Bent spring plate

[Fred_M1010]

Have any of you managed to bend a stock dana 60 spring plate?
The front u-bolt eye on the passenger side got bent down a bit when I torqued down the u-bolts.

I torqued it to 150ftlbs, is that too much?

The upper axle shim doesn't cover the whole length of the spring plate.
Could that be the cause of the problem, or is it common that these plates fail?




.

 

[scrappyk5]

I have never seen anyone put a shim directly under the spring plate. I myself wouldnt run it that way . I agree that it not being the full length of the plate might be part of the problem.

 

[Slapperbar]

Ditch the upper shim, it's not needed.

 

[Greg72]

Ditch the upper shim, it's not needed.

....then add a set of spherical washers under the nut instead.

They compensate for the small angularity that the shim places on the base of the nut. McMaster-Carr has 'em.


http://www.mcmaster.com/#metal-spherical-washers/=7773ny

 

[1BEATK5]

Ditch the upper shim, it's not needed.

something is needed or you can't get the bolts into the housing on the passengers side. or you can get them in and they get bent or won't tighten all the way. i have the same problem on mine with a 8 degree shim. the forward bolt wont tighten all the way without a couple washers, and they are a biiootch to install. i was going to do the double shim but have since decided on fixing the real problem. lowering the truck and lessening the angle by taking out the lift shackles.
i'm not saying that a double shim is a great idea, but it does work.

 

[YZEATER]

i've also used the double shim to get the pinion pointed up enough to have a suitable driveshaft angle with 52" springs. i had 8 degree shims.

you could get those washers or get some better spring plates from diy4x, and use double shims.

 

[Fred_M1010]

I'll probably get or make a longer shim for the top.

I don't understand why some of you think an upper shim is a bad idea...
I've never seen spherical washers before, but I realize that would also do the trick.

But, back to the question.
How much torque is normal for the U-bolts, I've read everything from 80 to 250 ftlbs...?

And is it common that these spring plates bend?

 

[Slapperbar]

The U bolts on my 3/4 ton are 120.

 

[scrappyk5]

150lb torque is not alot. you just might have a defective plate. Gm makes good plates, but that doesnt mean there could be a defective one out there every so often. I wouldnt go out and buy Diy4x4 just yet.

Also looking at the other spring plate compared to the plate that is bent, are they angling in opposite directions? I dont get why you have the upper shim in the first place. it just doesnt look right. imo.

 

[sweetk30]

dana 60 pass side has 2 bolts in to the diff NO ubolt inboard.

when you shim the axle more than a few * your best bet is 2 shims. this is to correct the plate position and make the bolts or studs some use go threw the plate better.

basicly 2 wedges keeps the plate at the same mounting plane as the axle spring perch.

 

[scrappyk5]

dana 60 pass side has 2 bolts in to the diff NO ubolt inboard.

when you shim the axle more than a few * your best bet is 2 shims. this is to correct the plate position and make the bolts or studs some use go threw the plate better.

basicly 2 wedges keeps the plate at the same mounting plane as the axle spring perch.

I know what a dana 60 pass takes, I have one . If you look at the driverside, both ubolts are going towards the back and the passenger side kinda going straight up and down. I still think its a fatigued plate, get a new one.

 

[Fred_M1010]

I know what a dana 60 pass takes, I have one . If you look at the driverside, both ubolts are going towards the back and the passenger side kinda going straight up and down. I still think its a fatigued plate, get a new one.

That's because the driver side plate is moved backwards some, and the passenger side plate is moved forward.
I did this to get both the u-bolts and studs square(is that the correct word?) through the plates.

Slightly exaggerated drawings :




Here's some formulas for how much to move the centerpin holes in the spring plates:
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2711679&postcount=138

It might look strange, but I think it's the right way to do it.