M38 Spring Bushings

[capescw]

'Lazarus' continues to confound me! While taking the springs apart, I discovered I needed new bushings. However, 'KaiserWillys.com' shows
item 10 as correct for M38, and 8,13 as correct for M38A1.



Here are my springs, this looks like #10



and THIS end looks like Item #8,13



What is correct, AND which end gets the Shackles (bad memory). Additionally, what is an 'open-ended style shackle spring' as opposed to a 'closed-end'? (which do I have?).

Thanks in advance.....

[wesk]

The M38 and early M38A1 came from Willys with the Open type shackles. The M170 and the later M38A1's came with the closed type shackle. Over the years the closed type shackle was the only type stocked by the military towards the end of the jeep's careers.





On the M38 the shackles go on the front end of the front springs and the rear end of the rear springs. The M38A1 went with reversed shackles on the front moving the shackle on the front spring to the rear end of the spring.

Be careful when selecting bushings for the pivot end. Your selection criteria should be just ID for 7/16" bolt and OD to match spring eye. The civvy spring pivots used 1/2" bolts.

The jeeps also used both right threaded and left threaded bushings/shackles U bolts. Two of the U-Bolt shackle assemblies have right hand threads on both legs. These two go on the right front spring and the left rear spring. The other two shackle U-Bolts have one right thread and one left thread. These two go on the left front spring and the right rear spring. The right hand threads go to the top (frame) and the left threads go to the bottom (spring).

[jimm]

capescw:
The ORD 9 SNL G-740 parts manual (available from the download section of this site) is your friend. You can find some of the answers to your questions in the Springs section, Group 16. It lists the bearing (what we usually call the spring bushing) as WO-801624, "BEARING, silent block, bushing type" meaning it is the rubber type 8,13 shown in your picture. Since many of the on-line vendors use the WO numbers in their listings, using the ORD 9 often helps to make sure you are ordering the correct parts.