omega_rugal Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 finally, after all these years i have the time, tools, will and knowledge to upgrade my MJs rear suspension, as my signature says, some PO swapped a dana 44 but it didnt included the beefy leaf pack of the metric ton package, so i parked the MJ, lifted the rear and removed the tiny leaf packs. after a trip to the junkyard i picked a few leaves that seemed to fit and took apart the packs, after a good cleaning and paint i came to the point of re assembling the bastard pack then i realize, what center bolt to use? do any bolt will do or should i go for a a heavy duty one? i know it sounds weird that i came this far only to stop now but it´s my first time so i could use some help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiNi Beast Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 I wanna say 1/4" or 3/8" should be about right. May need to grind the head on a standard bolt to a round shape to fit the hole. Harder the better couldn't hurt. I found some allen bolts at ace to work for mine. Solid head will keep them sitting in the perch square and contributing strength to the ubolt system. Think Peace of mind win everytime 😌 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 grade 8 cap head bolts (the round headed ones that use an allen wrench) are what I used. can't remember the diameter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 IIRC, the MJ center bolts are larger than XJ center bolts. I want to say they're 5/16" but I'm not certain of that. Pro tip -- do NOT try to use the bolt and nut to pull the leaves together. Use a heavy duty C-clamp (or two) to clamp the leaves, tighten the nuts on the through bolts, and then release the C-clamps. If you buy socket-head cap screws at Lowe's or Home Depot (or probably anywhere), the head diameter may be sightly too large to fit the hole in the u-bolt plate. Be sure to check that first, and grind them down to fit if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parei_doll_ia Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 The springs I just got from GS have a 3/8-18 in the center Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rokinn Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 Having just swapped in an overload spring to my 3+1 this fall I can say that the center bolt is the same size in diameter (3/8ths inch). I used the cap head bolts Pete mentioned. The head fits the dana 44 plate perfectly. It does not fit the dana 35 plate, the hole is smaller by 1/16. I had to drill it out as I left the 35 in until I took it to the shop to have the gears in the 44 redone and swapped over. Still in the process of breaking it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zomeizter Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 Oreilly's carries a plethora of spring pack bolts, just sayin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiNi Beast Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 18 minutes ago, zomeizter said: Oreilly's carries a plethora of spring pack bolts, just sayin... Just sayin or just typing 🤷 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zomeizter Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 3 minutes ago, MiNi Beast said: Just sayin or just typing 🤷 Haha! sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omega_rugal Posted December 21, 2021 Author Share Posted December 21, 2021 grade 8 it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiNi Beast Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 44 minutes ago, omega_rugal said: grade 8 it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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