U Bolt Flip Kit

Who makes a decent u bolt flip kit?

I'm going to be removing my rear axle this fall to install a locker and powder coat the housing. Due to trail damage to the u bolts, they will need to be cut off. I figure since I need to replace them anyway, I might as well flip them while I'm at it.

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

 

I'm looking at doing the flip too, but I'm also planning on YJ springs.

I really like this set-up from ruffstuff, not sure how it would work with stock width springs though:
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/2PLUS.html

 

Dynatrac...........makes a nice kit for the front and the back.........1/2 " Plate 9/16 " U-bolts and a neat plate for the bottom to capture the U-bolts around the spring , even comes with new shock mounts...........Pricey but nice.

 

That there looks like quality stuff...
I was considering this as well. My ubolt ends got hammered on the trail too. Those shock mounts look like factory ones that are on my 86 CJ7 D30. The rears still connect to the plates.

 

Skid plates are a lot cheaper.

 

I made my own skid plates. I used as a pattern an old Con-Ferr skid plate I found at the swap meet.

Got a welder, vise and a drill press? That's all the tooling you really need to make your own.

Don

 

The Dynatrac kit looks nice, spendy but nice. I'll have to see how the budget plays out over the next few months for that set up.

Don, I've seen the skid plate set ups while researching on the web. It may be that that is the set up my budget allows. It certainly would be the easier more economical alternative.

 

A little comparison clearance wise between the ConFerr on the left and the Dynatrac setup on the Right.

 

I think you gain a bit more clearance than the picture shows, if you consider where the set up mounts to the spring. Might gain an inch? While I like the flip idea, I have the Conn Fer skids and they worked out just fine. Cut the u bolts flush. If I could, I'd do the flip but, budget insists that I stay where I'm at. It works so, I'm good.

 

The skids would probably be sufficient. My biggest gripe is the extra length of the u bolts hanging me up on the rocks.

 

The easiest thing to do, and de regueur (SOP) in the day, is to cut the bolts off flush with the nuts.

 

the smallest they make is for a 2" spring... is that what your running or does the 2" work on 1.75" springs

 

Yep only .125 of an inch on either side............You need that wider stance if your running a D-30 front or more modern one at the rear with the narrow springs anyway!........Easy to weld a strip in there to take up the gap if it concerns you, but with the 9/16" U-bolts you already have a ton of additional torque value over a 3/8" or 1/2" bolt to keep them in place.

 

My u-bolts have been getting hammered too and I am planning on making some of these skid plates. Seems like it might make a fun welding project too. I think they were once made by JKS and are called B3 skid plates or something like that. Not sure they are made anymore although I did find this link. If the price is for a pair it doesn't seem too bad to me. I'll probably wish I'd just bought them by the time I'm done.

http://www.4x4rockshop.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=10899

 

Hey Heatseeker, unless you are getting a screaming deal on the powder coat, skip that and buy the flip kit. Powder coat doesn't last any better than paint when you hammer it on some rocks and it doesn't lend itself to "freshening up" like paint does. Powder coat is great for mall crawlers that never see the rocks. I've got a suspicion you'll be back at the Rubicon again though.

 

JKS B3 skids are NLA...
i tried to order some from that web site and its a no go...

 

Seems to me that if you torque the U bolts sufficently with that arrangement, you will be pinching the spring pack. Nothing there to keep that from happening. Just my opinion, but that would probably wear on both the plates and springs along with restricting the spring pack movement-the latter probably only significant if you are really stuffing the suspension. The flip kit is a much better solution and something I am going to do when the axle swaps finally happen.

 

It would concern me. The bolts seem like a lot of force, but the forces on the springs are large too.



If you want something like this, I'm sure a local fab guy could make them for you in 1.75". Shops that service big trucks often have a U-bolt machine that can make any size U-bolts. Try your local Jeep/4x4 forum - there are guys on there that do this kind of stuff as a side business. In NE, we have neow.net and newenglandjeepz.org - there is likely something similar for the tristate area or lake Ontario region.

 

Is free a screaming deal ? I have been able to powder coat everything that I've done except the engine block and the tranny case. Everything else that I've redone has been finished with PC. Why stop now???

The "freshening up" factor is true though. You should see the nicely powdered crossmember under there! It's completely trashed.

And there is a slim possibility that I will be returning to the Rubicon ...

 

I've been using these on my D44 rear for many years. They work very well. Only problem is that on one side the up and down motion of the shock tends to loosen the shock mounting shoulder bolt. I finally had to drill it and add a safety wire. This is a great way to get the u-bolts up out of the way - the extra ground clearance is helpful.