U-Bolts 3-1/2" and Spring Plates Kit, 5/8" x 3-1/2" x 8"

5/8"-18 x 3-1/2" x 8" round tube u-bolt kit.  Perfect for all you guys and gals with D70 rear ends.  This u-bolt kit comes with everything you need except the perches (see DM5023 if you need them).  This kit includes:

• (4) 5/8"-18 x 3-1/2" x 8" round tube u-bolt
• (8) hardened flat washers
• (8) tall nuts
• (2) 3/8" thick spring plates (see DM5051 for details)

All our u-bolts have rolled threads.  In the detailed picture of the transition from smooth to threaded you'll notice the smooth side is NARROWER than the threads.  That's because the peaks of the threads were created with pressure, not cut.  There's no material being removed from the bolt like a cutting process, the result is stronger threads, and a stronger u-bolt.

U-bolts are a commonly abused, and very important part on four wheel drive vehicles.  For those very reasons they are engineered to go above and beyond their call of duty.  We take great pride in specifying the correct requirements so that our u-bolts stand up to the abuse.  However few people understand why they are designed the way they are, and if you're interested, read on!  Everyone's seen the tall nuts on u-bolts, but why are they different?  Good question!  Can you just use a normal nut, or even better yet a  locking nut...you could, but you shouldn't.  When you properly torque the nuts down onto the spring plate the threads on the u-bolt stretch  This creates a mechanical self locking system.  If you try to reuse a u-bolt, and torque it to the same as before, you get LESS clamping force because you're fighting the stretched threads AND tightening (i.e. some of the "torque" is being used to fight the friction of the stretched bolt and nut).  If you keep shearing center pins, they've already been stretched, it's not clamped as tight as the first time, and the u-bolt and nut are spent