What steel needed for STRONG shackle pins?! Broke my OME ones!

[Blade]

After 90'000km of severe abuse (3.8-4tons, lots of offroad use) 3 of my 4 rear pins BROKE 2 weeks ago on a bad offroad trail in middle of the Cordillera Blanca in Peru! I was VERY lucky to be able to drive down with this car again!
NOBODY has greaseable shackle pins from OME for a J75 in Peru or Bolivia! So I guess I will have some made. BUT 99% of the steel is chinese crap here!
I bought some new strong bolts (very probably made in China) and had them turn down, but without the grease hole, so it was only a temporary solution. Now that I have more time in Cusco I want 1:1 copies of the originals made with the grease hole and nipple. BUT don't know what steel I need to take.
What would you guys recommend? Can I also take spindles from older cars from the junkyard, will they be strong enough? Or 12.9 bolts? (made in China) What would you guys suggest here? I have NO idea what OME used originally... but when I removed mine the surface looked very used, I would even say up to 1mm deep grooves!

Thank you!

 

[77cruiser77]

Pins with out grease holes will be stronger.

 

[Chester]

^^ agreed ^^

Dam , that must be some abuse. I'm familiar with that area, North and South of Cachora, had more hair then. I'd say stick to a solid pin until you can get the proper one's, what do your bushings look like?

 

[Blade]

I have a solid pin now that I greased well before installing, but getting close to 3000km on them and would like to have this changed before I reach 5000km. I grease them with MOS2 every 5000km.

I know... they broke all at the side with the greasing nipple. On the other side there is no grease hole... I am not sure if I should do BOTH sides with a guiding shaft and drill out the thread in the side brackets. Like that I would have a thicker diameter. If you look at the pictures on the non greasable side is a shaft /guide with thicker diameter than the thread, on the greaseable side is no shaft, it goes directly to a thread that gets threaded into the side brackets. I think that's a weakness and that's where it broke. I can use 2 wrenches on both sides to torque them.. or what do you guys think?

Bushings I changed in Quito after 85'000km, where TOTALLY shot! The pins had about 3-4mm play in them. I installed new PU bushings and thought back then if I should change the grooved pins, but never thought they could break! I should have...

 

[Chester]

2 thoughts.
I think you're outside the design parameters, but if that's fatigue and not shock and shear, you should expect similar mileage out of a similar replacement.
They seem to have failed at the same spot, weakest spot, you beat that with a solid shaft, through to the outside of the plate, but once you cut the threads out of the plate, you're committed.

 

[Chester]

second thought, looking at your pictures, that kind of conchoidal break is probably too many Pascals too fast, what's going to give if the pins don't next time?

 

[Blade]

didn't have big shocks lately.. as usual... but I guess too strong shocks to many times... going to loose at least 100kg in Cusco, no matter what...

I just want to make the pin stronger because I don't trust the chinese steel over here... EVERYTHING is chinese here!!! ;(

You think a spindle from a factory car is hardened too? I would take a brand like Toyota, Nissan etc.

 

[mistyv6]

go to the wrecking yard and check light trucks shackles you may find some the right size

 

[Wile E Coyote]

Pins with out grease holes will be stronger.

Yep, I'd personally just add a regreasing of the shackle pins to your maintenance schedule and keep the solid 12.9 pins, but minus the turned-down section you had done.

 

[Blade]

As much as i learned are bolts not made for sideforces, also not 12.9. I guess those shackle pins are made of somewhat flexible steel to survive those shocks it gets. What about if i take an axle from a hilux or a smaller car to have it machined? I would guess its also made from somewhat flexible steel to survive the torque if someone lets fly the clutch? I saw that you can buy shackle pins for big trucks but very probable chinese steel...

i drive about every 1-2 month 5000km. mechanics here suck, i do everything myself. changing the pins last time was a major work that needed 3 people and a huge breaking bar to get the leafspring straight so we could get the shackles in. it's no option for me...

 

[Chester]

Next time, a come along works great for lining up pin, bushing and spring eye.

 

[Blade]

a come? is this a Tool?

 

[roscoFJ73]

Its a bar with a wratchet ,chain and hooks. Does thew same job as a block and tackle.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Surely a machinist would know where to get some high tensile steel

 

[JuanJ]

Surely a machinist would know where to get some high tensile steel

Hello,

There must be at least one special steel vendor down there. And at least one decent machine shop.

It should be possible to source some hard steel blank to machine into a pin.






Juan

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Its a bar with a wratchet ,chain and hooks. Does thew same job as a block and tackle.

On the list of "most important tools" ever invented it ranks right up there with duct tape and wood shims.

 

[Blade]

ou can't imagine how antidiluvian those countries are! even for us so simple things like an aluminium sheet is impossible to find except in a 11 million city like lima and this might take several days to find THE place! same for people. most have no tools, no knowledge of materials etc. you have to do everything yourself if you want it right.

anyway i will ask around but probably invain... but still not sure what type of steel to look for. if an axle from a junkyard is hard enough or if i rather go with a chinese pin...

 

[Blade]

that tool i never saw on an overlander. i fight with overweight at almost 4tons, that tool is no option!

 

[Chester]

a winch would accomplish the same thing, with a turnbuckle attached to the end of your winch line and attached to a cable loop would give you minutia adjustment.
You're headed south, right? You might find civilization catching up as you gain latitude, but for your immediate circumstance, go with whatever you have already fabricated, and expect to replace when it gets more convenient, and carry some spares if you can.

 

[Blade]

good point with the winch!

got the hardened bolts in there now but with no grease hole. just arrived in cusco and will search for a permanent solution... the OME pins are not very well made. at the point it broke, the diameter is massive smaller than the rest PLUS there is a grease hole. either i make the grease hole on the other side or i make it with the thicker shaft like the other side of the pin...