One of my pipes rusted off the other day cuz the muffler rusted out, took it to a very good shop to get new duals and stainless tips on, AND one of the shackles rotted out. Great! so once underneath the guy tells me 2 more look like there ready to go so I just tell him to replace both front and rear shackles for the leafs. Looks like this will be a big bill but I figure this is the kinda thing that only needs to be done once so hopefully it'll be worth it. Plus I'm due for new pics soon as I got a few new mods on the truck. O well **** happens

 

Dang, I'm glad I don't live where there's snow & salt.

Brenton

 

me too i would hate to have to worry about rust like that

 

actually, road salt isn't nearly as bad as salt from the ocean. states bordering the ocean have salt all the time. our "road salt" lasts only from december to april. and if you wash your truck every week, theres no real chance of getting rust anymore.

 

i have lived off the eastern coast my entire life and never had problems with rust

but back to the post at least you will be ok for another 14 years so money well spent instead of a new car payment

 

I have crazy rust problems I can't imagine living in a place where it's not an issue!

 

I think you mean leaf hangers cause theres only shackles on one side of the leaf springs.

 

i had to replace all 4 hangers and both shackles when i put on my lifted leafs....it isn't bad....parts shouldn't cost ya more than $120 from a dealership....

 

It doesnt matter if you wash your truck or not...Ohio / michigan salt eats your frame and everything undernieth....i run my truck through car washes that have bottom sprayers....and it still looks like crap, till spring when i spray bedliner all over it

Rocky

 

my bad

 

I did all 4 on mine, on both my '97 and my '96. It really isn't that hard to do if you have the proper tools.

Edit: I just noticed that you are from Johnstown, PA. I have a friend from there.

 

only tools it takes is a angle grinder, a hammer, a punch, a pair of vice grips, and proper wrenches/sockets to install the new bolts and take out the bolts for the springs.........also just an FYI, a butain(sp?) torch is good to heat the bolts on the springs.....you might also want to get some new GRADE 8 bolts for the springs also...when i removed my springs for my lifted springs, i had couldn't get 2 of the bolts out of the springs and had to grind the head off and punch them out.......better to replace old bolts anyways....

also, make sure you use GRADE 8 bolts on the brackets.....and use red locktight on ALL the bolts.....

and if you want, now is the BEST time to replace the stock leafs with lifted leafs.....

 

If I would of had this problem near my house it would have gotten done with me and the mechanic at work, I just told the shop to do it since it was already there and I REALLY regret it

$700 to replace both shackles and cradles!

jesus tap dancing christ!!1!

 

wow......i bet your butt hurts....

 

absolutely ridiculous man but I know it's all on me, like 6 months ago a buddy up at school replaced his and warned me I should do mine soon and I just put it off I guess

 

I used an air chisel.

 

me and my buddy used a setaline torch on his shackles

im up here in buffalo, and i wash my truck 2x a week all winter, plus the underside. Also when the truck was still new, i painted ALOT of areas with rust oleum, and used alot of rust proofing grease on the bottom of the truck. so rust on my truck so far has been not an issue at all.... u pull my wheels, take a stroll under neather, still looks brand new... yet is pushing 45K miles.

 

this is why i LOVE the south

 

yup one shackle was completly rotted thru, the other one was probably missing about 25% material and the 2 cradles were speckled with holes

thanks rust for pimping my ride!