[argonaut]

I finished welding up the front spring and shackle hangers last night. And I got my poly bushings machined over the weekend so that they all fit 2-1/2" wide leaves and 3" wide hangers. That means the fronts use the same bushings as the rears, except for the rear of front spring eye, which is only 1-1/8" OD instead of 1-1/2" OD.

I'm a beginner fabricator, so the welds could look better. But I made a few section cuts and the penetration is good. I used 3/16" material instead of 1/4" like most aftermarket stuff. I felt the 3/16" was strong enough, especially with so much gusseting and boxing. Time will tell.





Last weekend I tried to drill my leafs for little slider butttons at the ends, but it turns out drilling a 1/2 hole in spring steel is a pretty tough on bits. I even chipped the carbide bit that my machinist gave to me. I hate to be a quitter, but I think I might be stuck unless I find a local spring shop that can punch the holes. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

Now I'm just waiting for some greaseable bushing bolts and caliper bracket for the 14 bolt to come in from diy4x so I can get the chassis back on the axles and rolling around again.