One of these U-bolt plates is not like the others - thoughts? (1 Viewer)

[KlickitatPhil]

Howdy!

I'm doing an OME lift to my '86 HJ60. The front's done, and now I'm on to the rear. After getting the U-bolt plates off to clean them up and paint them, the one on the rear right is not quite right!

Do you think it's a good idea to keep using this part or are there better options available?

Thanks!
Phil

 

[Skniper]

I see a couple things going on here, what are you referring to?

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

That’s just an insulator…. I believe. Rubbery cushion thing. Depending on the leak pack you buy some can use them, some are too thick. You can buy new ones from a few different venders if you chose to run them w/ the packs you chose.

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

If you don’t run them there is a bushing that fits in the middle hole for the center pin on the leaf pack. Kinda a hokey task to manage.

 

[KlickitatPhil]

I see a couple things going on here, what are you referring to?

Ignoring the rubber shim, the plate on the right is much less beefy and has a smaller shock pin diameter. I suspect it's from an earlier Toyota, but no idea what. Would it be unwise to reuse this borrowed part?

 

[Elbert]

has someone swapped parts....I see the difference.... I would get the matching part made for the 60.

 

[georgebj60]

Pretty sure there are different plates either between the HJ/FJ, or 60/62. I can't recall which, and I can't seem to find anything when I search. Maybe someone else with more suspension experience can clarify.

 

[KlickitatPhil]

I went ahead and ordered a U-bolt flip kit from 4Plus. It looked like a more robust and less crusty way of tidying up the axle mounts than re using my mismatched plates.

 

[Spike Strip]

I went ahead and ordered a U-bolt flip kit from 4Plus. It looked like a more robust and less crusty way of tidying up the axle mounts than re using my mismatched plates.

Excellent choice.

 

[KlickitatPhil]

Excellent choice.

Trouble is, I might have to order the kit for the front axle at some point... Because now the rears won't match the fronts, and we can't have that!

These old Cruisers sure are a rabbit hole.

 

[Spike Strip]

Yup. Rabbit hole they are, but the 4plus flip plates are worth it. Paint the U bolts before install, if they still come raw.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Trouble is, I might have to order the kit for the front axle at some point... Because now the rears won't match the fronts, and we can't have that!

These old Cruisers sure are a rabbit hole.

You can have that. Why not?

 

[Skniper]

Ignoring the rubber shim, the plate on the right is much less beefy and has a smaller shock pin diameter. I suspect it's from an earlier Toyota, but no idea what. Would it be unwise to reuse this borrowed part?

Good decision on the 4plus flip kit, great product, negates the differences on those plates.

FWIW, the plate on the left looks like the extended version that is on the US FJ62's right rear/passenger side (not sure how the HJs are configured).
The plates are extended to match the pass. side dogleg in the FJ62 upper shock mount crossmember, keeps the top and bottom shock mount pins aligned.
The shock mount pins in the photo are definitely different diameters, don't recall what the change date was on that. Those plates look to have been mismatched at some point.

 

[Samppahj]

They are different size also in HJ60 as you can see in the second picture of this link. Builds - HJ60 Snow white - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/hj60-snow-white.978827/post-11807513

Shock mounting pin should be same diameter so there is something wrong with yours. The different size is because the tube that shocks mount to at top end. It is not straight so with different size plates the shock mounting points are parallel. Also with lockers the shock has to be away from the locker mechanism. This is my knowledge of this with HJ60 model. Don´t know if thing are different with FJ.

 

[Skniper]

They are different size also in HJ60 as you can see in the second picture of this link. Builds - HJ60 Snow white - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/hj60-snow-white.978827/post-11807513

Shock mounting pin should be same diameter so there is something wrong with yours. The different size is because the tube that shocks mount to at top end. It is not straight so with different size plates the shock mounting points are parallel. Also with lockers the shock has to be away from the locker mechanism. This is my knowledge of this with HJ60 model. Don´t know if thing are different with FJ.

Good info, sadly no lockers on our US spec wagons but that could be the reason for the bend in the upper shock mount tube.
On my 62 the tube bend looks to accommodate the way the fuel lines exit the tank.

I learned about this offset when installing the ubolt flip kit on my rear axle. The right flip kit plate is not extended to match the upper tube mount, so the right shock doesn’t mount straight, or parallel to the other shock. I removed the flip kit hoping to find a solution one day.

 

[KlickitatPhil]

They are different size also in HJ60 as you can see in the second picture of this link. Builds - HJ60 Snow white - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/hj60-snow-white.978827/post-11807513

Shock mounting pin should be same diameter so there is something wrong with yours. The different size is because the tube that shocks mount to at top end. It is not straight so with different size plates the shock mounting points are parallel. Also with lockers the shock has to be away from the locker mechanism. This is my knowledge of this with HJ60 model. Don´t know if thing are different with FJ.

Some great resto-therapy in that thread!

I see the size difference in those plates, but my smaller one does not have the extra chunk of metal in the middle that strengthens the concave side. I do think it's from a different Cruiser, but who knows if they're supposed to be differently sized on my particular rig. Hopefully the flip kit goes on well without shock angle issues.

 

[cruisermatt]

Good choice on the U-bolt Flip kits, they are a awesome product, but to actually answer the question, that smaller U-bolt plate pictured on the right is from a 40 series.

As for interchangeability within 60 series parts, there is no change in shack pin diameter or location between 60/62/HJ, they are all the same the same. The only change is in 87 when they added the extra bracing underneath, and these are backwards compatible across all 60-series.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Good choice on the U-bolt Flip kits, they are a awesome product, but to actually answer the question, that smaller U-bolt plate pictured on the right is from a 40 series.

As for interchangeability within 60 series parts, there is no change in shack pin diameter or location between 60/62/HJ, they are all the same the same. The only change is in 87 when they added the extra bracing underneath, and these are backwards compatible across all 60-series.

The rear shock pin diameter (on the U-Bolt plate and cross-member side) and subsequently the shocks/shock bushings & u-bolt plates themselves did change on the rear of the 6X Series fwiw.
8/1980-~1985 = 16mm diameter
~1985-1/1990 = 19mm diameter

I say ~1985 as we've seen a bit of blurry months on when that happened. We regularly have customers measure OR with many shocks we can send the 19mm with a conversion bushing to go to the 16mm. We've even run across quite a few with one size on each end, i.e. late frame, early plates or vice versa.

Unfortunately all of the OEM rear plate variants are now discontinued.

NLA 48046-60050 6x Rear U-Bolt Plate - RH
NLA 48046-60051 6x Rear U-Bolt Plate - RH
NLA 48046-60052 6x Rear U-Bolt Plate - RH
NLA 48047-60050 6x Rear U-Bolt Plate - LH
NLA 48047-60051 6x Rear U-Bolt Plate - LH
NLA 48047-60052 6x Rear U-Bolt Plate - RH

Front U-Bolt plates are all the same for 8/80-1/90 6X Series (there was a supercession that makes them all the same).

We stock those @ Cruiser Outfitters:

 

[cruisermatt]

Learn something new every day. Thanks for the tech

 

[Elbert]

I have the 4plus stuff on my truck ....like it.