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leaf spring bolt and spring clamp replacement?

cjben

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Illinois
I will be installing a 3 inch lift starting tonight. i would like to have everything on hand so i don't have to make trips to the store in the middle of the job. is there any way to tell if I i will need new u bolts for the leaf springs? I am doing a long AAL. If I do need them,are they available at a normal parts store? how about the spring clamps? will I need to get different ones because I putting an AAL in? and can those be bought at a parts store? probably will need new ones anyhow,the stock ones look quite rusty,not sure I can take them off without cutting them. thanks for the help,Ben
 
yes you will need new u bolts. It's not recommended that you reuse them
You will likely have to cut the stock clamps.
Autozone had u bolts and clamps when I did my AAL.
 
thanks 87manche. guess I should have specified if the u bolts need to be longer than the stock ones? I looked on the autozone website(all i can do during the day today,can't go anywhere) and they have what looks like might be the stock size ones,can't really tell from the pictures and they don't have the length in the description. about the spring clamps,couldn't find them online,might be something I will have to go in and see if they have them on their shelves.
 
You will also need new leaf spring center pins if they are rusty. Chances are they won't come out with out breaking them. I needed some last week and none of the chain parts stores had them around here. I finally used a regular bolt that I had rounded the hex head with my bench grinder until it would fit snuggly in the hole in the spring plate. I have reused u-bolts in the past but it's not worth the trouble if you have rusty parts. Just cut 'em off.
 
I put in an AAL w/o using new U-bolts. Been that way for almost a year with no problems so far. You will need longer center pins, as an alternate you can use a grade 8 bolt with the points on the head ground down. I made spring clamps for mine, but honeslty, you could probably get by w/o them for a while.

Have fun!!
 
if the AAL are part of a lift kit then check to see if you have new centering pins.
If not, cap head screws work nicely
 
whether your KIT includes new center pins or you buy some from an auto-parts store you need to;
1st Check to see if the Head of the pin will seat completely down into your spring perch
(if not you'll have to drill the perch holes out a little so they'll fit)

alot of the aal kits use pins that are slightly larger that oem

a drill-bit or a die grinder will work

it'll save you alot of trouble to check this 1st before you've cinched up the center-pin tight and started tightening the U-bolts and then recognizing this problem
 
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