Leaf spring install headaches

ok, I'm replacing a set of used tomkens that I picked up not too long ago and one is kind of bent and my XJ is leaning too one side...... Whats going in is 3.5" RE

Anyways, so I'm doing them... and I realize that they have a bigger centerbolt so I have to drill out the hole in the perch (pad? the thing on the axle)..... from the looks of it 9/16" head.... so I go and hit up Home Depot.... well, they are out of any bit that's bigger then 1/2"!!!! ok, I'm off too lowes, I get a 9/16" and I get home happy, I realize it's 1/2" on the drill end... I'm almost ready to hit my head against the wall when I realize that I do have a 1/2" drill that I bought a while ago and haven't used yet..... ok... I get that, I drill out the hole just to find out that the hole is s till a hair too small... ok, here come a dremel.... I dremel the hole out a bit to find out that the spacer they put on the spring is just enough wider that it won't fit so I dremel the hole out a bit more and even out the spacer around the bolt..... then I realize that the bolt with the spacer is just a hair too long for me not to be able to fit it in even with a shim! ok..... I slice the head off a bit (1/8" or less). ok... so now I'm sitting pretty although my arms are hurting by now from wrestling the spring on and off on and off on and off.... ok, I grab the ubolts I picked up at ppepboys and that I have used previously with the tomken springs and as I tighten them per fsm to 56ft lbs, I realize something feels funky even though they seemed to get on nicely..... ok, I try to loosen them up and nothing!!!! (before I was able to loosen them up with a small ratchen)...... ok, here comes the breaker bar..... and one comes off, while the other has to be cut off as both have just stripped themselves off!!! the thread must be too fine and the springs too stiff for them!!!! So I'm throwing in the towel for the night and I am hoping that I can find pickup some ubolts on my way to the wedding tomorrow!!! and that's way up in ventura GRRRRRR at noontime so I gotta leave home early enough to get the bolts and still not be late! There is no way in hell that I will ever help anyone with leaf springs in the rear.... I'm just too unlucky!!!

Also I have a feeling that the rearend will kill me as when I was working with the tomkens 2 weeks ago (trying to figure out the reason for the lean) I somehow dropped the axle onto my middle finger in the right hand and crushed the hell out of it.... it finally is a useable shape and size and but after two weeks it still ain't looking too good...

Remi aka Kejtar

That sucks, man. Ive had a bad week of wrenching too, but on the front end. Hope the jeep Gods smile more kindly on you in the future.

And I thought that that kind of stuff only happened to me.....


You made my night, thanks

John

Lucas said:

Hope the jeep Gods smile more kindly on you in the future.

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They got till Sunday to start smiling as that's when I am getting back to it!!!!!!!!! (tomorrow a wedding)

Kejtar

So! Your "short-legged table" WAS caused by the rear!

Hate to say I told you so.....

Jared

gee thanks DeadEyeJ.... but for final proof I'm waiting to see what it's all gonna look like when I finally get the springs in!

Kejtar

Ok Remi, quit whining & solve your problems. Here's what you do.

1. Get new center pins and DONT modify your perches you knucklehead! (Keep reading!)

2. Take those silly aluminum spacer things out from under the center pin head & throw them away.

3. Install your new center pins, dont tighten them without clamping the spring pack together or you'll break them and your springs will fly apart & hit you in the face.

4. Get some REAL ubolts! PepBoys crap is junk to begin with. The reason the nuts wouldn't come back off is that they're peened! Look at the side & notice the little dents in them, that's a way to lock them in place so they dont loosen up.

5. Have a beer.

6. Enjoy the new leaf springs, then realize that you should've got at least 4.5" anyway and cry in your beer.

Goddam Remi, you gotta be smarter than the Jeep!

As far as needing the 9/16" drill bit i had the same exact thing happen when putting in my re 5.5 ed kit. Tho i had to wait till the next day to borrow a drill with a 1/2" chuck, plus drill bits 1/2" and up are damn expensive! And vintagespeed is right, take out those stupid spacers and throw them away. After the drill and removal of the spacers mine went in perfectly, surprised to hear you had trouble even after drilling out the perches. Also, on another note, you would figure that the holes in the shims sold by RE would fit right over the RE center pins on, you guessed it, RE leaf packs! Well, no, not even close, had to drill those out too. Go figure

Hey RE is not a whole lot better than Rustys or any other manufacturer. They all have problems. But Remi, remind me not to invite you to a lift party that I attend! N.O.!

First,nows a good time to upgrade the size(I believe the stock ones arent much more than 7/16").Second,most spring shops can turn out a set in about 15 minutes!

Lucas said:

That sucks, man. Ive had a bad week of wrenching too.

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welcome to the club, im surprised it only happens once in a while, for me in seams like every weekend turns out like this.

OK... let me take this to the next level now...
So on Sat, on my way to the wedding (my cousin) I end up having to go with my folks as my XJ is sitting on blocks...... so I'm thinking: on my way up north I drive by 4wp in compton... maybe.... I will get lucky.....

So I get them to leave early, I stop by and it's a zoo: their first annual swapmeet sale is going on (from the looks I cast aside deals looked good).... well I go in and I see that they are helping #40 and the number I pull is 87..... OK, I grab the first 4wp guy walking around and looking at things and I explain things to him: I am not there for the sales, I'm there cause I got a ubolt issue (and I explain it in more details). He says that he will gladly help me out, takes me to his office (some sort of a manager? pencil pusher?). This guy means really well, but parts is not his thing.... I spend there 30 minutes while he tried to figure out what he has..... Anyways, after some searching he found ubolts which seemed to match what I needed, cept they were 10" long.... I said fine, I will cut the damn things off..... so off I go to pay, and I go to pick them up, I take them, and I open the box.... the diameter is like close to 5/8" (if not thicker) and the thread stops about 1" before I need it In any case I took them as I still had to drive up to Ventura..... and tomorrow I will go and get them swapped out.....

Anyways, at this point my xj is sitting on the blocks with everything but the U-bolts and wheels reinstalled!!! So all I need to do is slap those suckers on, and put on the whels, jump up and down on the rear to loosen things up and tighten the springs per spec (or should I first tighten per spec then jump???)

Kejtar

Just push it off a cliff & be done with it...........

Have some ubolts bent for your needs, my last set cost me $37 for 4ea 5/8" ubolts/nuts/washers bent to match my specs. You're gonna spend that just in gas to exchange the pre-made ones you got.

well my problem is that every place that I found that would do it for me, is closed by the time I get into the area (commuting from OC to the Valley kind of kills almost all options).... anyways, I'm planning on hitting the compton location of 4wp again on my way back and getting the RIGHT ones this time, now that I will have TIME to wait and things will be less hectic without the tent sale.....

But believe me... I have thought of torching it for a brief moment.... and before anyone says anything, I think that everyone that has worked on their own rig has had such thoughts at one time or another... they ussually don't last long... but they do cross your mind...

Kejtar

now i have read the thread i feel bad, when i did my OME the spring fit right in the new larger Rancho Ubolts fit perfect, but i did have a fit with the shock bolts. hope your luck changes!!!

The springs don't like me...... when I did the first swap into Tomken, they have poly bushings with the metal sleeves inside... the sleeve slipped out, I didn't notice and I bent the hanger in which was a whole headache in itself!!!! Btw, this is a 2 month nightmare now...but when those go in... believe me when I tell you... I aint touching it for quite a while!!!! (I hope LOL)

Kejtar

Remi,

It's looking like that WWR fits you better with every new story.

1. Head size on center pins always vary in size. Get that dremel and make the hole in the perch bigger until it fits.

2. If using a shim, use only the type that can be bolted to the spring pack. (JB, shims are ok when done right)

3. Make more money to have it done by a shop or buy more beer so people will come help or atleast come and watch...

Pep boys has nothing that should be put on a off roading rig, period. And don't get me started on why you are spending money at a place that has such a terrible corprate policies as "The UnAmerican Boys" do.

Don't forget the only place your rig is unlevel is in your driveway.

On the serious side, Deaver spring in SA can make you grade 8 u blots to fit any setup, cheap.

mark

Mark Hinkley said:

a off roading rig, period. And don't get me started on why you are spending money at a place that has such a terrible corprate policies as "The UnAmerican Boys" do.

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Actually I looked into it a while ago... they got a lot of bad press (from what I have found out) for firing a guy who was already under investigation for other things (for about a year and a half prior) and this unfortunately coincided with his reserve duty.... Btw, I don't wanna get into who was right there (him or them) as I don't think anyone will ever know the truth

Don't forget the only place your rig is unlevel is in your driveway.

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lol..... not that simple......

On the serious side, Deaver spring in SA can make you grade 8 u blots to fit any setup, cheap.

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Problem is that I don't get to Westminster area till about 1700, 1730, and by the time I'd make it to deaver it'd be probably well after 1800 and they are not opened on Saturdays..... So I got my fingers crossed for 4WP.....


Kejtar

Kejtar said:

Problem is that I don't get to Westminster area till about 1700, 1730, and by the time I'd make it to deaver it'd be probably well after 1800 and they are not opened on Saturdays..... So I got my fingers crossed for 4WP.....
Kejtar

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Ever heard of UPS?

Let me know if I can help, they are just down the street a few blocks...

mark

yeah... but I kind of got to get my wheels up and running I'll see what happens tonight then I might take you up on your offer (plus I wanted to have my original ubolt there to make sure that it ends up being right bend lol)
Kejtar