OME with U-Bolt flip and one cool idea (1 Viewer)

[slcfj62]

I'm midway through installing my OME suspension (front axle in) with a U-Bolt flip kit. All the suspension parts are OME, the flip kit is Man-A-Fre. I know everybody puts jack stands under the frame and also blocks up the axle and takes the wheels off. I decided to try it with the wheels on. So I jacked it up and installed jack stands under the frame so that the springs were at full droop and the tires were just touching the ground. Then I proceeded to remove the springs. After reading a dozen or so threads on this procedure, I was fully prepared to do battle getting the pins, shackles and ubolts removed. Well, I was pleasantly surprised when all the nuts came off pretty easy, and everything just came apart with no hammering and no heating.

When I installed the new springs, they were about an inch below the axle. So now I had to decide whether to lift the frame a little higher or take the wheels off and lower the axle. It was about 10 pm on Saturday, so I just decided to postpone the decision. Well this morning, I had an epiphany: Just let the air out of the tires! So this evening, I gave that a try and it worked like a dream. I let the air out and the axle settled down onto the spring pins. The cool thing about having the wheels still on is I could roll the axle back and forth until the spring pins popped up into the holes. There was still about an eighth of an inch between the spring and the axle. I put the ubolt flip kit on and tightened up the U-Bolts (not torqued yet) which sucked the springs up to the axle.

Now my question. Is that all there is to it? If the spring pins are in the matching holes on the bottom spring perches is that all that is required, or do I need to worry about any other adjustment? I'll have it aligned when I am finished, but I would like to know if I need to check anything with regards to the axle alignment before I torque it down. It's going too easy so far. I'm getting paranoid.

 

[cruiser guy]

I would get paranoid if it was going that easy too lol, your answer is no there is no aliignment on the axle that I know of

 

[Spike Strip]

I have the same set up...

I followed this, per the cruiser outfitters website:

"Why are my shackles not sitting perpendicular to the frame?
Well, the issue resides in your axle, not the leafs or the shackles (assuming your frame isn't tweaked at all). While the spring has a center pin that locates it into the spring perch on the axle... there is a slight amount of "play". When you install the axles on the vehicle in the air and then you sit it down, things might be mis-aligned slightly, and with the u-bolts tight its going to stay that way. The easy fix would be to put the front end in the air (on jack stands) to that the axle is free hanging. Loosen the u-bolts enough that you can "slide" things a bit... either by hand, or using a rather strap between the leafs, "suck" them together. Make sense?"

 

[jgordon]

No axle alignment to be done. Some say to do a wheel alignment when you're done, but I didn't and I'm fine - many are ok without. You're getting a bit more lift with the u bolt flip, so you might want to think about it, but not much changes in the wheels from lifting it.

You're cheating by living in utah. Run the rig in upstate new york for a few years and let things rust solid, then take another crack. You'll get all the battle you want.

Post pics.

 

[slcfj62]

Oh we salt the roads in northern Utah, and have plenty of rust. My rig came from Mississippi where it spent all but the last couple of years of it's life. It is amazingly rust free.

I guess I'll measure from the back axle to the front one on both sides, and if it is the same I'll torque it down. If not, I'll see if I can move it, but I don't think there is much play once the spring pins go in the holes in the perches.

 

[CTFJ]

Having done dozens of leaf spring lifts/replacement on my car lift, I can say that the easiest way is to let gravity do most of the work for you.

On the lift, I typically do about the same- cut the old u-bolts off, shocks + driveshaft and whatever else off, then raise up the lift leaving the axles behind.

Leafs out, fit new ones in, drop onto axles. You're doing relatively the same thing and as long as you are safe, good job!

Typically the wheels end up being in the way of something...

Only advise is to leave the spring and shackle bolts a little loose until you have everything sitting at ride height. This really helps combat squeaking later.

 

[slcfj62]

Only advise is to leave the spring and shackle bolts a little loose until you have everything sitting at ride height. This really helps combat squeaking later.

So are you saying to not torque the spring pins and shackles down until I let the vehicle down onto the springs?

 

[CTFJ]

So are you saying to not torque the spring pins and shackles down until I let the vehicle down onto the springs?

Yeah, I have had good luck in avoiding squeaks and odd ride height this way. U-bolts obviously need to be tight and axle seated to leafs, though.

 

[slcfj62]

Yeah, I figured the U-Bolts would need to be torqued before I put any weight on the springs, but that is a good idea on the pins and shackles: Let the weight down so everything positions itself for normal ride height before torquing the pins and shackles. I've got the OME greasable pins and shackles, so they should move freely, but I'll let the weight down before I torque them down.

 

[cruiseninak]

if you are really worried here is what is I did. I torqued u bolts and shackle parts when they were up in the air. THe next day on the ground I broke everything loose and retorqued one axle side at a time. Also greased after the retorque.

 

[Slowerthanu]

If you need any help, I'm in bountiful and installed the OME on my 62 about 5 years ago.

 

[slcfj62]

I think I'm doing pretty well. I learned that my trick with letting the air out of the tires on the front axle won't work on the back axle, the new springs hang down too far. So I'll be taking the wheels off in the rear to let the axle down. And my muffler is in the way of my torque wrench for the drivers side rear spring pin. But, I knew I would hit a snag sooner or later. I'm just feeling fortunate that the old stuff came off so easily. Nasty weather the rest of the week, so I'm on hold until Saturday when it is supposed to be better.