LOWER DAMPER BOLT - WISHBONE PIVOT NUT 1/2 UNF

[CharlieCroker]

As per the title, anyone got a pair of bolts and nuts for the rear shock, the large long bolts that go through the rear hub carrier?

 

Thanks

 

Charlie 

[Herc]

I was looking at the prices on SJs for these sorts of bolts, the big diff+bottom link mounting one especially.  Yikes - these are +£30 each!

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on alternatives?  

Are some of these are high tensile steel ?

 

Cheers

Herc

[CharlieCroker]

At SJS the two bolts and nuts delivered are like £25! Gotta be a cheaper alternative?

[TonyPoll]

If these are the bolts I think they are, be very careful. Lotus uprated these bolts a number of times since earlier versions snapped. The latest bolts are very high strength - and cost a lot!

Similar sized bolts can be found but you'd have to be very brave, or foolish, to use a bolt that has a well documented history of suddenly breakages.

You'd loose a back wheel at least, and possibly more.

[LOTUSPOINT]

www.fastenal.com

 

they are selling what you're after... but grade 8 or 9 is there expensive too!

[Herc]

Tony, LotusPoint

 

Thanks.  Yes, I was thinking they were fairly crucial bolts and probably hard to replicate their strength with cheaper items.

 

Fortunately most of mine are OK, just the two big diff ones that definitely need replacing.  

 

I was going to replace my springs all round, but they look surprising nice, leading me to conclude  'what you gain on the springs, you lose on the round-a-bolts'.  

 

Groan :-) 

Edited May 13, 2014 by Herc

[andydclements]

Are they the 6 1/2 inch ones? If so, search eBay for Landrover (defender, 90, 110 etc) A bar bolts. I went to a local Landy independent.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150955529769?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Edited May 13, 2014 by andydclements

[CharlieCroker]

Yeah, I think they are the 1/2 inch. Look good those on eBay, think I might make a trip to LBs just to be sure as, need a few other bits also, so worth the trip.

[giorgio67]

These are bolts, you need stud i think?

G.

[andydclements]

On the Excel it's a bolt that goes into a deeply recessed hole in the lower arm, unlike Esprit where it's a stud which secure hub carrier, damper and lower link together.

[CharlieCroker]

Just measured mine, 6 x 1/2 inch. Sjs and LB have them, by the time you pay postage they come to 12.50 each including the nut, £25 in total, pricey but I have no option and will have to get them.

[andydclements]

Well the eBay ones are less than £8 incl p*&p for the pair

[CharlieCroker]

Can you get nuts for them?

[CharlieCroker]

Would these work? 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LAND-ROVER-DEFENDER-90-A-FRAME-FULCRUM-BRACKET-BOLTS-2-X-253952-/260953299445

[andydclements]

Yes, and yes.

I purchased 1/2 inch UNF nuts in a pack of 100 last time, admittedly I have several cars (Excels and Esprits) so that what way when I remove one I don't have to re-use it.

[CharlieCroker]

Perfect, save myself some cash. Thanks for the advice, greatly appreciated, Charlie.

[CharlieCroker]

Just got these from eBay, £7.95 delivered! Considering at SjS the bolt per item is 6 odd quid + postage + VAT (always amazes me why he puts vat on top of postage!) So a good saving I reckon.

 

[Escape]

For reference, the LR part number is 253952 http://www.lrseries.com/shop/product/listing/314/253952-BOLT-1-2-UNF-X-6-1-2.html for the bolt and http://www.lrdirect.com/NY608042-Nut-Hex./ for the nut.

I didn't know about that when I did my suspension, or I would have ordered them from my usual/local LR supplier.

[Dunc]

Update on this:

 

I bought some landrover bolts to use as lower shock bolts.

 

The bolts are almost identical, but with one key difference. The original bolt is slightly chamfered or bevelled, which allows it to self locate when you are fitting it.

 

 

On the chapman strut, the bolt passes through the alloy hub carrier, through the lower shock bush and through the lower trailing arm locking them all together. All of these bits have to line up, which is hard given the length of the spring, weight of the shock etc.

 

Knocking the landrover bolts with the flat end resulted in burring the threads to the extent the nuts didn't want to go on. I removed it, repaired the thread in the vice with a file and blade, and tried again 3 times, smashing my hands to pieces with the shock in the process. Each time, the landrover bolt would not locate without damaging itself. The original bolt went in no problem. I tried lining it all up with the original bolt from the wrong side, then knocking it out with the new bolt - burred and belled bolt end every time (used a rubber hammer).

 

I gave up - used the old bolt with a new nut.

 

Doing it again, I'd be tempted to pop the landrover bolt onto the bench grinder before starting and dome them slightly. I ruined the bolts trying them as they were. I would want a thread kit big enough to make sure I can fix it before grinding it away slightly though...

 

If I had a set of taps and dies large enough, this job would have been easier, as I'd just have filled of the bur then repaired the first few threads with it in-situ.

 

I've had the shafts off eclats more than a few times. This was an easyish job that became a total pain in the Milliband because I used these landrover bolts.

 

Doing it again - I'd but the proper bolts every time.

[ramjet]

Thread files are useful for this sort of thing.

[Herc]

I know this is an old post, and I don't want to teach people to suck eggs, but you can reduce the thread damage when you hit the end of a stud  by putting a pair of lock nuts on to the end, so you hit the end nut, not the stud.  This can also reduce the tendency for the studs to compress and swell.  

 

This doesn't stop you damaging the leading-end of the stud, of course.  I struggled lining everything up too.

 

I found that twisting in the studs, via the locknuts, was sometime more effective than hitting the end with a hammer. 

 

I remember when I did O Level Technical Drawing, there were  bonus points to be scored by putting a chamfer on the end of the bolt.  A sign of a considered design, according to my teacher.

[soldave]

Thanks for the advice.  Am going to be tackling this this weekend hopefully.  Going to start blasting them with Pure Gas in the next couple of days.  Might also get a blowtorch for some heat, just in case it's needed to free things up.