'00 GMC Sierra rear axle

For whatever reason my passenger rear wheel is set back about 3" further than my driver side. I have once loosened the U-bolts and hammered everything back in line and re-tightened and everything was perfect for about a day than it slid back again. So I am dog-tracking like a son of a gun. What else will hold the axle in line? I am pretty amateur so I don't understand really know how these are kept in line and can't imagine it is just the U-bolts that clamp the axle to the spring.

Reply to
drewhageman
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There is a bolt with a round head that sticksout bottom of spring pack and sits in a hole in axle perch to prevent this. Your is missing or has likely sheared off. You need to get a big C clamp to clamp on leafs to keep them compressed the jack up truck and remove saddle clamp holding spring to axle and replace the bolt in spring center with one from a spring shop. They are usually like 4 to 6 inches long or longer when you get them but you can cut them to length. (I install them and tighten then down and then cut stud off 1/2 inch or so above nut)

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

you also may have stretched the u bolts.. Buy new ones or you'll be wasting your time.

Reply to
Chevrolet

Even if they were stretched (which is not very likely) they would have to be really loose if bolt was not sheared off.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

Reply to
Chevrolet

I have been messing with ubolts of springs for about 30 years now and have yet to have one strech. I have seen them strip out from rust but to stretch them you would have to seriously over torque them. People that run larger space blocks likely have the greatest chance of stretching a ubolt but if that is the case, they need a bigger diameter ubolt because spacer blocks place a lot of extra stress on ubolts and springs from axle torque. If the centering bolt is missing, the axle will move with time even if ubolts are snug.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

Thanks for the help. Yup, I'm missing the bolt/pin. I can see one in the other side but nothing on my problem side. The one on the other side isn't quite like you describe snoman, but can see the problem. Now, I have a 6" lift on this thing, so am I going to need a super long bolt to get through all of those leaf blocks? Just so I understand correctly, the bolt goes down through the spring and into the axle right? But it doesn't come out the bottom of the axle, right? I might just take apart the other side to see what it looks like.

Reply to
drewhageman

Usually the center bolt goes just thru springs and spacer block has a hole for it to sit in and then it has a pin on axle side than sits in notch in axle saddle. BTW, if you have big spacers they are very hard on springs and uclamps and you might consider getting some larger diameter Ubolt to keep them from stretching for axle torque on spacer block. Basically any spacer block over about 3 inches is really not the wisest thing to do to lift a vehicle. YOu also want a very thick spring stack above block be cause the bigger the block the more it tend to cause axle to wrap up in springs and strain Uclamps even further.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

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