Replace Leaf Springs and Shackles

[John G]

The Firestone shop says my shackles and leaf springs are very badly rusted. They say it's really bad, especially on the driver side, with parts that are rusted all the way through and they say there's an imminent threat of breakage.



Their cost: $1300 for after-market parts, plus labor. They say Ford parts would cost nearly twice that much. It's a 2001 Job 1, with only 50k miles. It's not lifted or lowered -- it's just the stock suspension.



I don't see any leaf springs or shackles at RockAuto for this vehicle, so I'm not sure how to check the parts prices myself.



Anybody have any experience with this? Is it scary to replace leaf springs yourself?

 

[Chad Merry]

Your leafs are probably fine. I have never seen a set of springs rust all the way through. The stock shackles i have seen them destroyed before. It is a fairly simple task to replace them and there are projects on here that will show how to replace them.



Got any pics?

 

[Todd Z]

I bet the powder coating is just pealing off and they are trying to gouge you....... Get a second opinion !!



Todd Z

 

[Christopher Comeaux]

take some pics and let us see

 

[Kevin Palmer]

I have done car repair for longer than I care to remember. As a general rule, leafs will last 20 years with no issues. And in many cases they will go 30 plus years...



I would be truly shocked if your leafs are as they have described.



And,,, if they are, let me know as my shop can get the leaf springs WAY cheaper than they are putting out there. Most are around 150 to 170 for a complete set...



(I have seen them fail as far as their ability to support the vehicle and the load, even then, they tend to bend (arch) and STILL not break)...

 

[John G]

I think only the shackles are bad. There's a rust hole that I can poke my pinky all the way through. I showed them to a frame shop, and they said the shackles are 'badly separated'.



I'm not sure why the Firestone tech wanted to replace the leaf springs, also.



The problem I'm having is finding where to buy the shackles to do the job myself. The NAPA and O'Reilly's stores don't show anything they can order for a 2001 SportTrac, and there's nothing at rockauto or jc whitney as I mentioned. I can easily find shackles for a Ranger or a 2000 Explorer, but I'm not going to take a chance that they are different.



To replace the shackles, the frame shop wants $456 out the door, including $210 labor. Their price for the shackles is $31.22 each, but the related parts (bolts, nuts etc.) are actually more than the shackles themselves.

 

[Chad Merry]

95-2001 Explorer shackles will work. Or you could just buy some warrior shackles and have a hole drilled to keep the same height you have now.



I dont know if I have any 3/8 plate left or I would build you a set. I made my own warrior shackles for about 10 bucks in metal. But then I would be afraid of liability.

 

[H D]

I can send you my stock shackles from a 2001 with all necessary hardware. I replaced mine with the Warrior shackles. They're in perfect condition. Just pay for shipping and they're yours. You can email me your address and I'll let you know how much it will cost to ship.



Also, CityBoyAtl had a set of leaf springs for sale on here on the swap and sell. I'm not sure if he still has them, but its worth contacting him about.

 

[H D]

Oops, sorry, just checked. Those leaf springs have been sold.

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

I'll check and see if I still have my stock shackles but if I do you can have them for shipping cost.

:banana::haveabeer:

 

[John G]

Thanks to those who offered me their stock shackles.



Actually, I ended up just having the frame-repair shop order some, and I'll let them do the installation. I'm comfortable with replacing shocks, but I'm a little nervous about working on springs and the heavy things that they hold up, since I've never seen it done before.

 

[H D]

If you're not comfortable doing something, you should definitely let a shop do it, as long as you trust their work and know they're not going to rip you off.



The shackles really aren't difficult at all. I'd actually say that shocks are more difficult than the shackles. It's just a floor jack, bottle jack, ratchet, and two bolts each. There isn't any real danger involved. I haven't done leaf springs, so I'll not say anything for fear of being wrong.



This information isn't so much for you anymore, I guess, since you asked the shop to do it, but it might be useful for someone else who searches this topic in the future. You'll definitely have peace of mind now, though.



And the offer stands for anyone who needs stock shackles. Pay shipping and they're yours.