How tight are your shackles?

[chains]

Hello!

I am working on replacing the leaf springs on my 83 SX/4. I was going to install the new leaf spring yesterday and was putting the shackles on the rear eye of the spring, while they were still off the car, since they are a lot easier to get to that way. The service manual states to tighten the shackle pin nuts to 30 foot pounds (41 Newton-meters). So I started tightening, and tightening, and tightening until the torque wrench finally clicked at 30 foot pounds. When it had, my bushings were very compressed between the shackle side plates and body hanger bracket, and the shackle is immobilized. It will not pivot on the pin. I am using Harris Bushings 387 and 998 and the pin lengths on the shackles are the same as the old ones.

Before I took the old springs and shackles off, they pivoted pretty easily if you pressed down on the back of the car. I'm pretty sure that is how it's supposed to behave, rather than be stationary, but I am not a leaf spring expert. I realize that I tightened the nuts while the shackle was off the car and therefore had no weight on it, but I can't imagine that the weight of the car is going to make enough of a difference to suddenly allow the shackles to pivot easily, or at all really. I mean they are very, very tight. See the pics below.

So my question is how tight are your shackles? Did you tighten them down to 30 foot pounds or did you tighten them until it just seemed adequate? Do the shackles resist pivoting at all or do they pivot easily? Any information or advice is appreciate.d. Thanks!





Old shackle while still installed.

[amcfool1]

they should be able to move, where did you get your new shackles, they look goog! gz

[Nightpath]

I'd like to know where you got those shackles as well

[ChickenFarmer3]

I think they will tighten different in the eyelet.  They will be squeezed in the bracket.  Thats how I did mine.  Plus they have a locknut so they aren't going anywhere.