Leaf Spring Shackle - regular vs HD and sway bar combo

[M_Body_Coupe]

Hi Everyone!

I'm trying to decipher my '80, '81 and '82 parts book information to determine which were the valid combinations of HD/FLEET wide rear shackle frame mounts AND sway bar installation.

As best as I can tell it would appear that you could NOT order a rear sway bar if you ordered the HD/FLEET (aka. wide shackle) mount...but that almost does not make sense...or is that just me??? LOL...I mean we all have shopped the yards for the police vehicles which typically had the sway bar and the wide shackle mounts...yeah?

Take a look at the attachd '82 book scan:

1) RED - 4014634/5 - Std or HD w/o sway bar
2) GREEN - 4014704/5 - w/ sway bar

...and perhaps the key to this is part# 29 in that pic (pink), which is some kind of a bushing/tube which the parts book calls "INSERT, w/Rear Sway Bar".

Sooo...I would understand if GREEN was simply the RED with the added #29 INSERT...but what I'm still not getting is that the wider shackle frame mount (which I always thought only came on HD/FLEET suspensions) doesn't appear to be different from the Standard setup...so what gives?

Was this available on certain model years only?

 

[Camtron]

Hmm, just taking a guess; perhaps someone decided, a rear sway bar would end up turning the leaf spring into a lever that maybe more able to spread/twist the widened HD shackles when cornering?
That is weird though, like you said, I figured fleet cars are where you get sway bars and HD shackles and the like.

 

[AMC Diplomat]

I have a few parts books I can check later, I'm going to take a wild guess and say this has something to do with R bodies.

 

[M_Body_Coupe]

I have a few parts books I can check later, I'm going to take a wild guess and say this has something to do with R bodies.

Could be...although to be sure, I have always heard (lol, heck, I've never held the wide shackle frame mounts in my hands) that these were optioned on M-body cars as well and typically were part of the HD/FLEET configuration.

Just to be clear, here are a couple of saved pics I have of what these look like!

 

[Mikes5thAve]

You could get HD suspension on non fleet cars. It was 5 leaf and had the normal straight shackle and no sway bar. Sway bar always had the different shackle and 5 leaf. So to me the part listing makes sense...

 

[AMC Diplomat]

Could be...although to be sure, I have always heard (lol, heck, I've never held the wide shackle frame mounts in my hands) that these were optioned on M-body cars as well and typically were part of the HD/FLEET configuration.

Just to be clear, here are a couple of saved pics I have of what these look like!

View attachment 55940

View attachment 55941

I have a set. We're on the same page. Mike is right. For a moment I thought the body codes might be different (they changed them all the time in the parts books) so i guessed R body was the reason for the different numbers. I was wrong.

For laughs, I looked at my parts books


1980 Volare/Diplomat



R Body 1980


1983 M Body

 

[Vaanth]

Hi Everyone!

I'm trying to decipher my '80, '81 and '82 parts book information to determine which were the valid combinations of HD/FLEET wide rear shackle frame mounts AND sway bar installation.

As best as I can tell it would appear that you could NOT order a rear sway bar if you ordered the HD/FLEET (aka. wide shackle) mount...but that almost does not make sense...or is that just me??? LOL...I mean we all have shopped the yards for the police vehicles which typically had the sway bar and the wide shackle mounts...yeah?

Take a look at the attachd '82 book scan:

1) RED - 4014634/5 - Std or HD w/o sway bar
2) GREEN - 4014704/5 - w/ sway bar

...and perhaps the key to this is part# 29 in that pic (pink), which is some kind of a bushing/tube which the parts book calls "INSERT, w/Rear Sway Bar".

Sooo...I would understand if GREEN was simply the RED with the added #29 INSERT...but what I'm still not getting is that the wider shackle frame mount (which I always thought only came on HD/FLEET suspensions) doesn't appear to be different from the Standard setup...so what gives?

Was this available on certain model years only?

View attachment 55938

The 4014634/5 "standard" shackle and mount was used on vehicles with standard suspension and optional heavy duty suspension packages that did not include a rear sway bar, such as the sales code A36 "Heavy Duty Package (Trailer Assist)". A36 included heavy duty suspension with heavy duty springs and shocks plus several other items, but did not include the rear sway bar.

The 4014704/5 "wide" shackle and matching mount was used on vehicles with optional heavy duty suspension packages that did include a rear sway bar, such as the sales code A56 "Open Road Handling Package". A56 included Firm Feel suspension with heavy duty springs and shocks plus several other items, including the rear sway bar. Other packages such as A38 Police package included the same Firm Feel suspension with rear sway bar. Others such as the A55 "Radial Tire Roadability Package" also included the rear sway bar.

 

[M_Body_Coupe]

Guys!

Alright...I understood everything you all responded with...what still doesn't jive with me is the notion (juding by the PartsBook descriptions) of the 4014704/5 stuff not being labeled 'HD', yeah?

My thinking (perhaps based on my missunderstanding though?) was that the HD stuff would by default get the wide shackle frame mounts.

So I hit my '81, '82 & '83 "Fleet Buyer's Guide" and "Data Book and Car Selector" publications and while I couldn't find the A56/A38 codes that Vaanth mentioned (I suspect this is probably a model year dependant thing) I did find S13, which is described as:

"...Suspension, Heavy-Duty (Includes heavy-duty rear leaf springs and heavy-duty shock absorbers, front and rear)..."

Meanwhile, the reference to A55 states:

"...Handling Package (Not available with S13, Includes U48 tires)..."

Go-figure!!! lol

Anyways...good discussion guys...appreciate all the responses!

 

[Mikes5thAve]

I think they didn't say HD for those because everything with sway bar would have been HD so no reason to differentiate it. Or you'd get people asking if there was any regular suspension that cane with sway bar.

 

[M_Body_Coupe]

I was going to post this in a separate thread, but seeing as I had already started this one (on the same topic) I figured I would just tack this on.

So I have been looking at the overall ride height (at the back) of my Coupe, and really getting that thing about 1" lower would be nice. That in turn led me down the path of having a chat with Laura at Springs'n'Things (what awesome people they are, always have been), her recommendation (which mirrored what others have said) was to get the existing springs re-arched instead of trying a new set as that approach may very well net us the same result!

...seeing as we were chatting already I figured I would just pick up the POLY front-eye bushings to stiffen up that mounting point => DONE!

...but since we were on the phone, and seeing as we've had a few threads here on this very topic I decided to inquire about the HD/FLEET/wide_mount shackles....

Alright...virtual drumroll would be handy right about now (LOL)...but alas, here we are as-is! lol

I nearly fell off my chair when her response was: "...yeah, I think we still have some left...we used to have a lot but our supplier went out of business and the only inventory we have is what's left over..."!!!

"WHHHAAAATTTTT????!!!! You have the un-obtanium shackles???", my brain screamed out!!!

Yeah, they did, so I ordered a set. Take a look at the attached photos.

Part# S-PCD-713 is the 'Poly Shackle', $80/ea. You can have these in rubber bushing config as well, so long as they are in stock. Not sure how many they have left, but check-in with her if you are looking for this!

I think Laura said they were looking for another supplier as well, but nothing firm at the moment.

Of course the other approach of finding a set, or the complete shackle/frame mount is still possible, but as others have said, that's becoming harder and harder.

 

[AMC Diplomat]

I was going to post this in a separate thread, but seeing as I had already started this one (on the same topic) I figured I would just tack this on.

So I have been looking at the overall ride height (at the back) of my Coupe, and really getting that thing about 1" lower would be nice. That in turn led me down the path of having a chat with Laura at Springs'n'Things (what awesome people they are, always have been), her recommendation (which mirrored what others have said) was to get the existing springs re-arched instead of trying a new set as that approach may very well net us the same result!

...seeing as we were chatting already I figured I would just pick up the POLY front-eye bushings to stiffen up that mounting point => DONE!

...but since we were on the phone, and seeing as we've had a few threads here on this very topic I decided to inquire about the HD/FLEET/wide_mount shackles....

Alright...virtual drumroll would be handy right about now (LOL)...but alas, here we are as-is! lol

I nearly fell off my chair when her response was: "...yeah, I think we still have some left...we used to have a lot but our supplier went out of business and the only inventory we have is what's left over..."!!!

"WHHHAAAATTTTT????!!!! You have the un-obtanium shackles???", my brain screamed out!!!

Yeah, they did, so I ordered a set. Take a look at the attached photos.

Part# S-PCD-713 is the 'Poly Shackle', $80/ea. You can have these in rubber bushing config as well, so long as they are in stock. Not sure how many they have left, but check-in with her if you are looking for this!

I think Laura said they were looking for another supplier as well, but nothing firm at the moment.

Of course the other approach of finding a set, or the complete shackle/frame mount is still possible, but as others have said, that's becoming harder and harder.

View attachment 56158

View attachment 56159

HOT DAMN!