Greasable spring pins

[kstatecruiser]

Just a though after reading some other posts. Would it be worth the time to make my own greasable spring pins. &nbsprill a hole through the middle the bolt, length wise, but not all the way. Then a hole through the middle, the part that would be inside the bushing. I don't know, maybe there is some way I would be weakening the bolt. Maybe this means I'm just a little too cheap

Scott

 

[Jman]

Yeah, you probably *could* do it, and if you did, yeah, you'd be just a little too cheap.

Sounds like an *awful* lot of work to save not a lot of dough, and, well, I would hate to have a pin fail. Now, if you could whittle an OEM smog pump out of a bar of Ivory, well, now we're talkin' . . . .

 

[cruzer]

you can deffinitly do this..the problem is the length of the bolt vs the length of the drill..... The inner diameter of the bolt does very little for the overall strength of the bolt...i would say less than 1/8in hole in a 1/2in bolt would be OK for doing what you are talking about...have fun drilling the holes though...you have access to a lathe this would make it a ton easeir for drilling the center out.

Stew

 

[woody]

I've done this with 9/16" and with 5/8" bolts used on my current suspension....about 6 years ago, and I ain't light on my junk.

BTW: drill press "required" for accuracy....IIRC, I used grade 5 bolts and nylock nuts.

First, get a 4x4" square block of wood....drill a hole for the size bolt you plan to use (9/16" or 5/8"). Also, screw a 2x4 onto one side and drill a similar hole at the seam, then remove the 2x4...you want a trough for the bolt to lie in. Yes, the bolt will protrude thru, but that's why your drill press deck has a hole in the middle.

Now, using a spare shackle, set the side plates at the correct width, and insert the bolt thru with both bushing halves. Note that there is a gap between the bushings where you can see the bolt....this is where your grease-out hole will be located, and you want to note the depth for the center hole process.

Drop the bolt into the 4x4 hole and prep the bit with cutting oil. Carefully drill the center hole down the bolt, centering is critical, as is not going too deep. This hole can be fairly small. Then, swap to a larger bit, one sized properly for the zerk fitting to insert into. Counter-sink the existing hole sufficiently to allow the zerk to screw into it.

Then, remove the bolt and lie in the trough....you now drill another smaller hole in the side for the grease to exit, only 1/2-way thru. When you can blow air thru, you are set.

Really, it takes only a minute or so each to modify once you have the jigs set up. I've done most of mine, and have yet to have a single problem.

Still not convinced it makes a noticeable difference in the suspension, but it doesn't hurt anything.

 

[Gumby]

I tried doing the spring pins once. I chucked up the pin in the lathe and drilled a nice hole right down the center, then put the pin in a v-blick and tried to drill the cross holes. The spring pins are case hardened. They drill through the center easy, but do not drill though crossway at all. Do as Woody says and make your own shackle bolts. but, buckle under and buy the pins.

 

[kstatecruiser]

Thanks for the opinions. I too think I might be a little too cheap . I appreciate the feedback, but whether or not I will actually do this is another question in itself.

Scott

 

[erfworm]

I tried that once it was a pain in the a@#. After reviewing what Woody said I would try it again. It always helps to spend the time making the jig. As a side note it definately is cheaper, everything you need at your local hardware store. :G

 

[Gus]

Making your own greasable pins is certainly doable, but they're not very expensive, I spent just under $20 on each greasable pin, TPI I think and they din't take any time to install.