Help with All Pro expo leaf install

Glad to hear it man! Did you find the nylocks I suggested? If not you can use the same nuts that All-Pro sells for the U-bolts. That's what I used for mine. Technically they are 9/16" instead of 14mm, but they have the same thread pitch and because they are a deformed nut, they fit just fine. All-Pro sells the nuts alone for $1 each. That will let the springs work freely without binding.

My hub center to fender lip is 25.375". It's been about 6 weeks and no settle yet.

 

Ok cool. 3.5 inches with extra weight?? . Does it look too high from the back??

 

I think the book says 90 on the stock spring nuts. Don't quote me on that. No wonder the damn things squeak. If you use a locking nut all you have to do is snug it down against the hanger.

 

theres a little rake. but it will settle..looks fine as is. I went an additional 2 turns on the icon coilovers to compensate.. about 2.75" lift in the front

 

It raised by rear about a good 1 inch so Im about 3 1/2 inchs in the rear but my front had to be lifted as well because of my ARB bumper in stall. I have the toytech ulimate lift kit installed in the front and with the exp leafs in the back everything is just fine. It may sit you up about 1/2 inch in rear on a regular 3inch lift but its not really noticeable. I prefer the higher stance for load carrying and just because I dont ever want to sag again. The toyota leafs with add a leaf from toytech really suck and cant carry any load this makes it all better. Installed extended brake lines and made some minor adjustments to the other brake parts and everything is good. If your thinking about getting it do it, remember its not a smooth ride but what the hell you have a truck not a cadillac it shouldnt be smooth, at least that what we think where im from in south texas.

 

Are these M14? I found locknuts but would like to be clear on the thread size. Is nylon insert preferred or stover locknuts? I want to order them from McMaster Carr...

http://www.mcmaster.com/#hex-locknuts/=g8hoji
Stover
Nylon Insert

 

The spring and shackle bolts on the 2nd gen are all 14MM. If you are using Nylocks you should use 14mm only. In a Stover I actually prefer the 9/16 fine thread. They are not quite as tight, and no reason for them to be. Either is just as good for this application because all the nut does really is keep the bolt in place. The downside to stovers is that they are hard on the bolts if you remove them often. Nylocks cause no wear, but should really only be used once. Sometimes you can reuse them but the nylon is usually weakened. Stovers require lubrication to install, nylocks don't. Long winded and probably more than you wanted to know. I put stovers on mine because I got them with a flange. Of the two above I would probably use the Nylock. It's easier. Just tighten them barely snug on the hanger. You don't want to compress the hanger or the rubber at all.

Well, I just looked at those nuts and they don't have the flanged nuts in 9/16 or the 14mm in Nylock. I would just call All-Pro and order 6 from them. They are $1 each = $6 + shipping.

 

whats wrong with the oem nuts?

 

The OEM nuts are not locknuts so they require a substantial torque to keep them on. That causes a bind on the rubber bushings which keeps the springs from working freely. It makes for a harsher ride, squeaks, and limits articulation. In most leaf suspensions that use torqued nuts, the rubber actually doesn't even rotate. It actually torques in the hanger. That's why it makes the springs feel stiffer. When you install springs designed for extra articulation the problem becomes particulary bad.

 

does this theory apply to poly bushings? i actually over torqued my oem bolts to 115ftlbs. I haven't experienced any of that. What would be the recommended torque settings for the nyloc nuts?

 

Usually the poly is much worse if it's bound up because it can't torque like the rubber does. It's too hard. You can't really torque the nylocs, and you don't need to. Just snug them up against the hanger and leave it. The spring bolt is nothing but a pivot for the spring eye. All the nut does is keep it there. Try it and see if you feel an improvement in the ride. I'll bet you will. You're not noticing it because you did it when you changed springs.

 

Badger,

I've seen you post option A. and option B. when it comes to the bolts. Where can these be found mainstream locally? Anywhere?

 

m14x1.25???

 

I was down at the local lumber yard here a week or so ago and they had the 14mm Nylocks in the little parts bins. I think they were $1.20 each. You need 14mm x 1.5. Ace might have them in their metric bins. It probably depends on where you are. Napa might have them too.

Here is a source for the Nylocks, minimum qty 10:
http://www1.mscdirect.com/eCommerce...Ctk=All_MSC&currentMSCtx=mode+matchallpartial

I haven't found a better source for the flange nuts than All-Pro

 

Thanks for the reply. I can warrant buying everything on the internet, but when it comes to some bolts, they HAVE to be found somewhere locally. The search is on.

 

Well I'm putting my expo pack and extended length Bilsteins on tomorrow morning. Have a lift with impact wrench available, found some 14mm nylocks at an awesome industrial parts store, already have extended brake lines, am waiting on shims to see if I need them, will I need grease for the bushings/bolts or will wd-40 work? What am I forgetting? Already put 3/8" lock nuts in to extend center bolt just in case. Already have the ubolt flip kit with longer ubolts but can't decide if I should drill holes in it to put stock bump stops on or if the shocks would already be bottomed out prior to hitting them, making the mod useless. Refuse to buy $200 pieces of rubber for the flip kit right now.

 

Don't buy shims. If you have a vibration issue PM me and I'll steer you to the solution. I would drill and tap the top ubolt plate for the stock bump. If it's too short put a block under it. If you want a better extended bump like the one Wheeler sells, you can use the same holes. You need grease for the bushings. One of the best is Power Punch. It comes in tubes and tubs. It wont work out like other greases because it is VERY sticky. You will need WD-40 or similar for the Ubolt nuts or they may gall. Make sure you have brake fluid for bleeding, clear hose, etc.

I found it easiest to mount the shackle on the spring and put them both in together. A 4 foot section of 2x4 might come in handy for nudging the spring into the axle hole. Other than that just be careful

 

Badger,
Thanks a ton for the gouge and offer of assistance! I think I've got my list ready so I'll pack up my crap and head to the shop. Thanks again for all the recommendations, I was pretty pumped when I found a recommended Industrial Supply store close by that has every size/pitch bolt/nut/screw ever made available. Probably won't be able to "truly" analyze any vibrations till after I get my Spindles put on probably Saturday morning, but either way I'm pumped. Got my Procomp 7063's road force balanced today and mounted on Nitto Trail Grappler 285/70/17s. Added some wheel porn for the masses!

 

Just remembered, you should pick up a set of metric flare nut wrenches for the brakelines. If you try and use an adjustable wrench or some similar you'll bitch them up and then you'll have a hell of a time. Glad to help, good luck!

 

Thanks, I actually already did the brake lines, about a month ago. I am going to replace the front ones with the extra-extra long ones supplied with my Spindle lift, assuming the ones on there right now aren't quite long enough, we'll see.