4x4Wire

SAE Inch Nut Size Chart	ISO / DIN Metric Size Nut Chart

In this installment of our discussion about fasteners, we'll travel into the boring but equally as critical properties of nuts and washers. We'll show you the different types of nuts that are common to our assemblies and modifications.

Training: While synthetic winch lines are much safer, recovery operations are still dangerous and we encourage all winch owners with steel or synthetic winch lines to attend safety and training classes from certified trainers such as: Bill Burke, Tom Severin, Bruce Elfstrom, Garrett Porter and others. See I4WDTA for more information.

Ease of Handling: Steel winch cables have a tendency to kink, rust, and have very sharp strands once nicked. They also tend to straighten by the nature of the material making them harder to spool back on the winch properly. Our synthetic winchlines have none of these problems. However, synthetic lines are more susceptible to sharp edges (bumpers in particular) and heat, but they are much stronger, safer and easier to work with.

This is the first in a series of articles regarding fasteners. Over the coming months we will discuss bolts, , nuts, washers, specialty fasteners and their applications.

This month our discussion turns to bolts and screws. The purpose of this article is to provide a cursory overview of the common nomenclature, grades and classes, identification of both SAE Inch and ISO / DIN Metric bolts and screws and a short overview of screw threads.

Setting Pinion Angle Correctly

Pinion angle is one of the more important measurements on a lifted vehicle. The wrong angle can lead to vibration and premature failure of U-joints, drive shafts, pinion bearings and even transfer case output bearings.

Types of drive shafts

There are two common types of drive shafts used in 4wd vehicles, standard with one U-joint at each end and CV drive shafts. CV stands for Constant Velocity. CV drive shafts are so named because they have a constant velocity joint at one end, the other end has a single U-joint.

There are two types of constant velocity joints, the double cardan and the caged ball type. The double cardan type is the CV joint with the two U-joints at one end that is so popular with 4 wheelers. The caged ball type is similar to a CV joint in a front wheel drive car or a Birfield from a Samuri or Toyota front axle. The caged ball type CV joint is notoriously weak and is it fortunate that these drive shafts can be found in only a few four wheel vehicles including some Bronco II's and a few early XJ Cherokees. Most who find caged ball type CV drive shafts on their vehicles quickly upgrade to a standard double cardan type CV drive shaft.

Superior Axle does have two versions of chromoly axle shafts, the Discovery Series and the Evolution Series. The Discovery Series is their overseas model which is probably closer to 4140 than 4340, understand that it’s not a 'quality of steel' issue but a 'difference in standards', there is no true "4340" used overseas.  They call it something different and it’s close; but, not exactly the same. The Evolution Series is what we’re after, the good stuff, strong beefy home bred axle shafts made right here in L.A.  Superior’s Evolution Series chromoly axle shafts are made right here in the USA.