I just took my rear springs apart. The u clips that are riveted to the leafs all came off. How can I reattach them?

 

51Dueler,
Bummer. When I had my springs de-arced, they did it on a machine. As far as reattaching the u-clips, are they still useable after the rivots popped? If so, you'll probably have to fudge in the next largest size rivot since putting the same size back in, they'd probably just run through now that the original rivots have reamed a hole that size in them. If that's not an option, either get new ones and attach those or contact a suspension shop and see if they have a remedy. Sorry couldn't be of more help; I don't envy your predicament... but I hope it turns out to be not too big a headache for ya'.

Good luck,
Daryl

 

They are in good shape. Maybe I could cut a bolt and weld the head to the U clip and press it into the leaf.

 

That might work. Give it a try, what the heck! Let us know if it works, could be a quick fix for others with same problem in the future

Daryl

 

Nathan,

I had several of the brackets come off as well. I also had two that were so badly worn that I had to fabricate some new ones. Here is a sketch of what the finished assembly looks like.



Daryl is right. If the holes in either the spring leaves or the brackets are really worn or rusted out, you'll need to use rivets one size larger. It's not a big deal. McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) has just about any size round-head rivet you might need or you can try to find them at your local hardware store.

1. Carefully drill out the holes in the spring leaves to the next larger rivet diameter. Drill very slowly and use some coolant since the springs are pretty hard.
2. Use a 45 degree countersink to put the recess in the spring leaf or clean up the one that is already there. You can use a drill but the angle will be much greater.
3. If you need to make up a bracket, get some mild steel stock in the right size (1" x 1/4" or whatever) and bend it into the U-shape. Use a grinder to round off the ends like the originals.
4. Make sure the rivets you buy are the right length. The shank length should be the same as the thickness of the spring leaf and the bracket. The end of the rivet shank will end up below the surface of the leaf after you peen it down to hold the assembly together.
5. Assemble the parts as shown in the sketch and use a BFH and drift to mash the end of the rivet shank into the countersink. Heating the rivet will help a lot but DON'T heat the spring leaf too much or it will lose it's temper. If you can get a friend to help you can heat the rivet first, then assemble stuff quickly and peen the rivet shank while it's still hot. Make sure you back up the rivet head or you won't be able to get the assembly tight. You can use an aluminum block and drill a hole the right diameter and just deep enough so the rivet heat won't quite fit all the way into the hole.

I used stainless steel replacements for the bracket cross-bolts and nuts so we wouldn't have to worry about rust. The brackets are there just to keep the leaves aligned so the bolts really shouldn't be tightened down too much or the bracket will just bend in. To keep the nuts from backing off we ordered internal locking type stainless steel nuts. Just tighten them up until they make good contact with the bracket and you're all set.

 

Hhhhmmm. I think I might try my way. If I can get the bolt to fit snug and don't move it should stay there. The truck won't be hauling any loads. I just need something to hold the leafs in position.

 

Eurika! It works. You need a bolt with a long enough unthreaded part to go through both leaves. I had to drill the leaf to 3/8 for it to work. The leaf ate the bit more than the bit ate it. I drilled for 5 seconds and the leaf was HOT. Now to buy more bolts. I'm gonna cut it a little above the leaf and mash it flat on an anvil.