minicooper Posted March 28, 2020 Report Posted March 28, 2020 The leaf spring u-bolts on my ‘52 3/4 ton were loose. I noticed some rattling last night on a short drive when I bounced over a pot hole. Of course, I sheared off the nut on the last of the 4 bolts while tightening it (I had let the bolts soak over-night in penetrating oil). The others tightened. The leaf springs on the 3/4 ton are narrow, less than 2” , maybe 2.8125”. I measured the existing u-bolts at 2” x 9” x .5625”. The shock mount bracket holes are 2.5” apart, so the u-bolts on there now are spread apart to fit the 2.5” holes, That doesn’t seem right, but I’m unsure? Looking at the 52 parts book, I can’t identify the springs and shock mount bracket configuration on my truck. The bottom bracket on mine has the shock mounted on it. The drawing in the parts book doesn’t, I may be looking at it wrong. I need to find the correct u-bolts but am unsure what u-bolt to choose or if I need to replace other parts, could someone point me to a source or offer advice? Thanks, -roland Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted March 28, 2020 Report Posted March 28, 2020 (edited) are you sure about that 2" seems very narrow bolts to me...but then you say 2.8125 ...if the latter..check the diameter of the tube itself and go from there are they 2.750 tube or 3 inch tube.....buy u bolts of the right width/length to clamp the tube, spring and plate and allow minimum 3-4 threads beyond the nut minimum.... Edited March 28, 2020 by Plymouthy Adams Quote
minicooper Posted March 28, 2020 Author Report Posted March 28, 2020 Thanks - Sorry, I meant to type that the leaf spring width is narrow at 1.8125, not 2.8125. I remeasured, the u-bolts are 2” wide, inside, at the top of the leaf spring by 9” long. Without removing it to get an accurate measurement, the shock mount bracket appears to have 2.5” spaced holes. The 52 parts manual does have a listing for 1 13/16” and 2” width bolts. I’m wondering if those springs are not original since the axle is not? I don’t know what the original 3/4 ton spring widths were. -roland Quote
bkahler Posted March 28, 2020 Report Posted March 28, 2020 My 51 1/2 ton uses 1/2-20 extra tall nuts and the leaves are 1-3/4" wide. When I needed u-bolts I went to my local suspension shop and they had them available and very reasonable prices. Brad 2 Quote
CO54 Posted March 28, 2020 Report Posted March 28, 2020 I came across this vendor that makes various styles and sizes of replacement u-bolts. Pretty reasonable pricing too. Hope it helps. https://www.generalspringkc.com/Default.asp Eric 1 1 Quote
minicooper Posted March 28, 2020 Author Report Posted March 28, 2020 Thank you CO54, I ordered the u-bolts from General Spring. They had the 2 x 9 x 1/2 which is what mine measured after re-measuring them. Now, we’ll see how long it takes to get them. -roland 2 Quote
CO54 Posted March 30, 2020 Report Posted March 30, 2020 On 3/28/2020 at 1:41 PM, minicooper said: Thank you CO54, I ordered the u-bolts from General Spring. They had the 2 x 9 x 1/2 which is what mine measured after re-measuring them. Now, we’ll see how long it takes to get them. -roland Roland, Welcome, that's the beauty of this site. Sharing, knowledge, and badgering when needed. LOL. Eric 1 Quote
minicooper Posted March 31, 2020 Author Report Posted March 31, 2020 When replacing the u-bolts on the leaf springs, do you take the weight off the springs before removing and replacing the bolts? I was thinking that with the weight still on them, they would'nt have the chance to move, as long as I do one u-bolt at a time. -Roland Quote
Lingle Posted April 7, 2020 Report Posted April 7, 2020 I personally set jack stands under the axle with a little gap and support the frame so the leaf springs have only the weight of the axle on them, but either way should work. The leaf springs should be fairly stable because the bolt/pin that holds them together sits inside a recess in the axle, more or less fixing the location side-to-side and fore-aft. 1 Quote
minicooper Posted April 7, 2020 Author Report Posted April 7, 2020 6 hours ago, Lingle said: I personally set jack stands under the axle with a little gap and support the frame so the leaf springs have only the weight of the axle on them, but either way should work. The leaf springs should be fairly stable because the bolt/pin that holds them together sits inside a recess in the axle, more or less fixing the location side-to-side and fore-aft. Thanks! I ended up blocking the frame (set it down on concrete blocks) and supported the axle with 2 more blocks. -Roland 1 Quote
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