leaf spring situation.

[QuakerShaker4242]

so i have a problem..


i ordered my 12" chevy leaf springs, and they came in today.. before i ordered the leafsprings i measured mine while they were still on the truck and they measured to 52"... well i measured the ones that came in from eye to eye and they were only 44"...


i was in quite a confusion so i called superlift and he explained that they leafsprings are 52" when fully extended... not 52" like they are like when you get them... so now im stuck with 4 leaf springs that wont fit my truck. what should i do? maybe send them back and get the 56" springs? idk :icon_confused:

[DieselSmoke]

are you talkin about front or rear leaf springs or both?

if im reading it right the 44" will expand to 52" when the weight of the truck is on them so i dont see a problem... i must be reading it wrong ?

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

A 12" spring will have a huuuge arch to it, i bet with the weight of the truck on it it will measure right

[QuakerShaker4242]

are you talkin about front or rear leaf springs or both?

if im reading it right the 44" will expand to 52" when the weight of the truck is on them so i dont see a problem... i must be reading it wrong ?


well the rear leafsprings only provide 8" plus a 3" block kit... but the front provide the full 12".. its weird..


but maybe its just not me that is seeing the problem... cause if they are 10" short.. then how am i supposed to get them on the truck?

[QuakerShaker4242]

are you talkin about front or rear leaf springs or both?

if im reading it right the 44" will expand to 52" when the weight of the truck is on them so i dont see a problem... i must be reading it wrong ?



i ordered 4 front leafsprings. and they are decently arched... but i find it a little hard to believe that there is 12" of lift there... especially if they are going to be flattened out... ill have to take a picture of them... but i expected the eyes to like be the height of my knees lol.. i wanted to be like :icon_surprised:. but i wasnt.

[DieselSmoke]

yea you have a point, i can see them being 10" short for the front because the weight of the engine/tranny will bring it down pretty good but for the back ... so your saying you orders front springs for the back? the lb/in rate will make that thing stiff as hell in the back

mabey a longer shackle... or send them back i guess

[DieselSmoke]

oh and for 12" springs chuckstrucks.net is good priced if you dont care about flex

[QuakerShaker4242]

yea you have a point, i can see them being 10" short for the front because the weight of the engine/tranny will bring it down pretty good but for the back ... so your saying you orders front springs for the back? the lb/in rate will make that thing stiff as hell in the back

mabey a longer shackle... or send them back i guess



yea i ordered fronts for the back, just so i wouldnt have to go with blocks. i didnt care that much about the stiffness but i still want to have a decent flex. at least the height of a car hood in case someone pisses me off...
and thats what i was thinking... maybe the 56" springs and find a longer shackle somewhere... which springs did you use?

[DieselSmoke]

i use superlift chevy 6" springs in the front, i made the shackles

i had the stock springs in the back and re arched them and a used an add-a-leaf and a 4 inch block but im going to be using stock chevy 63" springs directly under the frame with 2" blocks and a center trac bar. i want still want flex but not top heavy either.

[QuakerShaker4242]

so i was thinking tonight.... what if i moved the leaf spring and shackle hangers, in the back, inwards to however much more they would need...

theoredically it would work.. but im not sure if it would "actually" work...

the axle would still be in the same place, but then again i wouldnt think the spring would have all of the room to extend as it needed...

[DieselSmoke]

but then again i wouldnt think the spring would have all of the room to extend as it needed...

thats why you need bigger shackles.
go get a few feet of .375x2" flat steel and make some shackles, it takes about 1 hour to make, then the rest of the day to watch the paint dry on them :beer:

[QuakerShaker4242]

thats why you need bigger shackles.
go get a few feet of .375x2" flat steel and make some shackles, it takes about 1 hour to make, then the rest of the day to watch the paint dry on them :beer:

that sounds decent. would that move my axle forard or backwards from where it is now.

[metalmacguyver]

it would not move it much but it would move it away from the shackle side and toward the fixed side.

[Sunk]

Shackles also change your pinion angle, how much depends on the length of the shackle. I ran custom ones for a while that were 12" and I ate through a number of u-joints.

[QuakerShaker4242]

Shackles also change your pinion angle, how much depends on the length of the shackle. I ran custom ones for a while that were 12" and I ate through a number of u-joints.


yea i think im going to order some factory brackets from the ford dealership cause mine are rusted out anyways, and just move them in to what i need. and then make a shackle thats about 3inches longer than stock. that should settle it.