Front and rear Spring Bushings 5781 or CO1T-5781-A and 5781 or CO1T-5781-A
 

Hi All,
I am looking for a source for the front and rear bronze bushings for the springs. Part Number 5781 or Front CO1T-5781-A Rear is 21T-5781-A.

Available in Australia?
Does anyone have a solution?
Available new old stock?

Cheers,

Ian

Are original Ford parts critical to you?
I was able to get a pair of F15A rear springs rebushed at my local heavy duty truck shop this past summer. Cheap, fast and fit well.

New Old Stock rears available from Mac's:

https://www.macsautoparts.com/early_...ton-truck.html

Buy 4 and shorten them for the front?

Look for the oldest heavy truck spring place you can find
 

Hi Ian

To echo Grant look for the longest standing truck spring shop in your area. How I have done it in the past, successful each time, was make up a simple drawing of the bushings and pins with lenght, I'D and OD. Then take it by their parts department or talk to them, or talk to them on the phone and email them the drawing. This process has worked for me every time.

Only problem on my HUP was getting new pins with correct locking notch but that was easy to cut the cross notch in.

Cheers Phil

Ahh now I see. It appears that the steel bush has a bronze inner sleeve, The pins are fine.
I'm thinking that the early bushes wore out fairly fast replaced by a steel one?

Ford ones are not critical, and I do have a press, so does every truck bush have the steel bush with bronze sleeve in them or doI just opt out of the bronze inner type bush????

Cheers,

Ian

Ian, Bedfords for instance just used a steel bush with (I believe) a centreless ground pin. So yes steel on steel, which may require a (slightly more) regular greasing.
You local spring maker will be able to advise.

Front spring pin bushes
 

Hi Ian,

I bought similar front pins from Dennis Carpenter however they were Chinese repros. They were such a tight fit on the pins that I didn't use them and waited until some NOS came along.

The Dennis Carpenter ones could have been used with a bit of careful reaming. As most of these parts come out of the same factory in China it is something to be aware of if you use a repro bushing.

The rear bushings of course are much larger diameter and seem to be harder to find.

The originals are of interesting construction. I don't think the bronze liner is pressed into the steel sleeve because it is of extremely thin wall thickness, Unlikely to press in without crushing. I believe the bronze is pressure bonded to the steel similar to Raco Ware in Australia, or Revere Ware in the US. I cannot detect even the smallest gaps between the steel and bronze even at the lengthwise split. I could be wrong, wouldn't be the first time, and happy to be corrected if so.

Bronze bushings on steel pins is preferable but as Lynn says others have used steel bushings on steel pins. You would however want the best surface finish possible on the inside of the bushing to prevent chewing up the pins.

Cheers,

just to add to Jacques's post. Matching dis-similar metals is best. With a hard surfaced pin (eg. a chromed and ground surface) a softer steel bush is best.
You don't want too much side clearance.

Yes Jaques,

It appears that the bronze insert is two pieces on some....but not all.

Steel pin bushes might be easier to obtain. I don't think i want to wait to find NOS ones.

the pins appear to be ok; Very little wear, so I am guessing that the bronze took the wear out.

A tight fitting pin on the bush would be ok, I could probably ream it out a little. A shame they are not the same size as Land Rover ones ;)

Cheers,

Ian

Ford CMP front spring bushes
 

Hi Ian,

I dug out the front spring repros I bought all those years ago. See attached.

The paperwork listed them as early F100 bushings.

PM me if you would be interested in them. Happy to pass them on for a lot less than what I paid for them if it helps someone out. They are just sitting on the shelf doing no one any good.

You would need to drill the grease access hole to the grease groove and ream the liner a slight amount for just a small clearance fit as Lynn mentioned. Didn't try it myself but perhaps a wheel cylinder hone would be enough to take out a few thou to make a good fit in lieu of an adjustable reamer.
Dimensions are:
ID: 0.740" OD: 0.998" and length 1.970" Slight size variations between all.

Hope this may be of some help.

Cheers,

May be we need a how to fit?
 

Hi Guys

In the last several posts some interesting things have come up. Maybe we need a discussion of how to install and fit the bushings and pins.

For example you need to have a pin in the bushing as it is pressed into the spring eye to reduce chance of distorting the bushing if the spring eye is not round.

Or pressing the bushing in instead of driving it in.

Or leaving the old bushing in place and putting a long snug fitting rod through the old bushing and the new bushing and using the new bushing to push the old bushing out as the new is installed.

Buying bushings that to long and cutting them off to fit after they are installed.

Just some thoughts.

Cheers Phil

bushes
 

Years ago i used to buy the bushes from Jacobs spring works in Oakleigh but they are probably long gone .

It's often the case that the spring eye is not a perfectly circular shape , the eye can be worn to a oval shape or it may have been originally manufactured slightly out of round which makes installing a new round bush a difficult job.

If you have access to a lathe you can machine some new bushes to suit your springs. Measure each spring eye dimension and then make each bush to suit each eye.

You could fit a bronze liner into the machined steel bush , make the bronze liner thicker than required, press it in, then bore it to suit the pin diameter.

These are the front spring bushes - For people just reading the thread. Yes Jacques, they are close to my measurements. the originals have no split to slide into the spring eye.

Traditionally I have used a large pry bar and spread the 'eye' slightly to allow the bush to be pressed in nice and gently. Otherwise too much pressure will squash the end and you cant get the bush centred. I did that the first time I ever pressed in a bush into a spring.

Oh and Yes the best way to 'ream' the eyes is with a brake hone. You will do about 6 eyes and then its time to buy another hone but way cheaper than a reamer!

The one I have pictured I just wiggled it out of the spring eye. It wasnt that clean though!!

Cheers Ian, Pm Sent Jacques.

My method is to place a stake or wide blade into the split end of the eye of the spring and spread it slightly prior to installing a new bush. It takes a bit of force but with a 12" cold chisel with a 1" blade you can hammer it into the split and spread the eye just enough to make the bush slide in with little effort. Being mindful its spring steel and it has a force stored when you do this!

The bushes must be pressed in and not hammered using a solid tube as close to the bush diameter as possible. (some sockets are good). With the eye spread the bush sometimes goes all the way in, but a press is handy for the final placing.

That is a good tip to add the centre pin, I haven't done that in the past, but it would reduce the chance of crushing your nice new bush. (been there, & done that)

Having reamed the eye hole with a brake wheel cylinder hone and suitable lubrication first.
Its a messy job and you have to go slowly so as to not damage the hone.

Cheers,

Ian

Yeah Mike,
I actually have a lathe (yet to assemble in my workshop), but I think procurement method might be better time wise :) My motto has always been if you have to spend a month making a small item, it's probably better to buy one.

I would probably have to practice for about a year to be good enough to turn out one bush. Better men than me have mastered lathes, I can skim a commutator and probably make a pin, but that's where my skills (and I am an electrical fitter) ends. :thup2:

PS I have all my fingers...still :)

Cheers,

Ian

Hi Ian,

Here's an original Ford stamped bushing with a split. I saved one as a sample after renewing mine. From memory all four had the split in them. I have also seen the ones without a split like yours.

Any reason for the split? Perhaps if the bushing is made with a slightly larger OD than the spring eye this ensures an easier fitting, but still a tight fit in the spring eye? Perhaps it is a later change to make assembly or repair easier?
Any suspension experts here that can answer that question.

I did mine so long ago I cannot remember exactly how it did them but I think I used a bit of threaded rod and washers and a socket to pull them into the spring eye. I have used that method on a few occasions as a puller. Don't remember any great issues doing it. Spring eyes were free of all rust and I would have greased them. Only need a bit of rust to lose a few thou clearance and cause problems with tight fits.

Cheers,

Cheers,

bushings
 

Available in the LwD shop, NOS with the nice Ford USA markings

https://www.lwdparts.com/product/front-spring-bushing/

Cheers,

Stefan