Stupid question but need to know for sure before i go and do something stupid. Is it okay re-use u-bolts?

I do unless they show damage from stretching or severe rock rash

I Dont!!!

For $25-$35.


NOT worth it!!

i had some ~1/2"+ u-bolts made at a local spring shop. they're the beef, far stronger than the eye bolts on our leaf springs. :smokin:
BUT
one thing to consider- out of all the yayhoos out there who do shady hack jobs on their vehicles, i don't see many spoa rigs drop their axles on the highway. mufflers, however... should always be mounted with new bolts... :shaking:

Correct answer is, YES replace them. It is the smartest/safest thing to do.

However, i'd bet 90%+ of the folks that own zuks and have done SPOA (including myself) have re-used the old ones. They do stretch, and as with any bolt can break. If you check the torque on them a few times, you will be ok. Do not over torque them. Use locktight, med blue, and a good torque wrench.

For that matter, 90%+ of the folks that have 4x4's out there probably have re-used u-bolts at some point of their builds!

I always reuse mine unless the threads are stripped/ugly on the bolt.

"U-bolts are torqued to yield and should always be replaced"

But I have done it countless times with no failures yet. Its definatley a personal discretion. If they have ever come loose I say replace them for sure. Like catzuk said, most people just quietly reuse them. And like doin the fat girl just dont tell yer buddies. We have all done it we just dont brag about it.

I have re used my ubolts before just because some new ones just wouldnt fit. They seemed fine but loosened off i tightened them. Then one night i was out wheelin and noticed when i got out of the trail that id brocken the bottom spring in my bds spring pack, the same pack that i had reused ubolts on. When i took them into the local spring shop the guy knew right away that it was because id reused ubolts allowing them to loosen off so the spring was able to flex in the middle of the ubolt plate causing the break, voiding the warranty. Luckilly it was a cheap fix replacing the small spring however it really opened my eyes to the reasons not to reuse old u-bolts... that being said in a pinch its probably not going to hurt but shouldnt in my opinion be used in a long term situation.

I haven't heard of someone having U-Bolt failure. When I researched it a few years ago, Ford, Chevy, and Toyota all said that the U-Bolts were re-usable items. In fact a couple of the dealerships I talked to said that they would have to special order new U-Bolts if I wanted them.

All that being said, U-Bolts will (in theory) stretch over time with use and retorque, and $40 for four new ones is fairly cheap insurance.