Leaf springs, Gen I and Gen 2 Rangers

[Black P-38]

I have three 2wd regular cab short box Rangers. My '91 is my V-8 swap project and has very soft leaf springs, my '87 does also but my '86 has very firm/stiff leafs. I'm thinking of swapping the '86 leafs onto the '91 'cause I want to build it for corner carving. I'd swear the spring code on the door stickers is the same on all three trucks but I guess that doesn't mean they're necessarily the same Part #.

Are the '86 leafs compatible with the '91?

Of course I'll need anti sway bars too but I thought the springs would be a good place to start since I already have them. I'm also thinking of installing the '86 leaves WITHOUT the overload or half leaf, whatever you call them, as I don't plan to carry more than a few hundred lbs, (ever), and I believe that may lower the rear a half inch or so.


Thanks for your help,
Mike

 

[ILLEGALCONCEPTS]

IIRC, you'll be fine in the swap between years. I actually have a GEN II Ranger rear end on my 96. Everything is the same, the Gen I and II is 2" shorter.

Don't remove the overload spring, trust me. It'll drop the truck like you said, but it's not the way to go. I removed the middle leaf on my spring pack and it looked great for a few months. Then it started to sag and didn't stop. I ended up getting new springs. You can flip your shackles and get about an 1". That would be the way to go, won't change the factory spring rate at all.

James

 

[Black P-38]

Cool, thanks for the help. I see what you're saying about the overload leaf providing a support platform for the other 3 springs. A shackle flip sounds like the way to go for now.

Mike