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Leaf Spring Center Pins

Local spring shop actually gave me two new centering pins - in hopes that I come back again when something breaks.

I think the cost for the pins were only about a dollar a piece.
 
Any 4x4 shop should have them. They are hit and miss at regular auto parts stores. You can make them out of grade 5 bolts, but I would only use those as trail spares, the head isn't thick enough to sit very deep in the perch hole.
 
Find someone who works on VW's. The allen or spline head bolts that hold VW universal joints together on Just about everything from the '68 bus to 90's era and later Jettas, etc. is exactly the right size and thread, and the correct length for a pack with the standard number or one extra leaf. VW owners often end up mangling the heads of these nuisance fasteners, and replace them, but it does not matter for the spring application if the allen recesses are cammed out, or the heads have chisel marks.
 
garr said:
I used 3/8" grade 8 allen head bolts from Lowes, They seem to be holding up.
Click to expand...

So what's the consensus on this, I'd heard that you don't want to use grade 8 bolts, as they tend to shear. A grade 5 will stretch a bit over time but stay together. I'd rather beat a bent bolt out when it's time to replace than notice my leafs walking around or my axle slip on the perch because a harder grade 8 bolt sheared.

Truth to tell, I've never seen a hardness rating on actual leaf spring center pins. I always assumed they were grade 5.
 
Are center bolts grade 8? I bought mine @ a local parts store and when I went to trim them off with a hacksaw they seemed pretty soft. I would think that unless your u-bolts worked loose there would never be much tension on them. If your ubolts did come loose a grade k-zillion center bolt likely won't keep your jeep together. Most socket head capscrews are grade 8.iirc......Just my thoughts, Al
 
Slip Kid said:
Grade 8 has a higher tensile AND sheer strength.

http://www.rockcrawler.com/techreports/fasteners/index.asp
Click to expand...

Yes, but the hardness difference means that while the grade 5 will stretch, the grade 8 will shear under the same forces. I've experienced this first-hand with hub bolts. The shear forces will stretch the grade 5s to the point that they will loosen, they're good for about 5 tightenings until I replace them. The grade 8s I ran several years ago would shear after a few runs, and then I'm breaking out the vise grips, easy-outs and drill, or one time I had to take the hub in and have a machine shop use the EPD laser to disintegrate the broken stubs and then heli-coil the holes.

From my experience, I prefer a grade 5 fastener for things under shear forces. Once again, it seems the factory centering pins are grade 5, as they are often bent when I've changed them out. Grade 8 stuff shears before it bends.
 
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