M1008 zero rates/Ubolt reversal.

[Kellyboy]

I'm in the process of installing zero rates and ubolt reversal on my M1008. My question is do you remove the two inner spring clamps that hold the bottom 3 leafs and the thin plates on the top and bottom? The new top plate won't quite fit in between them but I would think you wouldn't just want the bottom 3 leafs to only be retained by the center pin. It also had shims pointing the pinion up which seems way too high since the 4" shackle flip. Have others eliminated the shims with this setup?

 

[Kellyboy]

ended up cutting all that stuff off. It was pretty rotted anyway. Need to get some 5" long 3/8" bolts for center pins. The 3.5" ones supplied from ORD were way too short. Would have worked if I wanted to sacrifice the 3 bottom leafs for a half ton ride but I want to keep it HD.

 

[ridenby]

You need C-clamps to compress the springs and the center bolts will work. I used 8 degree shims to get right angle for pinon .

 

[Kellyboy]

You need C-clamps to compress the springs and the center bolts will work. I used 8 degree shims to get right angel for pinon .

I used balljoint presses to clamp the leafs before I removed the old center pin. Still had 4 1/2" of spring with them compressed together. 5" grade 8 bolt was perfect. With my 4" shackle flip and zero rate and no shim the pinion lines up straight with the drive shaft. This is making me think I may need to get a new driveshaft with a CV joint on the TC end. Or use a shim to actually point the pinion down to avoid major vibration issues. I can see there is about 1.5 inch less depth in the yoke at the TC than before the lift. Dot sure how much contact there is left as I haven't removed the shaft yet.

 

[Ilikemtb999]

I know you’ve already cut things off but I just tapped those clamps all the way out and my plate fit just fine.

 

[Kellyboy]

I was thinking about going that route but the only thing holding them in place were the half rotted top plate. That I didn't want to sandwich under the new top plate. Chris at ORD told me to ditch the old clamps and plates. Even with the old center bolt and rugged c clamps on either side the clamps still popped pretty good and opened up about a half inch. Kinda wondering if It might flex better without them. Time will tell if it was a mistake. Good to know they can be retained for future projects. Thanks.

 

[Sharecropper]

I installed ORD's shackle flip, Zero Rates, and U-bolt Reveral on my M1028 with no problem at all. Pinion angle works fine with no vibration whatsoever. I photo-documented the process in my rebuild thread. Only issue I encountered was the passenger side shock mount. The shackle flip rotated the axle which made it impossible to attach the shock at the top, so I cut both bottom shock brackets off the axle tube and re-welded them higher on the tube. I never liked those shock brackets hanging down anyway.

 

[Kellyboy]

I installed ORD's shackle flip, Zero Rates, and U-bolt Reveral on my M1028 with no problem at all. Pinion angle works fine with no vibration whatsoever. I photo-documented the process in my rebuild thread. Only issue I encountered was the passenger side shock mount. The shackle flip rotated the axle which made it impossible to attach the shock at the top, so I cut both bottom shock brackets off the axle tube and re-welded them higher on the tube. I never liked those shock brackets hanging down anyway.

Sharecropper, I just read through your build and am in complete awe. What an amazing build and thread. Am I to understand you didn't have to modify either the front or rear driveshafts? I ran into the same problem with the rear passenger shock. I ended up cutting wedges out of either side of the lower mount, bent the wedge closed, and re-welded them. It actually worked great but now that I decided to go zero rates and Ubolt flip I hate how they hang down and probably will relocate to the top. Thanks for sharing your build.

 

[ridenby]

This is the 8* shim installed, thick end to front. Brought the pinion down. I had no vibs before putting it in,just one of those things that bothered me.Raining today,sorry about poor picture. Also used DIY4x4 shock mounts, have shocks spread to outer holes at top now.

 

[Kellyboy]

This is the 8* shim installed, thick end to front. Brought the pinion down. I had no vibs before putting it in,just one of those things that bothered me.Raining today,sorry about poor picture. Also used DIY4x4 shock mounts, have shocks spread to outer holes at top now.View attachment 713179View attachment 713180

I like that shock mount setup. Thanks for the shim size. Will start there if I decide to go that route.

 

[Sharecropper]

Sharecropper, I just read through your build and am in complete awe. What an amazing build and thread. Am I to understand you didn't have to modify either the front or rear driveshafts? I ran into the same problem with the rear passenger shock. I ended up cutting wedges out of either side of the lower mount, bent the wedge closed, and re-welded them. It actually worked great but now that I decided to go zero rates and Ubolt flip I hate how they hang down and probably will relocate to the top. Thanks for sharing your build.

Kelly - Thanks for the kind words. Been working on my truck for 7 years and still have a lot I want to do. To answer your question regarding the driveshafts - I had new longer shafts built and balanced. The shackle flip and Zero Rates result in a 5" lift, and that caused the rear shaft to be pulled out of the transfer case yoke approximately 2" more than normal. It might could have been OK to run it that way, but I wasn't comfortable with it so I had a longer shaft made. Regarding the front shaft, I had a new longer shaft built there also because I moved the front axle forward 1" with the Zero Rates in order to gain a little more clearance between the front tires and the back of the front fenders. Moving the front axle forward 1" plus the 5" lift caused the front shaft to be too short. Also installed new Spicer U-joints at both ends of both drive shafts.

For many years I have read articles about pinion angle and how important it is to match the angle at both ends of the drive shaft to prevent vibration. I have never subscribed to that line of thought, but instead made sure the drive shafts were built and balanced by a reputable shop. My truck runs down the road smooth as silk with no vibration whatsoever. I attribute at least part of this smoothness to the fact that I am running Balance Masters behind each wheel and a Fluidampr harmonic balancer. I'm sure somebody will chime in and say I'm crazy, and I may very well be crazy, but my truck runs and rides as smooth as my wife's new car.

Regarding the relocation of the rear shock mounts on the axle - I wanted to eliminate anything hanging down which could catch on rocks or stumps. I learned a hard lesson back in the 1970's while deer hunting in Wyoming, chasing a gut-shot buck in my truck and tore a shock mount clean off one side when I hit a big rock. Here's a photo of the rear of my truck which shows the absence of hang-downs -

 

[Tanaga]

With the 1” zero rates and the 4” shackle flip what length of U bolts did you go with, 11” or 14”?

 

[Kellyboy]

With the 1” zero rates and the 4” shackle flip what length of U bolts did you go with, 11” or 14”?

11" were plenty long enough.