I installed a Belltech 3 inch lowering block kit about four months ago on my 89 base model pickup. Installed the kit per the instructions and torqued the nuts to the specified value. Stock 22R and rear end with a 5-speed upgraded tranny. Well, one of the ubolts broke on my way to work. Luckily this happened on the street and not on the freeway. Has this happened to anyone else? I found some S10 guys online that had the same thing happen to them but didn't find any posts about this problem on here. I don't want a replacement from them, I'd rather upgrade with stronger ubolts so this didn't happen again. Any suggestions?

 

Beefed

 

I had u bolts made by a local semi truck/industrial mechanical shop. They were $70 but they're big and burly with rolled threads, tall nuts and hardened washers.

 

I did read that some have had custom ubolts made. I found a couple of sites with grade 8 ubolts that should work. The Belltech ubolts are 1/2 inch thick. I think 5/8 inch thick grade 8 ubolts will do. The cross-sectional area of a 5/8 ubolt is 1.5 times that of a 1/2 ubolt. I need to measure the stock ubolts in the morning but the installed Belltech ubolts measure about 2 7/8 inches wide.

This site has 3 inch wide ubolts which is close:
http://www.autoandtrucksprings.com/products/5_8x3x9_5_8_Round_U_Bolt_Kit_FREE_SHIPPING-440-2.html

This site has 2 7/8 inch wide ubolts:
http://www.stengelbros.net/8U-368R-...und-U-bolt-with-nuts-and-washers_p_13738.html

 

I used some u bolts i found on a 4x4 webstore. I forgot how thick they are but theyre much thicker than stock and they included tall nuts and thick washers. Cant remember the price or the site

 

you still talking bout u-bolts rite? lmao

 

The stock ubolts measured around 2 7/8 wide so I went with the ones from Stengelbros.net. The Belltech ubolts are also just shy of 1/2 an inch thick. The stock ubolts are about 1/20 of an inch thicker than the Belltech ubolts. The stengelbros site also has a lot of info regarding ubolts.

http://www.stengelbros.net/U-Bolts_c_23.html

 

Maybe. Would it turn you on if I wasn't?

 

rotflmfao!!

 

I installed the new ubolts from stengelbros.net yesterday. These are a significant improvement over the Belltech ubolts. The bare Belltech ubolt weighed 1 pound and the new bare ubolts weighed 1.5 pounds. I had to enlarge the holes in the bottom plate a little. I used a round file and a rotary tool for that. The distance between the inside of the holes is already the width of the leafsprings so I didn't grind the insides of the holes just in the outward direction. The ubolts were also opened up about a quarter of an inch wider than the holes so I used a c-clamp to get then into the holes. Other than that they dropped right in. The Belltech instructions said to torque their bolts to 80 ft-lbs. I torqued the new bolts to 100 ft-lbs. 5/8 grade 8 bolts can be torqued to about 170 ft-lbs, so 100 ft-lbs is fine. I will upload some pictures when I have time.