Re: Leaf Spring

[Terry F.]

My 68 big block had the sags also. After rebuilding the front and rear suspension, it returned to above normal height. I expect it will settle down. Like Joe says, your spring is probably fine. I think a lot of people discard their springs for new ones without good justification. If you rebuild it, look at each section of the spring closely. If one is badly rusted, you can replace it with a good used section. I have heard of springs being recurved also, but never had it done. There is a place up here where I live that builds springs on custom basis for all sorts of equipment and they seem to know what they are doing. If you rebuild your own spring, you avoid the originality issuse, etc. I believe there were slight veriations in spring rates from year to year that the reproduction companies may not have kept up with. I have seen studies done that compared known NOS spring rates with reproduction springs. They may never get it right because I am not sure there is a reliable source for the spring rates. The results were disappointing. Maybe they have improved since then. Then there is the physical dissimilarities you usually have to deal with. There always seems to be something that aint right. Good luck and enjoy, Terry

[Michael B.]

Re: Leaf Spring

Terry & Joe, Thanks for the response. Is it common for the rubber liners to slip between the leaf springs? Between two of my leaf springs the rubber liner has slipped out and is partially hanging out. What would cause this and is that justification for a rebuild? Also, who sells a good rebuild kit?

Thanks for the help.

Mike Bukowski

[Patrick H.]

Re: Leaf Spring

Mike,

That's not unusual. Due to the friction of the leaves against each other and the plastic, the liner has worn through. It's now being pushed out.

Quanta has an excellent kit with the correct liners as well as correct paint. As note previously, don't forget to replace the rubber end cushions, as you will likely gain back a fair amount of lost ride height here.

Patrick

[Michael B.]

Re: Leaf Spring

Thanks for the help Patrick!

Mike

[Terry F.]

Re: Leaf Spring

If you do this work yourself, be careful. Study the suspension closely and support the frame well before you attack it. I wrapped a chain around the leaf and half shaft just in case things fly apart. I believe I used a roling hydraulic jack to compress the spring and let it down slowly. You will be amazed at how far it comes down. Be careful. Terry