Rear leaf spring installation

[David B.]

I am doing a body off restoration on my 71 and would appreciate any info on the installation of the rear leaf spring. How do I attach the spring to the trailing arms since I dont have any weight on the frame to hold it down. What tools and procedures would I follow to attach the spring.

Thanks Dave #38162

[Scott Marzahl]

Re: Rear leaf spring installation

Maybe you could put some weight on the rear corner of the frame and the front of the frame to stabilize it like a couple sacks of concrete (or your buddies) use a floor jack under edge of the spring to lift it into place.

[Dave F.]

Re: Rear leaf spring installation

For my installation, it took not omly 3 bags of concrete, but 4 of my "healthier" friends sitting on the frame while my nephew got the nut on the last bolt! Many beers were consumed afterward! Good luck, and enjoy the process!

[Stephen L.]

Re: Rear leaf spring installation

I installed my spring in the body off frame with just 3 people.... 1 sat on the frame for stabilization...1 used a 2X4X8ft on edge to "leverage" his weight on the frame by going between some frame members....
1 operated the jack and connected the bolts. The key person was the person leveraging his weight.
Piece of cake to accomplish....

[Joe C.]

Re: Rear leaf spring installation

Since the body is off the frame, you can use the method that I use, which works well, and is a one person job.
If you are working inside a garage with a standard 7-8 foot ceiling, then locate structure in the ceiling, and brace the top of your frame (just above and close to your leaf spring) to the ceiling with a piece of lumber. Be sure to provide a plate at the ceiling, to distribute the pressure. You can then get your floor jack under the spring, with a wood block for protection. Repeat for each side.

Joe

[John H.]

Re: Rear leaf spring installation

And don't torque the spring retainer plate bolts fully until you have the full weight of the car on the ground, or you can break the rear ears off the diff cover if you try to pull the spring up to flat with the bolts.

[Rob A.]

Re: Rear leaf spring installation

Dave,

When you place the hydraulic jack under the spring to compress, put a "C" clamp next to it(padded to prevent scratching the paint if you like), on the side of the differential. Otherwise as you compress the spring, the jack will slide towards the inside. You can also cut a 2X4 into a wedge shape to place between the jack and the spring, so the jack fits better against the bent spring. I put several hundred pounds of sandbags on the differential carrier support, with whatever was needed on the front of the frame to keep it down. It's surprising how much weight you need to counter the spring compression on a bare frame. Good luck...

[Steve D.]

Re: Rear leaf spring installation

Dave

I welded a couple of loops on a plate and bolted it to the garage floor. Run a chain through the loops and over the crossmember then secure the ends. The chain restrains the frme when you are jacking on the spring. Link to picture attached.

Steve

http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?folder_id=1138194

[Mike McKown]

Re: Rear leaf spring installation

I did it this way once. It'll work.