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Spring plate questions. What's the best way?

sope

sope

1/2 ton status
Joined
Jul 8, 2005
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Location
British Columbia
I'm probably going to install my 10.5" 14 bolt in to my half ton shortbox this week end but I need to pick up some spring plates and U bolts. My question is what is the best way to go, nuts on top or nuts on the bottom. All the 14 bolts in the fleet I work on have the spring plate and nuts on the bottom with a locator type thing on top of the spring with a square U bolt. I have seen pictures on this sight of round U bolts like the half tons with the spring plate on the top. I talked to a friend who is a partsman at a GM dealership who checked in to this for me and he figures the spring plate on top style is only on vans. I'm not sure what is the best set up is. I have a good salvage yard close to me and I'm sure they'll have both styles there. My springs are 2.5 " wide. I will be in the same situation in about 2 weeks with my front D60. It almost looks like the factory 10 bolt plates may work for the front. Will they?
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks, JP
 
Dammit your gonna make me go out and look at the axle on my trruck now. I thought all our trucks had the nuts on top. I remember my old 12 bolt K5 being this way and I thought the 14 bolt was the same. If you had a choice do nuts on top that way you dont bend, or damage 'em wheeling. Its a PIA to undo bent U-Bolts. Well, til you decide screw it and use :hack: :grind: to get 'em off.
 
the 1 tons had nuts on bottom. defiently run them up top
 
My pickemup -- sorta 1-ton -- had them nuts down. For street trucks and haulers, that's fine ... but for 'wheelers, it's bad. Nuts up, as it were, keeps them from getting caught and mangled.

And if ANYONE goes into a discussion of frank and beans and which goes up, there WILL be punishment. :haha:

-- A
 
Just bought my flip kit from ORD. I didn't need it for the flip, I needed it because I had to cut the old u-bolts off at the junkyard. No way I was going to break my balls in 120 degree Texas weather for u-bolts that were just going to hung up anyway.

The ORD kit is awesome, and the price wasn't to bad either.

Get 'em here:
http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/uboltreversal.htm

Al
 
1 of your 10bolt spring plates will work for the D60 - on the driver's side.... for the passenger side you'll need to find/buy one or make one.
 
Thanks for all the input. I had a look around today at work where we have a fleet with a lot of Chev trucks and a 3/4 ton van with a 9.5 " 14 bolt, spring plate will work. It seems to be the only chev 3/4 ton or 1 ton that we have with the spring plate on top. I'll stop by a wrecker on my way to work and see if I can get a pair cheap tomorrow. If not I'll make them. I like the ORD set up but by the time I pay US exchange brokerage to get it across the boarder and shipping It wouldn't be worth it. Last week end I shaved this diff, the Detroit will go in tomorrow and the paint should be done for the week end ready to install. Then on to the D60.

Thanks again. This forrum is making my build easy. There's a lot of knowledge here. :bow:
 
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