Bds Lift Question

I was speaking of the axle shafts themselves being flanged as opposed to being tapered. Tapered axles use 2 1/2"bolts where as flanged is 2 3/4" axle diameter.
You could use a die grinder to open the holes in the plate. Keep the inside of the hole flush with the spring pack. A 1/2" drill will over cut in to the spring area if
that makes sense. Clamp a 1/2" I.D. washer to the plate as a guide and grind out the partial moon shape to the 1/2" hole size. This way you don't have an oval
shaped hole or remove too much material. Consider heavier plates or skids in the future or build your own. I have seen some plates bent in to a U shape from over
tightening the bolts.
Some people have a problem with re using u-bolts. You could always change them later.
I think 1/4" oversize on u-bolts is too much to ask to conform the the radius of the axle tube.

 

I've decided to reuse the ubolts for now so I can keep the ball rolling, then order the proper sized (at a proper price ha!) and swap out after. It's a simple job to swap ubolts.

 

Here are the bolts I used for a 2 3/4” tubed D44. Whatever you get, make sure there’s enough threads. Some of them are for a thicker spring pack.
U Bolts

And the rear skids to go with. Although there’s arguably better designs, these are off-the-shelf available:
Skids

 

I have been running 5/8" dia ubolts and 3/8" thick spring plates from ruffstuff specialties for several years and never had an issue. They are a little more expensive than the stock ubolts but definitely alot stronger

 

That is a good price on the bolts. Just need to make sure there is enough threaded portion. He should be able to get BDS to provide them for free. Just takes a phone call.
McMaster has the long nuts to use for the bolts. I built my skids off the warrior design many years ago.

 

For the time being, I've cleaned off my current ubolts with a die and had to stack a washer to not run out of threads. Once I get everything back on it should be easy to swap out to a new, proper set.

Those Rubicon ones look correct minus the length - 9" seems too long. I'm thinking these will work:
https://www.amazon.com/Rough-Country-Suspension-Universal-7628/dp/B07PYYRLTQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=P2E309W378JB&keywords=2.75"+x+7"+x+1/2"+u+bolt&qid=1685246653&s=automotive&sprefix=2.75+x+7+x+1/2+u+bol,automotive,223&sr=1-1

I'm anticipating the front u-bolts being too large of diameter, but it seems like the width is at least correct so I'll just increase the hole size on the spring plate to accommodate.

 

Another source you may want to look at is, General Spring. They have a large selection of u-bolts starting at $10.00 each which includes bolts, nuts and washers.

Leaf Spring U-Bolts | General Spring (generalspringkc.com)

 

I called BDS about the wrong u-bolts in my kit, and they said if I had bought the kit new they would have swapped them out . As it was, I bought it used but "new", and ended up buying new ones from BDS, and iirc they were about $10 a piece

 

What direction do the front leafs face? One end has one clamp the other has two. It says to face the “numbered” end forward but my springs have the sku (004252) on one side of the center pin (the side with two clamps) and “2763” on the other side. So I’ve got numbers on both ends. Thanks BDS…

 

I have the same issue but on my rear springs. I believe on the front the lower profile spring clamp goes forward to clear the steering

 

See Fireball's previous post on this.

 

Ran into that issue as well on front. Called bds and the 4252 # goes towards the front which is where i ran into issue with steering arm hitting spring clamp so i cut it flush with spring pack on both sides.

 

Alright folks, it's (mostly) all done!

A few learnings for anyone that finds this thread later:
-U-bolts were incorrect as anticipated:

-Rears for my 1971 were the correct diameter but wrong width to work with the factory spring plates. I cleaned up the threads on my factory u-bolts and added a spacer to get the right amount of threads to torque appropriately. I will swap these with new 1/2" u bolts of the appropriate length asap.
-Fronts were both the wrong diameter and wrong width. I tried to widen the passenger side spring plate, but ultimately reverted to reusing the factory ones similar to rear. The one plate I modified lost some integrity and is now a bit wavy - I plan to replace this and the u bolts in the future. ​

-Seemed to track and drive fine during test ride - ill confirm toe specs just to be sure. I used 4deg caster shims on the front.
-I put the sku starting with 4 facing the front on all springs. No issue with steering on the front (maybe due to the shims), as mentioned by Fireball in this thread.

As always - thanks everyone for the help and quick replies. This community is fantastic.

 

That looks really nice. A good transformation from before.

 

The single clamp goes towards the FRONT of the Jeep, for both front and rear spring packs. In my first pic, this is the rear spring pack, showing the double clamps towards the rear. The 004252 will have FRT following the numbers as seen in my second pic.

 

Anyone have experience with these? Are they 7/16" holes for the u bolts?

https://warriorproducts.com/jeep-cj2-cj3-cj5-u-bolt-skid-plates.html

 

Yes. Same ones linked above but for a Dana 27….and I guess Dana 25. A Dana 30 takes a different set. These are good quality… like the old ConFerr skids, but these have replaceable shock studs. Not sure on the bolt holes for these ones,. Easy enough to drill out a little.

 

If I were to guess, it would be 1/2". Almost all your aftermarket products are geared for that. I built my own from the pictures.
You could get a hold of Quadratec and ask or WP to be certain.

 

Not sure I would use grade 2 bolts.
Grade 2
A grade 2 bolt is distinguished through its complete lack of markings and will usually have a tensile strength of between 60,000 and 74,000 psi. Depending on the application they are used for, the Grade 2 bolts can be partially or completely threaded. These bolts are generally used for non-critical joints and applications in design, OEM and maintenance, especially as it is a cost-effective option. The nominal size range of the grade 2 bolt is ¼ inch to 4 inches.

Automotive uses grade 8
Grade 8
The high-strength, sought-after grade 8 bolt can be distinguished by six raised dashes. Its medium-carbon alloy steel has been quenched and tempered, ultimately making it possible to achieve an impressive tensile strength of 150,000 psi, compared to a grade 2 bolt’s 64,000 psi. In other words, a grade 8 bolt is more than twice as strong as a grade 2 SAE American Grade bolt. You will often find grade 8 bolts in demanding applications, such as in automotive suspensions. Other applications that require the strength and tolerance of a grade 8 bolt are industrial machinery, motors, pumps, valves and tanks!

 

I believe almost all u-bolts are grade 2. The Rancho RS-713 looks like the bolt kit needed though the stock pictures are mostly shown as square.