6061-T6 for leaf spring bushings?

Drag racers commonly use fabricated aluminum replacement bushings for leaf springs and they get hit pretty hard and survive, so as long as you keep an eye on them they'll probably be fine. However, I'd use a permanently lubricated bronze type bushing in the center instead of steel, they're cheap and work well. Otherwise you'll see a lot of wear on the steel center and the bolt.

Good luck-

Paul T.

Right after I posted the original message I was thinking of this. The rubber bushings aren't very thick but I haven't done the math to see how much they allow the axle to "tip." I did however consider using spherical bearings.

...and this is where the project turns from little to big. As do all projects. I must be on the right track. ;-)

Whoops, I think Larry has a good point here, all metal bushings would probably not be a good idea on a street truck.

Paul T.

I'd rather replace with fresh rubber (they're cheap!) or the harder poly bushings if you want to have a more rigid ride.

-- Bob May Losing weight is easy! If you ever want to lose weight, eat and drink less. Works every time it is tried!

Why not just turn some replacements from UHMW poly? That stuff works great and is fairly cheap

On Sat, 3 Jul 2004 17:40:26 -0700, "Bob May" calmly ranted:

When my '90 F-150 turned about a decade old, the rear leafs started to squeak. I replaced the bushings with the hi-pro polyurethane jobs and one side stopped squeaking. I pulled the leaf off, cleaned between the leaves, lubed it with several different types of lube (liquid wax made for leafs, teflon, WD, sillyconez, etc) but it still squeaked. I can't figure out why the rear shackle set on the right side still squeaks, unless the rivet may not be tight and it's squeaking between the shackle mount and the frame beam itself. It's bothersome mostly in cold weather, but is as quiet as a mouse in the heat of summer.

-- "Not always right, but never uncertain." --Heinlein -=-=-

Actually, I saw my deteriorated bushings because I was hunting down a squeak in my leaf spring packs!

On my truck, it turned out to be worn rubber pads that go between the leaves. (At the tips of each spring in the pack.) I replaced them with Teflon pieces I bought from a local 4x4 store.

These bushings are part of the safety inspection that all vehicles here in New Zealand have to undergo at 6-monthly intervals.

I had to replace the ones in my '88 Nissan pickup a few months back because they failed the inspection.

-- you can contact me via