The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk When your bolt talks to you...LISTEN...

Hello!

Today was bright, sunny, and in the 50s, so I decided to take my '59 Apache out for a spin. After about 1/4 of a mile, I felt that something just wasn't right...the gears were whining loudly in 1st gear, the truck was shuddering during takeoff, and I was hearing an occasional clunk/bang from the rear. I thought that it might be that the clutch was on its way out, or a bad U-joint. When I pulled into my friend's house, I crawled underneath to take a look. U joints? Solid and tight...then I looked at my rear axle/springs. Two of the four spring shackle nuts were gone on the driver's side, one was hand tight, and the other had backed down the bolt about 3/4". The other side had all the nuts, but they were less than hand tight. Tightened everything up with a 15/16 wrench, and drove to Ace Hardware...SLOWLY. Got 2 5/8 grade 8 nuts and 8 grade 8 lock washers. Tightened everything up right there in the parking lot.

So...Lesson (to me) for the day...

If something doesn't seem quite right, it probably isn't.

Glad I didn't damage anything.

Chris
Less

You might want to play the Lottery tonight!

I just gotta ask... have you recently had the bolts out of the spring shackles?

Yes...I installed a Dana 60 this spring. I tightened the bolts with an impact gun. I guess not tight enough.

Chris

A fella once told me that God looks out for children and Hot Rodders...

Perhaps getting back under there and using a torque wrench would be time well spent?

The fellas that bolt up flanges where I work use impact wrenches... they are miserable when it comes to repeatable accurate torque application because they rely on air pressure and how long you hammer the fastener.

For critical fasteners always use a torque wrench. It's advice I need to follow too.

Spring U-bolts have enought "spring" to them that they will wind up & spring back with an impact, be air of electric. You can feel it when tightening them by hand.

Glad you caught it before things got real exciting!