Front leaf springs

[bgilbert]

I'm wanting to replace my front leaf springs. I've already replaced the rear leaf springs. I'm not concerned about a lift kit or nothing, just the bumper stops on the frame are nearly sitting on the front axle. I ordered rears from JC Whitney 3200# capacity each which is probly not enough, but there already on there. Whitneys has front springs with a capacity of 1900# each, $85 each. Dealer wants $600+. Of course he couldnt give me any answers or spring capacities on mopar springs. My question is, since I have a 4500# front axle, does that mean the two front leaf springs capacity have to add up to 4500#?? If so then Whitneys are not heavy enough, and can anyone give me a different source for OEM front leaf springs. ? Thanks alot. Bill

 

[Paychk]

This company is supposed to have supplied a large percent of the springs to the OEMs IE Dodge, pherd & chebby. From some magazine articles I've read they can supply the exact replacement or improve on the stock springs. I have no personal experience with them but they may be able to help.



http://www.eatonsprings.com/index.html

 

[dstager]

Front springs

BDC, (before my Dodge Cummins), IE 1990 I had a 1979 D150 that I had installed a 6BD1T Isuzu Diesel, It left only 1. 5 inches of room between A frame rubber bumper and bottom out!!. Not good. I called an outfit in Seattle WA, "Benz Spring", I spoke to a fellow there who asked the weight differences on the front end, I heard a calculator whizzing and in two minutes he said- "I can have two springs there tomorrow UPS" if they dont' work send them back and tell me which way we have to go and we will do it again!!!!!!. I about fainted. He even gave me a safe way to replace the springs without using a spring compressor. IT WORKED, It towed our Holiday Rambler for 20K+ miles and its still going for its new owner, We are using our 92 with over 145K, still going good. (with some help from TDR friends) Benz Spring is now in Portland Ore, sorry I do not have a number. Good luck, Old CPO in WA. Oo.

 

[Paychk]

Try this!



http://www.benzspring.com/



Hope it helps.

 

[bgilbert]

Well guys I went the cheap route, and I'll probly end up paying twice in the long run. I had the add a leaf option to the front springs. I didnt measure anything to begin with, but I had a real good idea where everything stood. I'd say the add a leaf probly raised the springs maybe an inch. They started in a upside down U shape-^- , I was wanting some arch or lift, I only got them to straighten out a bit sort of like ---. . that.

Had new shocks installed and I'd say the ride was improved a bit, with them and now the bump stops arent hitting the spring after every bump. Should of had new front springs installed, guess I got what I payed for, total cost from a dependable spring shop $325. Probly wont be able to have the tires I want 285 75 16 installed, since I didnt get enough lift. . ?? What do ya think? Thanks Bill

 

[Dale Reed]

My truck's front sagged an inch or so after I installed the heavy steel winch bumper so I took it to http://benedict.isomedia.com/homes/benzspg/ here in Seattle and they added enough springs fore and aft to improve the ride and look. I had them put some heavy duty shocks on also.

 

[bgilbert]

Update

Ok well maybe the add a leaf/ spring rearch isnt such a bad idea. After about a couple weeks, Burke Spring shop here in Terrible Haute, did a follow up call to ask how I liked my rearched springs. I told them I wasnt unhappy with their work BUT, I wanted the front end level with the rear, and they didnt do it the first time. If that meant new front springs then so be it. They were unbelievably understanding and went out of their way to get me to bring the truck back so they could get it where I wanted. They put a lift under the front end and raised it up, asked me where I wanted it. I told em I'd rather have the front end 1/4" higher than the rear because i figured it would settle. No problem, we'll put get it where ever u want it. Rear wheel well height 39" - JC Whitney junk springs. Front wheel well height 39 1/4" exactly where I told them to put it. The front end has now been lifted probly 2. 5 inches. One leaf added and they rearched them one more time. Bump stops measured probly only 1/2" before now near 3 inches I guess. I'm very happy with the job. The rearch for the 2nd time didnt cost me a thing. If you want your springs rearched ask your shop if they can put it on a lift and let them know where you'd like it to be, this way you'll know how they can get to that point, whether rearch or new springs or lift kit.

www.burkespring.com

 

[RDBuck]

Front springs

For all that trouble and money you should have bought a pair of Skyjacker 2" front springs. Better ride and level truck.

 

[Slim]

For anyone looking for a lift or new front springs I recomend you stay away from adding leaf springs and skyjacker 2" lifts (just my two cents no discourteous ment). I find these and stock springs ride like a buckboard behind a teem of oxen, I went to a local spring shop and had them make up a set of springs with 7 THIN leafs (now the wife dosen't complain anymore) and my wheel travel is unbelievable, I have a hard time trying to get air time.

 

[BHiggins]

I had my fronts done in my '92 by a spring shop last year and it rode like a brick s__t house. I just put Skyjacker soft-rides in two weeks ago and love it. I had them in my 1990 and loved what they did for the ride in that truck too. The key is the "soft ride" springs, they make regular ones too and I'm sure they ride rough.

 

[swankmetal]

what kinda job is changing out the springs? how do you know the angle for the drivline? thanks



dave

 

[CGauthier]

I'd bet it wasn't easy gettin some of those bolts out... .

 

[BHiggins]

Even though my truck is a 1992, it only has 80,000 miles so the job was pretty easy, no rusty bolts to fight. As far as the driveline angle, the Skyjacker springs come with the correct caster shims already installed on each spring. The only problem I ran into was my jack wouldn't go high enough on the driver's side so I had to let the air out of the one tire to get the new spring in on that side. The passenger side has "the pumpkin" (differential) so the jack went plenty high. I got the 4" kit from Skyjacker so the springs had a huge arc, if you get the 2" springs a regular floor jack will go plenty high for the job... Just remember to put jack stands under the frame rails just in case.

 

[ARhine]

what kinda job is changing out the springs? how do you know the angle for the drivline? thanks



dave

In front the caster is more important. So if you don't change hangers or shackles you don't mess with shims.



If you lift far enough and need to change driveline angle, then you get to grind the outers loose and rotate them on the tubes to redo the caster to the propper specs.



Swapping out the packs is easy if the bolts are not rusted into the spring eyes, then you get to cut them out.

 

[Blue Ox1]

I went the JCWhitney route and the new springs sagged just as bad as the old ones,got tired of the sag and put the add aleafs in but found out the junk whitney springs use a smaller bushing than the stock springs . Just annoying when stuff isn't the same as what was on there before the add aleafs atleast raised me to almost level haven't tried it with the plow yet.

Joe

 

[swankmetal]

what's caster? is that the angle of the pinion? if so, i guess that's what i was wonderin'.

 

[ARhine]

no, caster is the angle that the kingpins/balljoints are at. Look at the truck from the side and draw an immaginary line down through the center of the kingpins. How ever many degrees this line is off vertical is your degrees of caster. This angle has to be maintained for your steering to work correctly. It is much more important than pinion angle for this to be correct.



negative caster (this line tilted to the front of the truck, what will happen if you try to adjust pinion angle) will cause the wheels to not want to go straight down the road. They will want to go to one side or the other and not straight.



The only way to get both right (only worry about it if you are getting bad driveline vibes) is to grind the welds around the inner Cs on the axle tube and rotate/reweld.



So in other words forget pinion angle and worry about caster.

 

[swankmetal]

and this is taken care of with the softride springs that have shims already in place? sorry about all the q's, just want to make sure i understand. thanks



dave

 

[ARhine]

No, you don't need a shim at all. When just replacing springs it will not affect the caster. The thing that would affect caster is if you were going to put in longer shackles or something.



the driveline angle is affected because the axle is moving downward, putting the driveshaft at a steeper angle. The axle itself though stays at the same location rotation wise.