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Axle offset plates and a shim

obijuank5

obijuank5

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Not sure how to brain this. Having a hard time lol

I want a 4 degree caster change on a front axle and I want 1" forward. I have the three shims and I just want to make sure I can use a shim with these axle offset plates. I do not want to use the 1" lift part of this equation.

Or is there a 4 degree 1 inch forward solution that I haven't thought of.

Thanks
 
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zero rate is just a thick leaf so treat it as such .

and good your doing the 3 wedge setup for the pass side diff pad combo .

other option have the zero rates milled for the 4* wedge and add 1 wedge on pass side top for the correction . this would be my choice to keep the min amount of parts under the spring pack combo .
 
I left out the part where I wanted to lose the zero rate.
 
Re-drill leaf springs to move the hole to where you want it, or maybe keep the zero rate and remove a few leafs.

I have a 4* shim on the front of the blazer with an EZ inch moved forward 1" (same thing with 2 shims on pass side).
 
Didn't Kert make a set shims with offset pins for someone on CK5?
 
MTBLAZER89 said:
Drill the perches.
Click to expand...

Perfect solution but they are cast dodge, it's an open area where the pin would be.

Kay86K5 said:
Re-drill leaf springs to move the hole to where you want it, or maybe keep the zero rate and remove a few leafs.

I have a 4* shim on the front of the blazer with an EZ inch moved forward 1" (same thing with 2 shims on pass side).
Click to expand...

I've tried to drill spring steel before. It's awful lol. I just had to visualize the assembly of it rather than heat up my brain cells thinking about it.
skunked said:
Didn't Kert make a set shims with offset pins for someone on CK5?
Click to expand...

He does not make those. They were my first call for that.

I just ordered a set from ord as well as the vss np205 kit. Might as well toss em in the box.
 
drilling extra holes in the mid section of leaf springs is NOT a good plan unless there supported and bolted together . if left open it leaves a huge point of break to happen .

and leaf springs are heated up in the area and punched holes are down . as drilling it sucks and to slow .
 
A masonary drill bit can drill thru very hard steel--seen a guy re-sharpen one to a slightly different angle and drill thru a bearing race with one before!..he said an old machinist taught him that trick and he claims there isn't much you cant drill thru with one of those bits..

I don't like any holes in leaf springs--even the center bolt hole worries me,I know the leaves are tightly clamped together in that area,but its still a mystery to me why the spring leafs dont just crack at that spot,especially after thousands of hard miles..
 
diesel4me said:
A masonary drill bit can drill thru very hard steel--seen a guy re-sharpen one to a slightly different angle and drill thru a bearing race with one before!..he said an old machinist taught him that trick and he claims there isn't much you cant drill thru with one of those bits..

I don't like any holes in leaf springs--even the center bolt hole worries me,I know the leaves are tightly clamped together in that area,but its still a mystery to me why the spring leafs dont just crack at that spot,especially after thousands of hard miles..
Click to expand...
Sharpening masonry bits is my go-to method for drilling stainless. The whole tip on those is carbide and they're really cheap.

The center hole doesn't crack because the whole middle of the leaf pack is clamped tight between the U-bolts. Nothing should be flexing in that section.
 
Blue85 said:
The center hole doesn't crack because the whole middle of the leaf pack is clamped tight between the U-bolts. Nothing should be flexing in that section.
Click to expand...

I've had several leaf springs crack right at the hole.
 
The U-bolts and spring plates have to be tight enough to keep the spring from flexing in that area evidently..

Can't prove that by my pickup though--one day about 5 years ago,I was poking around under it,and saw the passenger side u-bolt clamp plate was completely rotted in half almost,only had maybe 1/2" of steel left to go before it would have separated in two!..:eek:..

I was able to score some good used 3/4 ton clamp plates from a member here,and some U-bolts that were from a 2" lift kit--my truck isn't lifted,so I had to use whatever I had handy to make spacers to take up the extra length of the U-bolts..I replaced both sides because the drivers side was getting crispy too...

I used stacks of washers on the drivers side U-bolts and four 3/4" "coupler nuts" as spacers on the passenger side U-bolts..it looks scary,but they are as tight as a normal length u-bolt would be,and they haven't showed any sign of moving,the springs haven't broken,etc..

I was shocked the original center bolts were not sheared !..they were whittled down to nubs in the center though!..
I used grade eight 5/16" bolts with the heads rounded over as replacements..

About 2 years after I replaced those parts I went to get an inspection sticker,and the same guy I have gone to for 15 years saw the U-bolts and was like :eek1:...said "That ain't good !--should fail it for that..how long has it been this way?"...
"Two Years"!..:whistle:
"And you didn't even LOOK under the truck those 2 years either "!..:D

He just shrugged his shoulders and did a Sgt. Shultz impression..
"I see NOTHING"!..."If it didn't come apart by now,I guess it'll live".:doah:...

This isn't the first truck I used U-bolts that were 2" too long on--my '77 GMC K2500 had to have the rear spring main leaf replaced on one side,all I could find locally was U-bolts for a 2" lift kit--otherwise I'd have to go 15+ miles to have custom ones bent up...I used 1/2" black pipe for spacers,truck never had any issues,and I hauled tons of scrap in it often..was it "right" ?..NO..did it work fine..YES..maybe I'm just lucky ?.:dunno:
 
Drilling springs isn't that great, you really do have to be careful to keep the hole in within the "dead" ubolt clamping area. That's why we only go as far as 1.5" with our offset pieces.
 
Shift the lower leaves to meet the hole, replace the main leaf and have the hole drilled where you want.
 
K85 Octane said:
Shift the lower leaves to meet the hole, replace the main leaf and have the hole drilled where you want.
Click to expand...
you would need to have the main leaf custom made from scratch . and also the spacing for the leafs dictates how the pack works so shifting them will make the pack handle funny over the way it was stock .
 
Dunno, that's what I was told by a local spring manufacturer. If you really wanted to relocate your axle on the cheap, shift the leaves and get a new main. (no extra holes, only costs what a main leaf would be)
 
the longer the gap between 1 leaf to the next leaf = more room for the leaf to bend and get bent and no longer be good . so moving a little might work but you best know how far is to far or you will be bending leafs and then have packs that are no good .
 
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