So much for the second one being easier.... (1 Viewer)

[caladin]

Spring center bolt stripped the threads right off it.. Spring pack wasn't even snug yet. Bad heat treat is my guess.

The ones I got from cruiser brothers (one succeed on failed) appears to be:

3/8-24.head diameter 9/16 total length 4-3/4".

Does that sound correct for Toyota? I was installing the 4 degree Caster shim., thus the extra length.

I'm going to try to source one locally. I already had to wait an extra week on this project because cruiser teq shipped me 1 front and 1 rear bolt instead of a full set... Don't want to wait on reshipping again... Order got split between 2 shops, because cruiser teq had bad data in their shipping calcs.

Will any auto parts store have extended spring bolts in this size? Any 4wd shop? Spring shops only?

I want to avoid redrilling the holes in my springs.

On the one side I completed, center bolt sticks down pretty far, Am I correct in assuming I cut it off like the extended ubolts!?

Oh third question, is there a trick to keeping the bolt from rotating when you torque it? I used vice grips but I kind of galled up the pin part of the head.

This way my, yay half way photo... So much for that.

I intentionally supported top-end cruiser-specific vendors, as I expected to have questions, on this.

The tech support from both places was great, but I'm unimpressed with the quality control, shipping, customer service, etc.

Is this the kind of supplies and shipping problems I should expect from small specialist shops? or am I being unreasonable in expecting fewer problems... I normally just get stuff from amazon or Rock Auto. If there is a problem it's usually because I'm a dumbass and ordered the wrong thing, exactly what I was hoping to avoid here.


Thanks,

 

[kirvesmies]

@caladin , trick i use when replacing centering pin is to clamp the spring pack together with c-clamps lined up with a roached bolt thru the center hole. it's a fair bit of clamping force on that small diameter centering pin to try to draw it all tight that's what works for me. ymmv. good luck man

 

[caladin]

Thanks that's a good idea.

 

[kirvesmies]

no problem man, help where i can

 

[Spook50]

@caladin , trick i use when replacing centering pin is to clamp the spring pack together with c-clamps lined up with a roached bolt thru the center hole. it's a fair bit of clamping force on that small diameter centering pin to try to draw it all tight that's what works for me. ymmv. good luck man

That's really the only way to do it. I've stripped threads off every type of fastener I've attempted to draw spring packs together with. They're meant to be aligned, compressed together as much as possible (pipe clamps work great), secured in place with the nut only snug, compressed more, secured, rise, repeat until it's all back together.

 

[caladin]

Just for those who google and hit this thread later, Doorman has a 5" 3/8-24 bolt that works, I was able to pick on up at my local Advance Auto.

The head wasn't quite as tall, but the diameter was the same and it fits. I have to cut them off either way so the extra length wasn't a biggie.

Also, if you spend a couple hours trying to get the ubolts to fit through the bottom plate and it's baffling why it's not working, when the other side was so easy.... If you do it just wrong, the plate can be upside down and still attached to the shock...

No need to ask me how I know... but if you flip it back so the lip faces down it all goes together easily again.

I read elsewhere that a come-along makes aligning the axle and pin eaisier, my attempts confirm this.

 

[kirvesmies]

way to get after it mister

 

[tmxmotorsports]

If you were using the center pin to compress the spring pack together that's why it failed and stripped out. Like mentioned above use c lamps on both sides of the pin add shim then slide the pin back in and tighten I also use vice grips to hold the round part of the pin.