Hey guys, I've decided to get two birds stoned at once and do my u bolt swap with a flip kit.

seeing as all of the u bolts I've ordered have come in the same dimension as the OME U53B bolts supplied with the Dakar leaves, I need to be sure of the u bolt flip kit that will clear the wider spring perches on my rear axle.

I found the Trail Gear kit:

http://www.trail-gear.com/u-bolt-flip-kits

however I'm getting a sneaking suspicion that it will be too narrow. has anyone messed with a similar swap involvingthe wider perches?

or- since the lower shock mounting plate is being eliminated, will grinding the corners of the perches down be a bad idea?

 

* the OME U53B bolts are too narrow by the way. I wasnt clear.

 

Take measurements and call TG. BTW, you know you'll need new shock mounts right?

 

Yep, I'm already tracking on the weld-on mounts.

 

Spring perches measure 3.0" across

 

I can't remember what the stock width is, I think it's narrower that 3". Check with Sky off road. I think that Chevy springs are 3", and know he has flip kits for that width.

 

Yes, the leaf springs are like 2.5" wide, but the perch is much wider. Every time i order toyota U bolts, they fit flush with the sides of the leaf pack, but dont clear the perch or meet up with the shock mounting plate holes.

I emailed TG about their U bolt flip kit being able to clear a 3" perch. Ill look into the chevy ones.

Worst case scenario, I can fabricate my own top plate out of some scrap steel and drill the 4 u bolt holes and center hole for the leaf pack pin. Id like to avoid that though. As far as I know my rear axle is stock...

 

Would it be a bad idea to grind the corners of the spring perches down to allow the U bolts to clear and fall flush along the leaf pack sides? Or would that compromise their structural integrity?

 

I can't imagine grind the perches down a bit causing issues. You definitely don't want to grind the springs themselves.

Why are the perches so wide?

 

Thats what Id like to know! The stock leaves even have sleeves that fill the space between the leaves and the u bolt studs... TG claimed the only fix is to buy their perches and weld them on where I grind my old ones off. Screw that! Ill just fab a top plate with a drill press and use the TG hardware...