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Expert
Posts: 1316
 
Location: Belgium, 40 miles south of Brussels | Hi everyone,
It's been a while since I posted on the forum.
My leaf springs are too weak, probably because of their age, or because at some point I had them sandblasted. So weak that if one or two persons were to sit in the backseat, the rear axle would sit on its upper rubber bumpers.
I know that I can have the leaf springs re-arched, but I'm looking for a simpler solution : adjustable shocks or spring-reinforced shocks.
Any input or advice ?
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8445
  
Location: Perth Australia | Perhaps a helper leaf like they put on vehicles that tow?
The problem with coil over shocks is they put a lot of extra pressure on the shock mounts thats not supposed to be there, they do look good though 
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Expert
Posts: 3575
Location: Netherlands | How many leafs per side does your car have?
If the weight of two persons already bottom out the car I would personally just add 1 or even 2 leafs per side.
You can look for similar width leafsprings.
You'll have to get longer U-bolts and spring center bolts aswell. The U-bolts can be found at SummitRacing or any 4x4 shop in the region.
I've added leafsprings on some of my cars aswell in the past and more recently on my daily '73 Dodge Dart.
Shocks with helper-springs work only upto about an inch in height... And as said, they put more strain on the shock's mounting studs.
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Location: Bjorneborg, Finland | I have added a full-length h-d helper springs made by Superior Industries between the leaf springs and backing plates (the plates which have holes for U-bolts). It didn't require longer U-bolts.
By the way, all NEW Chrysler Corp.'s cars which imported by Berner to our country in the 60s-70s, were headed to a spring company where they added one extra leaf per side to each car..
Edited by spinout 2014-01-14 1:37 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 982
Location: Upper Hunter NSW Australia | ttotired - 2014-01-14 10:38 PM
Perhaps a helper leaf like they put on vehicles that tow?
The problem with coil over shocks is they put a lot of extra pressure on the shock mounts thats not supposed to be there, they do look good though
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I'm hoping to eventually get some air shock absorbers for my 59 Dodge to use for those occasions when/if I get some heavy butts on the rear seat or I'm towing a trailer with some weight in it or my vintage caravan.
Some cars are designed with added strength at the top shock mount and others aren't so it depends on the particular cars design as to whether air shocks or coil overs will work OK or not.
Like Mick said, a weak top mount design can run the risk of the shocks being punched through the top mount.
I have a car here at home ( Australian built 1995 V8 Falcon sedan ) that has over 100 K miles on it and it's had air shocks since new. I've tow a LOT of cars on car trailers and heavy caravans and the air shocks have been brilliant for bringing up the cars bum when under heavy loading.
And on the flip side, I've seen many cars that have punched shocks through the trunk floors because of weaker designed top shock mounts.
Horses for courses.........
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Expert
Posts: 1506
Location: Colo Spgs | Hola
"Any input or advice ?"
1. The Springs carry the load and all The Shocks do is steady the shake.
2. A worn spring is in the same class as a worn rubber band. You may "re-arch" the spring --- but soon you'll have the same problem.
3. Adding "A Helper Spring" to a pack of already worn springs just places the load towards the now new part and soon to be like the other parts.
4. Replacing a set of Shocks ( which are designed to steady the shake ) with a set of over-load/ air shocks is also something to speak about.
Why not connect with http://www.springsnthings.com/ or some one like them.
Rodger & Gabby
Colo Spgs |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Vincent, if you have access to a Mopar wrecking yard (or, someone parting out a station wagon, over there), you can take
its 2 or 3 shortest leafs and mix-match them to your car's 2 or 3 shortest leafs, to beef up and to elevate the rear end
of your car.
As long as you retain your car's longest leaf, for proper spring-perch-length, you can replace however-many of its shorter
leafs with the stronger SW leafs.
Having the entire SW leaf spring assemblies means that you can maximize the customization of your car's rear end stiffness
and appearance, using whatever leaf combination works best for you.
I used 1962 Chrysler SW leafs on my car, so, the precise model year of the donor-wagon is not very important.
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Expert
Posts: 1316
Location: Belgium, 40 miles south of Brussels | Thanks to everyone for their answers and advices.
I understand indeed that the shocks mounts are not designed to withstand the spring return force. Furthermore, one of my lower shock mount was missing and I had to replace it, so I wouldn't gamble on its strength. It seems to me that I'm headed towards a full leaf springs replacement ... Although I remember from other posts that the car's height after replacement is not always quite what the owner wanted.
Thanks. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8445
Location: Perth Australia | After I had a couple of new leaves made up, my dodge was as high as your average 4x4
I ended up taking them back out and used leaves from another spring set I got after I had had the others made.
The ones I got made were to replace broken ones, so something had to be done.
maybe you could get the second and say, the forth leaf done, then fit it all up and see how it sits, then you can swap one of the old ones back in if its to high.
Just remember that the springs will need to settle in before you will see the true height
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13056
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | Vincent, I had my leaf springs reforged by skilled craftsmen in Sweden. They informed that the springs would need an extra leaf for support. An extra leaf was made and installed as the first one under the main leaf spring. As written in many threads, the height was too high in the rear - that will settle little by little. Meanwhile, I have mounted some lowering blocks for the correct OEM height of the car. I have mounted urethane bushings in the rear leaf main spring; The difference in handling was flabbergasting, my car handles extremely well and there are absolutely no tail wigging.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 982
Location: Upper Hunter NSW Australia | ......
I have to agree there with Wizard , every car I've ever converted from the OEM rubber spring bushes/rubbers to polyurethane ( probably hundreds of various makes/models over the years ) have given a complete turn around for handling. There is generally a slight expense regarding ride harshness but it's really negligable compared to the benefits.The rubber parts have a set amount of " give" whereas poly doesn't have anywhere near as much "give " when under suspension travel/loading and this is where the benefits step in.
Not all replacement suspension parts are available in Poly however so you just have to use what you can get.
Nothing wrong with rubber parts I must say, they worked fine for many years before Poly parts came into production.
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Expert
Posts: 2312
Location: Arizona | How do you know his improved handling was from the poly bushings instead of the much increased spring rate from the new leaf? |
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Expert
Posts: 3575
Location: Netherlands | Poly-bushings do a much better job of locating and keeping the rearaxle under the body during cornering.
The added leafsprings just add springrate to an usually already too low springrate (compared to modern and especially European standards).
The extra springrate also gives the car more resistance to body-lean in corners, so handling greatly improves.
Add to that a set of good shocks and a thicker front sway bar and this will really upgrade the handling of a FWLK.
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | My response: bah; the purpose of the (hopefully 2-way gas filled) shock absorbers is to control spring-rebound, fore
and aft.
My car corners like you wouldn't believe (ask Matt Keij, who drove it, here), with the optional torsion bars (952/953)
for my car, with two 'replacement' shortest-leaf springs from a station wagon, with gas-filled shocks, and, with stiff
sidewall radial tires.
I've got 'new' standard-rubber suspension bushings installed all-around EXCEPT...for Just Suspension's heavy duty front strut rod
bushings (which control the lateral movement of the lower control arms; the OEM-style "crush-sleeve" bushings are not very effective, compared to J.S.'s guys).
Let's all agree that there may be several different routes to achieving rear suspension ride-height-adjustment, but, your car's handling reflects ALL of the suspension components that you dial-into it.
Playing with donor station wagon leaf assemblies is a fast, easy and economical way to achieve the rear end ride-height and handling-response that you want to attain for your car.
Edited by d500neil 2014-01-23 5:18 PM
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Weak leaf springs - Adjustable shocks
