Replacing Hangers, Shackles, and Leaf Springs

[O'Rattlecan]

Just took a few photos while I was doing the hanger, shackle, and spring work.

My left side rear hanger was rusted out and almost gone after this winter. The salt finally finished it off. Here's what it looked like before I worked on it.

The spring also broke.

So here's the truck without a bed:

Here's the old springs when I pulled them. The right hand spring actually lost one of its leaves when I pulled it, too! Holy cow that's fragile!

Here's the photos of everything replaced. To get off the old hangers, I used a grinder to take off the heads of the rivets. I replaced them all with grade 8 bolts with lock-washers. I'll go around and tighten them up in a few days of driving to let it all break in.

Ryan

 

[O'Rattlecan]

And the cat helped us aaaalllllllll day long.

Ryan

 

[surewhynot]

NIce work. Is the new bed going on now?

 

[Raptor22]

Ooooh, oh my god Ryan. Thats brutal rust. Y'all have it bad in MO.

 

[O'Rattlecan]

I had to put the old one back on for now. I need to knock a couple dents out of the new one first. I was thi nking I am going to also sand and paint the underside of the new one first. I had to get the bed back on for driving for now. When I find a few days where I can have some down time, maybe I can do the underside of the bed, and the new frame, then leave the brown bed on.

Ryan

 

[95F350XL]

I hope you antiseized all them bolts, to keep em nice, and if you ever have to take em off again. My F350 was worse, the leafs were sittin on the bottom of the bed, but none of mine were broke so I got away with shackles and perches. Nice job, you going to paint the rest of that frame?

 

[Skandocious]

Dude! That's lookin' awesome.

 

[O'Rattlecan]

I'll paint all I can next time I get the bed off with enough time. The bed was surprisingly easy to pull!

I was racing daylight and had one day to get the work done.

And don't worry, I didn't go lazy with that small amount of paint. I cleaned off the rust around the hangers down to bare metal. I primed it, then used the Tractor Supply metal epoxy.

Ryan

 

[O'Rattlecan]

Dude! That's lookin' awesome.

Thanks! It's a rolling project. Hard to work on the Daily Driver and make serious progress. You know what I'm talking about!

Ryan

 

[Skandocious]

Thanks! It's a rolling project. Hard to work on the Daily Driver and make serious progress. You know what I'm talking about!

Ryan

Oh I know ALL too well

 

[john112deere]

Oh I know ALL too well

+1


Lookin' good, though, Ryan.

There's something kind of satisfying about the first time you pull the bed off your pickup, isn't there? (Also depressing- if it's as rusty as mine, which was even worse than yours...and it was younger, too.) Please tell me you at least made a lap of the neighborhood with no bed?

 

[O'Rattlecan]

I wanted to drive it around for a week without it sooooo bad. But I was racing daylight. It's been raining ever since a few hours after I got it back on.

We did meet a neighbor though. He's lived there for 4-5 years and we've never talked to him. He was interested in working on his truck too and wanted to know how much it weighed, etc, etc. Then he made an obama crack and we were instant friends. It drew a loooot of attention in the drive. People were slowing down to 10mph and staring as they drove by.

Ryan

 

[Skandocious]

Please tell me you at least made a lap of the neighborhood with no bed?

How much does the bed weigh? You think it'd be a noticeable power gain from the reduction in weight?

 

[surewhynot]

It makes it much easier to burn out. I don't know exact weight numbers, but it makes a difference.

 

[O'Rattlecan]

The long bed felt like maybe 300 pounds.

Ryan

 

[john112deere]

Makes the rear end wanna lock up like nobody's business when you hit the brakes, too.

 

[LEB Ben]

Man...just a friendly reminder to why those of us who live in non salted areas appreciate it so much. That was some gnarly cancer. I swear, I woulda just thrown some mudflaps on, a couple clamps for the lights and license plates and drove around with no bed.

 

[89frankenford]

the truck looks good! yeah the bed is surprisingly easy to pull. just obnoxiously bulky. no one knows ANYTHING about rust till you have your cab being supported up by a fricken 2x4!hahaha

the rocker panel is no longer holding the cab together and the floor is gone on that side. 2 more weeks till i get access to a welder...

 

[surewhynot]

You could have at least popped for pressure treated. Yella wood!!!

 

[tomtoc]

I'll paint all I can next time I get the bed off with enough time. The bed was surprisingly easy to pull!

next time mind doing a write-up on pulling the bed? i need to get to my rear fuel pump and pulling the tank was a PITA. might be worth giving the bed a try.