Easier to start ah thread then to find the one I'm lookin' for

BIGBARNEYCARS

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SHADOW OF MOTHER'S PROVING GROUNDZ
AND I CAN'T SAY 10 WORDZ WITHOUT AH STORY, SOOO, To My Polara Pal Dave and any one else that might be interested. In '85 when I bought the Batwagon and had it shipped from SoCal back to Michigan. The professional truck driver had tied the back end down by lacing his chains thru' BOTH rear shacklez to keep from launching the car off the upper deck of his wagon and it was over a year later before I found the damage and the destroyed Shacklez. Can you guess where we're goin' here Dave? lol. In May of 1990 as part of the spring 300 meet that took place in Point Pelee, Ontario we toured the Mini Van plant in Windsor, Ontario Canada. While on that tour I just happen to glance over to a staging area for the assembly line and I'm looking at a 4'X4'X4' wire basket full of the exact shacklez I need for the Batwagon and my tongue got ah woody. AND NOOOO, I didn't have ah lunch box but I did have a Mopar Dealership 1/2 mile from My little Ponderosa in Chelsea, Mi. that treated me very well and I had NOS shackles and bushings at the partz counter waiting for me about 4 dayz later that bolted rite up to the ah 30 year old station wagon with "0" modifacations. The Beam axlez in the Mini'z back then had Leaf Springz holdin' up the back end, NOT COILS! Now I know that strike it rich thing took place 25 yearz ago but Ill bet their are still shacklez somewhere in the corporation sitting in some dealerz dusty inventory. Remember Pal necessity iz ah mother, Jer
 
Were they the crazy bent shackles that the fuselages use?
 
Well YEAH John. Fer all I know Mother might still be usin' them funny bent thingz. Have you looked under any of the new rear drive stuff? I'm so lost in the '60s I don't have ah clue what Mother iz doin' with her RWD stuff today. We might all be surprised. It sure knocked me out when I saw 30 year old shacklez being hung on new for then 1990 Mini Vanz
 
to paraphrase Stan, sonofabitch:

s-l1600.jpg
 
None of those will work. The shackle is wider at the top and narrow at the bottom, not just bent like those.
Thanks, That's why I am here To Learn!
Is there reasoning behind the Wide/Narrow configuration?
 
to paraphrase Stan, sonofabitch:

s-l1600.jpg
Nope, close but no cigar. The one side should be straight.

Thread the longer pin farther down and use a straight shackle on the and you might be able to use it.

The other issue is the pin is a larger diameter and the opposite side shackle bottoms out against it.

So... I would knock the longer bolt out and replace it with a grade 8 bolt that's the proper length. Then I would find some tubing with an ID that would slip over the bolt and an OD that would match the original pin. I'd use the tubing on the short side too. Then I would use the straight side of the shackle, assuming it's the same center to center distance.

I think you can work with it....
 
Thanks, That's why I am here To Learn!
Is there reasoning behind the Wide/Narrow configuration?
The section of the frame that the shackle passes through is wider than the leaf spring. Why they did it like that is beyond me.
 
The section of the frame that the shackle passes through is wider than the leaf spring. Why they did it like that is beyond me.
Would it be possible to combine the offset shackle set with a standard set to come up with the correct fitment?
 
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