how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

Hi guys

Im about to order new springs for my 71 c10 long bed.

The Previous Owner gave me the helper springs that he pulled off and im thinking about cleaning them up and reinstalling them when i do the new coils.

If i go with coils that have a load rating of 910 lbs (moog variable rate springs), how much more will these help springs help out? 2-300 lbs? more??

thanks guys!

Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

Need more info on the helper springs.... pics would be helpful.

Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

these are just single leafs with a bolt hole in 1 end. looks like a mattock blade... looks like they wouldnt even start helping until i hit a certain load... just wondering how much extra weight they will support??

Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

Mine work great-for keeping me awake. There seems to be a major rattle coming from them.:lol::lol::lol:

Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

ha!

do you know how much extra weight the truck might be able to hold vs if they werent there?

Im looking at getting new springs very soon and want to know whether i should both putting these back in...previous owner pulled them off to lower the truck (he said that... i dont see how that would help...)

thanks

Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

My opinion? Remember Air Lift? They were making air bags for racing waaaaay before anyone thought about baggin' a truck. Those Air Lift air bags fit inside the coils and are used to help you carry the load that you may have.

My SWB truck had 2000-lb rate coils and it rode like the proverbial Rock that we call our Chevies. I'm okay with the ECE coils that I put on it. I don't do the hauling/towing anymore, but if I want to hook up my utility trailer...I won't be afraid.

Look at www.earlyclassic.com and find the pix of trucks that people have posted. Some are also hauling loads. I don't think you will want those overloads/helpers.

Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

If these were factory option G60 (would be on your SPID) they added 500# each to the capacity according to GM literature. I have no idea if the rating would be the same if used in combination with lesser rated coils. The rating on the standard coils was 2000# each. You should also have brackets and rubber bumpers on the rear of your trailing arms if these are to work.

Here's the best picture I have showing them installed on my 69 3/4 ton. I think they are the same as the 1/2 ton auxiliary spring.

Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

I can't give you an accurate number, but from your description..... those won't do a lot for you. Just to guess, the 500# posted by FirstOwner69 is gonna be close. ChevLoRay's suggestion sounds much better to me, and those airbags are fully adjustable.

Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

I have a set of these that i am going to install on a c10. I don't think that they will miraculosly make your truck into a 3/4 ton, but should help. I like the fact that they don't do anything until you have a load, which means they won't hurt your ride quality. Back in the day my brother had a set of air lift bags on his coil spring rear 72 c10 lwb. They helped with load and also traction. He would not run much air in them when truck was empty, but always a little more in right side since that was the wheel that would spin under acceleration, even with a posi.
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Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

. . . .

My 70 C-10 has them and when I USED to use it as a truck . . . they worked very well.

The picture below, shows a very wet load of mulch that weighed a few hundred pounds.

The auxiliary springs kept the truck fairly level going down the road.

. . . .

Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

Huh... see, i would have thought that a few hundred pounds would have easily been handled by the coils themselves. i think these stock springs are what 1600 lbs?

I thought that the "1/2 ton" rating was real close to what these actually held in the bed. And I figured that the helper springs would have helped with an extra 2-300 lbs...

How much weight would these old C10s actually hold in the bed?

thanks!

Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

Does anybody know where I could get the rubber bump stops for these helper springs I have a set on my 68 and I am missing one of the rubber pieces
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Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

LMC for sure, maybe others but not sure.
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Re: how much help were these C10 helper springs?
 

My last run to the scrap yard--this is with my '68 C/10 with the helper spring, and my '67 C/10 truck-bed trailer--6,060 pounds. I don't recommend it, but it handled it fine, except for stopping.:lol: