bacelaw Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 Hi all: my 41 wagon seems to sag a bit in the rear, and there's no movement at all when you bounce the rear bumper. I'm guessing the leaf springs or shackles or both are worn out. Any tips and tricks to replacing? Quote
Bob Riding Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 I had my leaf springs re-arced on my '40, which is basically the same configuration as your '41. Not sure if you can get NOS or new springs these days. I also replaced the shackles. Bought the shackles and inserts from Bernbaum (old Andy). Bounces like new now. Since I couldn't reuse the gaiters, I inserted nylon leaf spring silencers between the leaves. Here are some before and after shots. 1 Quote
bacelaw Posted June 16 Author Report Posted June 16 10 minutes ago, Bob Riding said: I had my leaf springs re-arced on my '40, which is basically the same configuration as your '41. Not sure if you can get NOS or new springs these days. I also replaced the shackles. Bought the shackles and inserts from Bernbaum (old Andy). Bounces like new now. Since I couldn't reuse the gaiters, I inserted nylon leaf spring silencers between the leaves. Here are some before and after shots. Thanks Bob. Any particular difficulty installing them? I'll guessing you get some good travel when you push on the rear bumper? Any pics of your wagon from the side so I can see the proper height on the rear end with fresh springs? Thanks! Quote
Bob Riding Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 The only difficulty was getting the frozen spring shackle bolts off. When we sit on the tailgate, there is a noticeable drop, but it bounces right back. Chrysler added rear shocks to the later Suburbans- my '51 has them. I finished the wagon in 2016. The picture with the grandkids and the barn are this last year and I haven't noticed any sagging at all. 1 Quote
bacelaw Posted June 16 Author Report Posted June 16 (edited) Beautiful. Maybe you can see the sag in this Pic - the rear end is level with the front, no rake at all. When I bounce on rear bumper there's almost no movement, as if the springs have lost all their bounce. https://photos.app.goo.gl/szSAZw5NiTGrfrJW7 https://photos.app.goo.gl/gz9fQNUvZUgE65PD6 Edited June 16 by bacelaw Quote
Bob Riding Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 Definitely low in the back. Not sure how much travel I have, but it's noticeable. How many leaves do you have? I believe I have 10. I had a couple of Pilothouse trucks a few years ago and the 3/4 ton had more leaves than the 1/2 ton (makes sense). Maybe you are short a leaf or two? Quote
bacelaw Posted June 17 Author Report Posted June 17 11 minutes ago, Bob Riding said: Definitely low in the back. Not sure how much travel I have, but it's noticeable. How many leaves do you have? I believe I have 10. I had a couple of Pilothouse trucks a few years ago and the 3/4 ton had more leaves than the 1/2 ton (makes sense). Maybe you are short a leaf or two? I'll count them up tomorrow, but I'm certain the leaf springs are original. My wagon has shocks as well in the rear but those are recently replaced. This vehicle was never restored. Quote
bacelaw Posted June 17 Author Report Posted June 17 12 hours ago, Bob Riding said: Definitely low in the back. Not sure how much travel I have, but it's noticeable. How many leaves do you have? I believe I have 10. I had a couple of Pilothouse trucks a few years ago and the 3/4 ton had more leaves than the 1/2 ton (makes sense). Maybe you are short a leaf or two? I see 10 leaves - I wonder how much of a difference an 8-leaf pack would make, the same that was used on sedans? Quote
Bob Riding Posted June 17 Report Posted June 17 More should give you a firmer ride. Just checked online and their are many suppliers Eaton/Detroit ebay, Speedway, etc. Re-arcing might be cheaper Quote
bacelaw Posted June 17 Author Report Posted June 17 6 hours ago, Bob Riding said: More should give you a firmer ride. Just checked online and their are many suppliers Eaton/Detroit ebay, Speedway, etc. Re-arcing might be cheaper Took a picture so you can see how flat my springs are: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NRoZfMAan3CzUckB7 There are 9 leaves in mine currently... I'm guessing 8 fresh leaves and new shackles will perform alot better than the current setup. Other than cutting the old rusty hardware out, anything I should be aware of replacing everything? Thanks!! Quote
Bob Riding Posted June 18 Report Posted June 18 Yeah, that's pretty tired! I would make sure the replacements utilize the silent block, stock setup- available from AB, Roberts, eBay. The springs will come with what they need to function (clamps, etc) Use all the stock hardware you can like the U bolts that attach it to the axle- new stuff is available, but why recreate the wheel? here are some more pics Quote
bacelaw Posted June 18 Author Report Posted June 18 Thanks again Bob. The '41 springs have a different rear shackle setup than yours apparently. Looking forward to the project! Quote
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