Jump to content

Rear leaf spring question


DonnieT

Recommended Posts

So, my 48 Plymouth is sagging to the passenger side. Yesterday I finally took the time to look around. I noticed that the passenger side leaf spring has 8 leaves in it and the drivers side has 10. Was this standard for some reason?

I set a 4' level on the back bumper and started jacking on the back passenger corner just behind the spring shackle on the crossmember to see how far I would have to go to level. I had to go 3 5/8" to level.

Front wheels are the same size, rear wheels are the same size.

As far as I can tell the chassis and parts have not been replaced for a very long time, if ever.

Any ideas I would greatly appreciate.

Thanks,

DonnieT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, 50mech said:

Should both be 8. No model used 10. HD springs were 9 or 7.

This one is definitely 10. Wonder what it came out of? I wouldn't think that would give me an extra 3 5/8" of lift. Unless the pass. side one is sagging as well as less stiff?

Thx!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, DonnieT said:

This one is definitely 10. Wonder what it came out of? I wouldn't think that would give me an extra 3 5/8" of lift. Unless the pass. side one is sagging as well as less stiff?

Thx!

Obvious spring mismatch aside, it's Not mismatching a spring shackle on one side is it?

Edited by 50mech
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, 50mech said:

Obvious spring mismatch aside, it's Not mismatching a spring shackle on one side is it?

It didn't stand out to me as different sized but will investigate that now that you mention it,

Thx

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, 50mech said:

Obvious spring mismatch aside, it's Not mismatching a spring shackle on one side is it?

nope the shackles are the same. With the car sitting at rest the fender sits 1 1/2" lower on the pass. side tire than the drivers. I could see the added leaves adding that much lift to it.

Thx,

DonnieT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, who knows where that spring came from, just about anything  1-3/4" wide and within a couple inches of the right length could be popped in there.

 

A lot of factors go into ride height, you could have a spring with 4 leafs that has a greater pack thickness and more arch that would add 3" ride height over the 10 leaf springs.

 

Or for example looking at the chart here

 

https://p15-d24.com/topic/40661-leaf-spring-swap/

 

You can see two 8 leaf with nearly the same arch, but a 250lb capacity difference because of pack thickness. In fact the heavier springs have 3/8" less arch but I bet they would ride a good bit higher on the same car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, 50mech said:

Yeah, who knows where that spring came from, just about anything  1-3/4" wide and within a couple inches of the right length could be popped in there.

 

A lot of factors go into ride height, you could have a spring with 4 leafs that has a greater pack thickness and more arch that would add 3" ride height over the 10 leaf springs.

 

Or for example looking at the chart here

 

https://p15-d24.com/topic/40661-leaf-spring-swap/

 

You can see two 8 leaf with nearly the same arch, but a 250lb capacity difference because of pack thickness. In fact the heavier springs have 3/8" less arch but I bet they would ride a good bit higher on the same car.

Thats quite a difference.  Thanks for the link, I did a search for past threads on leaf springs but did not come up with that result.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Dartgame said:

You could try pulling 2 leafs out of the side that has ten and see how it sits....

Good thought. I found a newer rear end for it so this winter when that happens, I may just move one over.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Terms of Use