Grade hardware for suspension

I was looking at doing some work around the house and was looking through the hardware section. I was looking at grade 8 bolts, and found that the 9/16" bolts are perfect for the rear shackles and if I use washers and grade 8 nylon lock nuts, I could keep tension at a minimum on the shackles while not fearing they with fall apart. Now, are these bolts of an equivalent tensile strength to the ones that come stock? I was hoping the grade 8s are stronger, and I got some that run the entire distance with the shaft, no threads in the shackle. Just trying to do some small things while moneys tight. Thanks guys.

-SteVe

grade 8 is a great choice

Sounds like a good idea. When I installed my rear leafs, I worry that I tightened the shackle bolts too much. I did not use a torque wrench. My vehicle sits just a tad lower on the drivers side and I wondered if it had anything to do with some shackle bind? Maybe this would help.

Might wanna check into that one. Most things that are subject to certain stress loads typically use grade 5. This being G5 will flex a little as opposed to a brittle G8 that might snap. From what Ive seen all winch mfgs reccomend G5 not 8 either for bumper/winch mounting, there should be some markings on other suspension hardware that would indicate what grade it is. 3 ribs is G5 ,5 ribs is G8, 8 ribs is G12(not common) all on the head. Typically "unmarked" hardware is junk(G2). (hardware store stuff) But you already knew this im sure. Around here everyone yanked the G5 stuff and only carry G8 or unmarked "smooth head". The only place to find 5 is at a auto parts store, Doorman etc.

If a Grade 8 bolt fails, a grade 5 bolt will also fail. A 5 will fail (break) at a point lower than a 8....period.

Rev

ThankS ya very much. What do you think of the lock nuts? I see it as an excellent way to keep things tight and without play, but loose enough to allow free movement. I'm thinking about doing all of my moving suspension connecting points with some new hardware for that reason. I torque them tight to keep em together, but with lock nuts I can achieve maximum hold AND allow the decreased friction on the bushing surfaces... or am I off base here? Once again, thank you for the replies.

Do you work for Raytheon? Or in the military? Just curious since I am a "missile tech".

MT2/SS.. Missile Technician, 2nd class petty officer, submarine qualified in the US Navy. Possibly the most boring job I've come across... well, actually it IS. Hope thats a good enough answer, thanks for the post.

-SteVE