I am having trouble with the repro spring pivot bolts I bought . The original bolts were specified as being 9/16" diam. or .5625" The repro bolts are actually .550" diam. which is undersize.
Various Jeep parts vendors sell these repro bolts, they have a dark appearance and are longer than the originals too. I bought a set and did the basic hardness test with a file , the file bites into whatever the metal is easily. I believe the originals would have been case hardened because these bolts take a pounding . Often, the spring hangers on the chassis , have pivot bolt holes that are elongated due to wear. If a bolt has become loose, it jerks back and forward and makes a mess of the hanger holes, I've seen this scenario many times on WW2 Jeeps.
https://forums.g503.com/viewtopic.ph...spring#p992991
Good luck with the gearbox. Greendot 319 on utube has a few tips
Edit: I will buy a length of 4140 Chrome moly steel and have a go at machining some new pivot bolts.