Well i know if i need advice this is the place to ask. My 50 chev has stock leaf springs and i was going to install lowering blocks but was wondering if it would be a good idea to remove some leafs also? If it is possible which one should i remove? Thanks for the help.
BEST is to get some new springs with the lowering built in..Adding blocks to clapped out springs will make problems ride wise..
I had a '50 3100 pickup- used 4 of the longest leaves with blocks to get er down some more- in the rear. It rode like a champ, but you couldn't haul as much weight as before. It was Camaro clipped in the front and handled well.
If you remove leaves from car springs, they will probably end up softer than you want. The rear will hop all over the place. You're better off having a spring shop re-arch them, or replace them with drop springs. That way you get the drop you want, and retain the proper spring rate.
Still have the torque tube? if yes, then you'll be ok to remove 2 springs. Or you can de arch them yourself with an anvil, a bfh and ear plugs. I switched to open rear and the stock springs +3" blocks wheel hopped terrible. Now I've got posies and home made 1.5" blocks. I'm less than 6" at the rocker.
No, no, no. don't remove springs! That's OK on a truck, where you have extra to hold the weight of the truck loaded with cargo, but NOT a car. Those 50's cars ridce soft in the first place, removing springs will make them softer, and won't hold the weight of the car for long (correctly). Listen to the guys, de-arch the springs, have the eyelets reversed, and use blocks to dial in the height. Oh..and if you go too far, you'll have to "C" the frame, those Chevies don't have a lot of room for being dropped before hitting your rear axle! I'd say 3-4 in for areas with bad roads is about tops.
The thing you must remember about these cars is that the rear springs held the rear of the car up and the torque tube controlled the "wind-up" of the rear end when accelerating or braking. If you have converted to an open drive shaft, you are now asking springs to do something they were not designed to do. And, they are prone to break. Removing leafs only make the problem worse. Chassis Engineering offers a complete kit to put wider springs in which are designed for an open drive shaft and lower the car. It also converts to modern shocks. Just my $0.02.
Check out the avatar , it has 3' lowering blocks , I had to get special U-bolts due to the "square" shaping at the top , but , I ride mine everywhere , I did however take the rubber stops out of it due to bottoming out , but , I still run the 6 with the 3 on the tree , so , I dont think I will be pulling any hole shots in the near future, and people can ride in the back without any ride issues , just food for thought ,
If it still has the torque tube, I don't see why you can't take out a couple leafs. If you don't like it, just put them back. It won't cost you anything but time, and might save you from buying new lower springs.
car has a 283 with 55 chevy rear end, i planned on air bags but not untill summer when i take my vacation time from work and can work on the install everyday. i was just looking at inexpensive ways to lower the rear for a few car shows early in the year, front has had a coil cut already and sits just right for me.
i had mine de arched and i put 4 inch blocks on mine and that got it down really low its so low that i have to cut the top of the wheel well at little so my tire will clear when going up my drive way. I also had to put a small c notch in the frame also so i would just try 4 inch blocks first
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