Torching coils is bad, this I know. What about heating the main leafs on leaf springs to bend the eyelets down? I know that having new main leafs w/ reversed eyes made is the way to go, but the local (and only) spring shop is looking to butt rape me on the price. Thanks.
Tony, never ever heat leaf springs!!! They WILL break! Don't aks me why I know. Ask K-MEMBER...........OLDBEET
you are right not to torch the coils. the coils continue to collapse even after cool down. I found this out the hard way! The other option is to remove the coils and cut one or two coils to shorten them. use a cut off wheel or plsama cutter, this doesnt remove the temper from the springs, although, through the miracle of physics and geometry they do get slightly stiffer somehow.Dont forget to have the front end realigned. make sure the shop you choose can bend the axles for the camber change best of luck r.r.
oooppss! I thought you were talking about the front springs! my bad! uhm,yeah...... REAR springs. moveing the rear end from under the springs to on top of them should be good for at least 3-4 inches. speedway makes a spring perch kit for this.
Any good spring shop should be able to retemper and/or re-arch leaf springs, reversing the springeyes in the process and you're right, they all seem to have gotten a lot more expensive lately.
I don't even need to ask, I can just picture it. I don't usually flynch on labor costs, especially when it comes to specialized work, but man, $125 per spring JUST for the main leafs seems a bit much.
I heated and bent the main leaves on the rear of my falcon wagon (and now i think about it, on my ute too) to lower the car, just a localised spot close to the front bush, so there is an almost 90 degree bend in the spring just after it curls around the front bush... only heat it just enough to bend it with some considerable force(hardly any colour in it) Its been like this for nearly fifteen years and god knows how many miles...lowered the rear about 2 1/2" not saying its right..just saying it worked.
Call me sometime...I have some mono leaf springs(3" drop), they may be the right ones for you and I may have a dropped axle that might work for it as well all left over from a diferent project that I did a MII on instead...May need a little mod, but we can do that too.
Anthony, I happen to know someone with "an early 60's Ford truck." Drop by sometime and we can chat. Did you sell the Chevy? Did you find an Econline truck? I saw one recently locally (sorta) for sale pretty cheap if you are interested. Keep in touch, man!
If it's pre twin I beam and the spring perches are outside the frame, just C the frame and raise the spring perches and shock mounts. Works on a Chev, don't know about a Ford.
That'll work on the rear, but if the 60's are like my '53, the front springs are directly under the frame. I'm still trying to find a nice way to drop the front end of mine... I think I'll end up removing some leafs, and getting a drop axle. Ben
ohmygawd!!! Lowsquire, dont give the kids ideas like that. I think you must be lucky, buy me a Tatts ticket.
If you keep the straight axle, early 60s Ford trucks 4" drop axle and spring eye reverse nets approx. 5-6" of drop. Note you may have tie rod interference with the oil pan. There are drop kits for the tie rod.
Tony, I don't blame ya that hole backdoor thing makes me cringe just to think about it. Not heating the main leaf is a good thing. So don't do it. period. You rear end should be below the spring on that truck. move it to the top and you just dropped it 3". The front is easy, cut the coils, its cheap and effective. I usually don't cut more than one coild off but a lot of guys cut them to the max. One coil should be good for an inch or two. edit damnit: that truck doesn't have coils on the front does it? you can move the front axle to the top of the springs as well. good for the width of the axle in drop. or if you got coils go back to the last paragraph. Spring pads for your rear are cheap at most any roundy round place, or if you're careful you can torch yours off and reuse them.
When you go spring-under, the drop is the diameter of the axle PLUS the thickness of the spring pack. It is usually a pretty health drop!! On a Jeep, going the other direction is about a 6" lift.
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