Does anybody have any suggestions on a place in town to take a set of flattened leaf springs to ge them rearched? How much would it cost? Or is this something that I could do in the driveway with a few clamps and a little rigging?
Does anybody have any suggestions on a place in town to take a set of flattened leaf springs to ge them rearched? How much would it cost? Or is this something that I could do in the driveway with a few clamps and a little rigging?
i know a place in Austin...Atlas Spring...could prolly get you their # if you're interested...they're usually pretty fair in pricing.
I've heard rearching doesn't last very long; they flatten out within a year or so.
Originally Posted by Shaggy
I'm gonna add a leaf as well but seeing as how mine are completely flat right now I don't want to pay for all new sets.
if you're thinking about adding a leaf for height, I think you'll be happier with new aftermarket lift springs; softer ride, better flex. Add-a-leaf = rough ride
Not necessarily. I installed an add-a-leaf in the rear of my old Dodge that did not noticably stiffen the ride or hinder flex. We did one on all 4 corners of Matso's YJ, same results. No noticable changes in ride, and it still flexes well. Of course, these were 2" add-a-leafs, not sure what you guys are deaing with.Originally posted by uglyota
if you're thinking about adding a leaf for height, I think you'll be happier with new aftermarket lift springs; softer ride, better flex. Add-a-leaf = rough ride
It does depend on the kind of leaf that your adding.
If you're going with most any vendors "add-a-leaf" then they usually are going to give you a load leaf that is think as hell, overarched so that it adds arch to your existing pack, and made of some stiff spring steel. Much of the time that makes for a stiff ride, but depending on the weight of the vehicle, you may still flex pretty well.
You can however do a little junkyard scrounging and come up with a "ride leaf". You'll know it because it has tapered ends, is usuall less than 1/4" thick, and isn't arched to hell. Finding one with Teflon inserts helps too.
Most add-a-leaves do add spring rate. I had one in the back of the suburban for the longest time to fix GM saggy butt, but the ride was really stiff, yet it flexed very well. With full lift springs now, the ride is better, but we'll see about the flex.
The upside to adding a leaf, is that it's cheap, so you can afford to think temporary. It's a lot of work, but cheap.
All new leafes would be around $600 or more ($1700 for Old Man Emu). Versus $150+- for four 2" add-a-leaf. If anybody knows where I might be able to acquire new leaves for less then that, or another way to get 3" of lift, without doing shackles, I am open to all suggestions.
yea my car weighs a little more then 7,000 lbs.
I stand corrected. What kind of 7000# "car" do you have, and why not shackles?Originally posted by Cajun
Not necessarily. I installed an add-a-leaf in the rear of my old Dodge that did not noticably stiffen the ride or hinder flex. We did one on all 4 corners of Matso's YJ, same results. No noticable changes in ride, and it still flexes well. Of course, these were 2" add-a-leafs, not sure what you guys are deaing with.
I have an '88 Landcruiser and I was told that shackles are less stable then add-a-leaf or spring over. Is that true or not?
So the springs are still on the wrong side of the axle? Just fix that.
now we're talking the same language
There are better things you can do to fit your tires (I assume that's your primary reason for wanting lift). What Ryan said; start with a springover and shackle reversal, then go from there.
You will probably regret it if you don't surf pirate4x4 for a few days (months?) before you jump into anything.
Any suggested threads jump to mind?
I think what uglyota is saying is what I learned the hard way. I put lift springs on my scout, and shackle reversed the front, but then lost the lift springs and put the stock springs over the axle to get the lift AND ride that I wanted. If you are doing this on a budget sometimes the steering can be costly, but you don't have to buy the lift springs. If I had it to do over from the beginning that is what I would have done. Talk to Bryan Ritchey,(mudtoy67) his is sprung over anyway, I'm not sure how involved a springover is on a cruiser, and you'll need a welder, grinder, etc...I know with mine I wouldn't lift a scout any other way, rides softer than a 4" lift set of springs, flexes great, drives actually better than stock because of the corrected caster problem scouts have. Just do a search on the pirate board for springover under the toyota section, also just search the internet for peoples homepages, research it, but I think it is the best way to go. I know that landcruisers have the bell crank steering and all that crap, looks like it is off an alien spaceship, might think about doing cross-over at the same time like Davido did. His is pretty much a 1-ton chevy with a landcruiser body though, so his truck as an example may not help much. I have always heard that the re-arching of springs makes them brittle because of a re-heating process to restore the arch, rides really stiff, become really brittle.
Boats and hoes
Stumble in to the liquor store
With a dollar-fifty for a bottle of wine,
I know just what I'm lookin for
Thunderbird will do just fine.
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