Would removing part of leaf ride better?

[zeake]

Anyone ever remove the bottom part of the leaf spring? I have helper bags now and am wondering if removing that lower spring leaf would ride any smoother.
Can the leaf be put back on once removed? I would love to have a 4 link and bags but I am real low on funds. Removing that leaf would be free. Anyone?

[sierraman]

the drop i had was stock front, 2" shackles and the overload removed with helperbags kept on 15psi on my old truck and i loved the way it rode. iirc, with no air in the bags, the truck sat almost perfectly level from front to back

the overload spring unbolts and if you change your mind, you can bolt it back up in place

[fubutx]

i took it off my truck, its a bit smoother now. and yes you can put them back on i have done it before.

the other thing i noticed on mine was, i would punch it at 30mph and it would burnout but would have a small wheel hop. it went away when i took them off. lol so it was a gains for me

[oleshifty]

If you decide to mess with it, do yourself a favor...go to napa and get new leaf spring bolts. i had to cut off my factory one (i obviously added leafs not subtracted them) but the new bolts are extra long, makes it easier to put everything back together, then just trim the top off when you're done.

[fubutx]

If you decide to mess with it, do yourself a favor...go to napa and get new leaf spring bolts. i had to cut off my factory one (i obviously added leafs not subtracted them) but the new bolts are extra long, makes it easier to put everything back together, then just trim the top off when you're done.

+1 i i did not have uses longer ones but, when i tighten up my the u-bolts it came close to where i was almost out of thread. the u-bolt ended up being too long.

ill get a pic so you can see what im talking about.

it took me 30 mins to do the whole job.

[zeake]

+1 i i did not have uses longer ones but, when i tighten up my the u-bolts it came close to where i was almost out of thread. the u-bolt ended up being too long.

ill get a pic so you can see what im talking about.

it took me 30 mins to do the whole job.

A Pic would be great. Would washers work instead of new bolts?

Thanks for all the replies.

[fubutx]

A Pic would be great. Would washers work instead of new bolts?

Thanks for all the replies.

for the issue i had yes, you can use washers to act as a spacer

[oleshifty]

I meant the bolt that goes in the center of the leafs....it is right above the axle.


Basically you put frame on jack stands. Jack up pumpkin, take off u-bolts. slowly lower rear end. Put 2 clamps on the leafs, about 4 inches on either side of the center bolts...crank down c clamps. Remove center bolt. slowly undo c clamps. Remove bottom leaf. Re apply C clamps. use NEW center bolt. Put everything back together. U bolts are cheap. Some people reuse them (myself included) some people swear you need new ones.

[zeake]

I meant the bolt that goes in the center of the leafs....it is right above the axle.


Basically you put frame on jack stands. Jack up pumpkin, take off u-bolts. slowly lower rear end. Put 2 clamps on the leafs, about 4 inches on either side of the center bolts...crank down c clamps. Remove center bolt. slowly undo c clamps. Remove bottom leaf. Re apply C clamps. use NEW center bolt. Put everything back together. U bolts are cheap. Some people reuse them (myself included) some people swear you need new ones.

A bolt holds the leaf pack together then? Do you just buy a bolt thats a bit shorter?

[oleshifty]

When you c clamp the leafs down, they will be about 4 inches thick. The bolt I put on my pack (with one leaf added) is about 6-8 inches, and it was STILL a bit tricky to get the leafs on there. The springs arch pretty hard with no load on them. I think I had 8 inch C clamps, and my buddy still had to help me squeeze them. I'd recommend buying a longer bolt, putting an extra nut on it, trim bolt when you are done, and back nut off to clean up the threads.