What steel needed for STRONG shackle pins?! Broke my OME ones! (1 Viewer)

[Blade]

re_guderian - can't get an OEM spring to check, but my OME spring I could measure when I lift the car up. The shackle pin to pin distance seems to be the same on OEM and OME.

Jim - that's the problem, nobody here can tell you what bolts they sell, it's just gambling... so I better stay out of this and bought 4140 steel from a trustworthy supplier.

I will try to do solution 2 with 14mm shoulder, also for the front pins. Will drill out the rear shackle brackets and also the front pin bracket to 14mm and lock the pin to the brackets with the nut before installing. Should then be the same as the stock setup that screwed into the bracket. On the radius of the undercut (that will be AFTER the shaft so no shear force there!) I am aware and will tell the machine guy to take care of!

Looks like it's also the same pin on the front... just the brackets are 6mm and the rear ones are 8mm, but otherwise the same pins as much as I can tell. Will replace the front pins too, they also showed lots of surface wear when I replaced the bushings in Quito.

Thanks guys for your inputs!

 

[Jim_Hbar]

Sounds like a plan!

I'd make sure to change all of them while you're in there, and have a couple spares made while you are at it.

 

[Blade]

yeah, minimum order quantity was 4meters, enough to make 24 pins that are little bit longe than the stock ones... I probably will make 4 with a 8mm shaft length (since the rear bracket is 8mm thick) and the rest with 6mm shafts (front brackets and pins on the frame). The OME ones are all with 4mm shaft, although they could go up to 8mm on the rear. I guess it's a generic pin they might use for other applications.

 

[DamoPeru]

HI Blade,

just read though this, sounds like you are simply overloaded. your GVM 3.8-4.0t estimate is above the heaviest aftermarket rated suspension kit for the 75 series. have you weighed it properly? The 78's are rated a little higher from factory due to the longer and heavy leaf springs, but my kit which was the largest GVM increase kit only gets me to just under 3.8t. I reckon whatever you do that you still need to shed some weight ASAP.

If you need a postal address in Lima to have some pins just shipped in and sent to you somewhere else in Peru while you're on the road, shoot me a PM, happy to help.

Cheers

 

[Blade]

Weighted properly depends on how good the scales are down here I don't really trust them but have no other option...
The 75's and 78 with the OME suspension are rated at 3.5tons in Europe. I am good 300-400kg overweight to european laws, but 98% of the overlander 7series you see (and there are a lot!) are overloaded at 3.8-4tons or even more! It's nothing new... but still, am using my time in Cusco to get rid of many things to come down to 3.6-3.7tons.
I don't think anyone in Peru got a 12 leaf system as I do? At least the firewheel guy in Lima told me it takes weeks to order OME parts since he hardly sells anything like that here.

Toyota also makes a leafspring kit that is rated at 3.5tons in Europe. From factory Toyota only gives 3.05tons for the 75 and 3.35tons for the 78. To get 3.5 tons in Switzerland for example it means you need to pay a few 10'000$ for engineers to recalculate the complete suspension system so they can approve it to be able to handle this weight! So if they clear it for 3.5tons it's not because some leafspring maker says so but because it was all calculated and measured.
Anyway, just to say, the 3.5tons they give for both cars are surely well calculated and I don't think any type of leafspring system will give you more (3.8t in your case) without having problems like I have and other overlanders have, also if the leafspring seller says something different...

I saw 2 broken 7series frames on 2 overlanders, both well over 4tons, a broken axle housing on a 78 with 4.2tons etc.
So yeah, I will try to go down, but if you live for years in your car you somehow want a minimum of comfort I guess...

Thanks for the offer! Already picked up the 4140 steel from Lima and the machine guy is just working on the pins I redesigned...

 

[roscoFJ73]

Do you let some air out of your tyres on bad roads?

 

[Blade]

ALWAYS! Although I feel the Toyo M/T are pretty stiff, but as soon as we get on a gravel or worst we air down. Got a VIAR400 compressor mounted on the chassis when we get back to paved roads. In Peru in 80% of the gas stations I stop the air compressor is broken, hose missing etc.
Makes a big difference to air down!

I just found the title when I registered the car the first time in 2010. The DMV measured it at 2740kg with the cabin mounted, with 1 full tank, 2nd Diesel Tank (110liter) was empty and water tanks (100liter) were empty. I will calculate and measure now all the stuff we are carrying while we get rid of many stuff. I have a hard time believing that we have 1000-1100kg of stuff in that car! 600-700kg ok, but 1100kg?

 

[Blade]

ok, just measured 3 days long over 400 pieces on the car... the car was at the registration in Switzerland at 2700kg with the cabin and complete interior, but nothing else and stock tank full (90liter).
So I got now 700kg of parts (our stuff, sand ladders etc.) and when the water is full 100kg extra. So we have a travel weight (with us 2 and our 2 dogs) of 3600-3800kg depending if we have the 100kg water and 100kg extra Diesel (total 200liter).
Ok, I have to say we got now rid of 100kg of stuff. Still don't know if I should trash or try to sell this stuff...
If any in Peru is interested in a 1HZ waterpump, mosquito repellent stuff, Pentium CPU, cell phone, etc etc. let me know!

 

[Blade]

so, got the pins machined. I had to finish the guys work because he was 5 days late but he did a good job. It's just that they never finish when they say in this countries, it's always the same "mañana" story.
I drilled the shackle brackets with a 14mm drill and torqued it all to 123Nm as the manual says for the front pins. Now I have on both sides a 14mm shoulders that is much wider. The rear bracket is 8mm thick so I made also the shoulder 8mm, the OME piece has a way too short shoulder and this now on both sides. I hope it holds now for good! Here pictures of the pins and with brackets.

 

[DamoPeru]

If any in Peru is interested in a 1HZ waterpump, mosquito repellent stuff, Pentium CPU, cell phone, etc etc. let me know!

hi Blade,
i'm actually building my tourer for a big world trip at the moment, so if you're in Lima I might be interested in touring gear you don't want. http://www.mercadolibre.com.pe/ is also a good way to sell stuff in Peru.

I also have a few parts you might be interested in as well.

Cheers

 

[Blade]

we just arrived in La Paz, but SHOULD be back in Lima or at least Arequipa around May-June... we want to go then to Extrema and do the amazone route through Bolivia... or at least we plan to do so...

 

[DamoPeru]

we just arrived in La Paz, but SHOULD be back in Lima or at least Arequipa around May-June... we want to go then to Extrema and do the amazone route through Bolivia... or at least we plan to do so...

i SHOULD have mine ready for a test expedition by then, maybe then we could partner you on a muddy amazonian route, which are best tackled with two vehicles due to the mud.

 

[Blade]

sounds good! I will PM you when we are heading back north in about 3-4 months... right now the rainy season is starting in the Amazon Bolivia, but should be good in April/Mai/June when we want to go...