Hi all, anyone tell me?

I have my front springs off, the bolts that go through the clamps are bent and shot. There's just the bolt and nut, no lockwasher or anything. They came off pretty easily, but I'm curious as to whether these are "stop-nuts" or "locking nuts"? Without lock washers, it would seem they'd back off relatively easily. And, I really don't want that happening. I can get grade 8's the right length, but want the nuts to be somewhat correct. The originals are thin, rather like jam nuts, but only one per bolt, and the catalog shows one per bolt. I just can't find any specs on the nuts...

Any help would be appreciated...

R

 

On my 59 there is a metal tube in the rubber spring bushings. As the owner of Craig's Springs here in Ballard told me the tube gets clamped in between the mount ears so the bushings bear on the tube and not the bolt. I use grade 8 bolts with grade 8 Nylock's on the inside. I have seen too many lock washers rust and fall to pieces.

If you have rubber bushings and not bronze bushings on your springs I would suggest you use nylock's because even if they do get a little loose no amount of rattling will make the nylock come off.

If you have bronze bushing's then you need a special bolt that has an OD the size of the bushings to do it right.

The shackle part of the spring on my 59 had no lock washer's when I tore it down for rebuild. The owner at Craig's said the original nuts are split and crimped to make them lock. They look like a castle nut like you would use a cotter pin with only the splits are very fine like they were cut with a razor blade. Since the nuts had been replaced with regular nuts at some point in the past I used new nylock's on those too.

Hope this helps

____________________
My Grandpa told me once that you have to learn by the mistakes of others, because you will NOT live long enough to make them all yourself.

 

These are the clamps, not the shackles or hangers. The actual pieces that wrap around the springs, and keep them aligned, and together.

Thx.

R

 

I used grade 8 bolts then welded the end of the bolt so it don't back off

 

Ok Got it

I just looked at the new springs I had made and they have no lock washers on those.

 

Jaye - that's what I was thinking of doing, or replacing them with locking nuts. I wonder what kept them on from the factory?? The old ones go on and off easily, once loosened, so I really don't think they were locking nuts...

Crazy!!

R

 

If you want the narrow nuts you may be able to cut a regular nut thinner and then us a good liquid tread locker. That way you keep the look original and the nut will not back off.

 

Thanks...I can find jam nuts, but I went ahead with the locking nuts. Besides, I don't want anyone crawling around and looking at my nuts, anyway...

R

 

Or your drive shaft and rear end!! LOL