It's on a 1986 F250 4x4 supercab HD w/ a D-50 front TTB axle. What do I torque the u-bolt nuts down to? The parts guy at the dealership said to get some of the green or red Loc-Tite to ensure those nuts don't move. Is that necessary?

 

I'm showing 85-120 ftlbs. You can use some blue or green, but I never do. I would recheck torque in a week or so though.

 

I do the fronts at 95 and the rears at 125. Drive a few miles then re torque. Again at about 100 miles then every six months or so. No loctite! Thats crazy!

 

Thanks! I'll shoot for 100lb-ft and give it a go, then re-torque as aforementioned.

I've never dealt with torques given in a range as with this truck. My other truck's torque specs are specified exactly, no ranges.

 

Is there supposed to be a thin piece of rubber sandwiched between the top of the leaf spring and bottom of the hold down/shock mount?

 

Mine was a piece of plastic

 

Good deal, thanks.

Edit: Any of you know what type of steel these brackets are made out of?

 

that parts guy must never have put new springs in.not only do you not need loc-tight.after a couple months,good look trying to take them off lmao.new U bolt time.
they're not going anywhere once torqued and driven for a little while.

 

Half of the nuts were cross threaded.

 

they weren't cross threaded.that's how they come off.
iv never managed taking them off before with a ratchet/breaker bar,due to having access to a torch.
that must have taken you a while and a whole can of WD40(tho that probably doesn't actually help,im sure you must of told yourself it was.least i would have lol) i always wondered if they would keep turning off,or brake.
good job!

are you adding springs or just replacing worn out/broken ones?

 

First I used a rough steel brush and hit the threads and nuts to scour off the rust. Then I used a mapp gas torch and hit the nuts for ~15 seconds per nut. Then I sprayed the nut down with PB Blaster and the heat drew it into the nut through the threads. It dripped down the threads of the u-bolts. Then I used a breaker bar and got the nuts free. I put on my socket wrench and turned them off. Unfortunately I couldn't reinstall them because of how messed up the threads were. Nobody around where the truck is has that style u-bolt. I'm going to a suspension shop in the morning.

Check this out: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ount-pics.html

 

oh i see.iv never tried that.i didn't think they would remain strong enough once you took them off.i thought they would be too stressed and couldn't be re-used.(in my case,as always,im in need of longer ones for adding springs anyway.so never mattered.)

 

I've always thought that too, but was told I could reuse them. When I did suspension work on my Jeep, I replaced my u-bolts because I thought they were stressed long enough. I should've just bought new ones and I would be a lot farther along now.

 

I never reuse axle U bolts.
Nuts come off, they go in the scrap metal pile.

 

I'm not sure about our pickups but on semis and trailers when you install them you stretch the threads and are not suppose to reuse them.