole story than I originally told you guys so I need to get this done quick.
I'm happy to keep listening but for now if you guys wanna hold-off on any ideas I should wait for these next orders to arrive and go from there.
THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYONE'S HELP
 
Gerald your last post came-in while I was typing my last one and i already ordered the set from Rock. That's probably good news. As you said, that Napa # is what you get by application for 6cyl. If I was gonna use Napa that's the one I was gonna try. The AC Delco from Rock is 45G17011 which is also for 6 cyl application so hopefully it's the same.
 
Good luck and I Hope they are correct.

I almost did the same thing but there was just not enough info on rock to make me feel good about the delco pieces. The raybestos ones are not right and I will most likely put them away somewhere cause it cost to much to ship them back.
 
hotrod426 said:
Get on line and google eaton detroit spring (eatonsprings.com) maybe they can help. there is a real good tech section you should look into also.
Click to expand...



Scratch that on the NAPA Piece, its wrong also.


RB1 from eaton seems to be the correct one. 1.5" dia, 2.5 outer sleeve, 3 1/8 inner sleeve 5/8 bolt dia.........
 
The saga continues...Both of the AC Delco pieces came-in today from Rock Auto and both are wrong. BTW as I mentioned RockAuto ships fast. One of those orders was placed Friday and the other Saturday and they BOTH came-in Monday.
The AC Delco 45G17011 that I hoped would be correct is 1 3/8 OD with .50 ID so no good. The AC Delco 45G17012 is way off. 2" OD and 5/8" ID (the correct one for probably every V8 except 70-71 A-body). It's now a complete mystery to me which one it was I got from them 3 years ago that was 1.5 OD but 5/8 ID with those crazy knurl things. I have an inquiry in to them but I don't know if their records go back that far.
I went to order the Napa NCP2748166 today. The guy was really helpful and I'm not a customer of his. He called Napa tech line and they said that one has OD of 1 3/8 so both of us decided not to take the chance of ordering it.
So, Eaton shows a RB109 which on-paper should work since it says it's 1.5 OD, .500 ID which is what I need. Called them on the phone since they don't have bolts listed on the web site. That guy was also helpful. He's shipping the bushings/bolts Tue or Wed. If these are wrong I won't have any other options on how to proceed.
Will advise again ASAP. Oh yeah, and Wednesday thru Friday is my mandated spring vacation with the wife so I'm out-of-town when the order from Eaton arrives. WOO HOO !!!!
 
UPDATE / CONCLUSION
RockAuto was able to promptly help with my old orders. The ones that I initially ordered were Raybestos 5765012. I subsequently returned them, probably since the spec on them shows a 2"OD but again those were the ones listed (incorrectly) for my application.
That is the time that I would have bought the ones that I pressed-in, which were the useless ones with the knurls, but I can't find any record of what brand/number they were. I will update one more time if I find it.

WRONG BUSHINGS:
Raybestos 5765012 2"OD
AC Delco 45G17011 1 3/8" OD
AC Delco 45G17012 2" OD
NAPA NCP2748166 1 3/8" OD (per the spec, I did not order this one)
NAPA NCP2748171 2"OD (probably, since like with all other aftermarkets this is the same one listed for E-bodies, etc)

DON'T BOTHER WITH ANYTHING OTHER THAN RB109's. This is a universal "rubber bushing" listing available from a lot of places, maybe even a local spring shop. Per "HotRod's" advice I used Eaton Detroit Spring. The guy was nice and he shipped them right-away as-promised. These are the correct bushings for my application. 1.5" OD, .500" ID. You will probably have to order bolts/nuts separately. I was not crazy about the bolts he sent since they are coarse thread so the "correct" 6023019 nuts won't fit, but I'm certainly not going to let that hold me up any longer.

Remember all of this pertains to 1970-1971 "A-Body" cars. The RB109 is the only aftermarket I found after 2 weeks that will work with no modifications. According to the Chrysler parts manual, this is regardless of engine size. My disclaimer is that It's always possible that the book is wrong and that the 6cyl actually does use the 1 3/8" bushing, but I'm just guessing. I was a Chrysler parts man for many years. The books were never updated. It would have been up to a good parts guy to pencil-in any corrections, and my pdf of the book has no such changes in this case.

I hope that this information will help other guys in the future.

The attached photo is of the inner diameter tube/sleeve from the 1st set of bushings that I pressed-in that first started all of this mystery. Looking closely you will see at the far end of the tube the 3 "knurl" things that prevented a 5/8" bolt (which was probably included with the bushings) from working with them.

Now after all this I've lost the window of time to work on the car for another week or so (big sigh)
 

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Mitch - I just went through this same exact thing when I got new springs that required the larger bolts. I think I still have my old smaller bolts. I'll check later tonight and if I have them, there yours.
 
Yeah '72 I thought of that I just wasn't sure of the appropriate grade (figured 8 but not sure) so I figured I'd order the bolts at the same time. Thanks
 
Sure jab I guess why not? I actually already ordered the fine thread nuts before these came in and I can't put it together until late next week now anyhow. I'll take 'em if you have 'em. Another nice guy offered earlier in this thread too. I will PM you in-case you find them. Thanks a lot
 
I'd like to thank everyone!! This post is what I needed. I was beating my head against the wall until I found this post.

Thanks again!!
 
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