Truck leaning..I Have an Idea..need opinions

[poov71]

77 SWB.. Lowered with 3"spindles and one inch coils.. Rear is a flip..
The passenger side rear sits approximately 1 3/4" higher.. The front of the truck is spot on and it does not appear that the cab is unlevel. The bed is tilted about 1/2" lower to the driver's side which accounts for some of the issue. That leaves 1 1/4" to address.. So..

1. Shim the bed on the driver's side to gain the 1/2" lost there? Anything wrong with doing this?
2. Could I remove a leaf from the passenger's side (only) to make up for some of the height difference? Is there any issues with doing this? If not, which one would you recommend removing?

Thanks you for your time and advice..

[Sabaka454]

Most likely spring fatigue. I would replace the springs and bushings and wouldn't advise pulling out a leaf. You'd be better off shimming the bed until you replace the springs.

[king-918]

Originally Posted by Sabaka454

Most likely spring fatigue. I would replace the springs and bushings and wouldn't advise pulling out a leaf. You'd be better off shimming the bed until you replace the springs.

x2
But I bag it and never sag again.

[Tuff 1986]

I have the same problem on my truck.. The bed is lower on the drivers side.. I have removed one leaf from both sides and swapped them over with no results.. I would like to drop the passenger side about an inch.. Any ideas would help..

[poov71]

Fatigue could be possible. The truck has only 43,000 miles on it so maybe not.. I'm pleased with how rear driver's side sits, which is the lower side, so I really would prefer to drop the passenger side to match.. I failed to mention that it is an 8 pack leaf.. What would be the negatives of removing a leaf?

[rwhit57]

I had the same problem, I put new springs on the front and air shocks on the rear that I could air up separately. For about a year I had to air the left up more to level it out, now it sits almost perfect on it's own. Go figure.

[Rich84]

Originally Posted by rwhit57

I had the same problem, I put new springs on the front and air shocks on the rear that I could air up separately. For about a year I had to air the left up more to level it out, now it sits almost perfect on it's own. Go figure.

That's weird...I had to shim the front drivers side, which sagged before and after all new springs front and back..I got tired of looking at the front bumper looking crooked. So yesterday I removed most of the shims and took some measurements. It now sits within about an 1/8" from ground to wheel well on both sides and the bumper looks level.

[Tuff 1986]

Originally Posted by poov71

Fatigue could be possible. The truck has only 43,000 miles on it so maybe not.. I'm pleased with how rear driver's side sits, which is the lower side, so I really would prefer to drop the passenger side to match.. I failed to mention that it is an 8 pack leaf.. What would be the negatives of removing a leaf?

I removed one leaf from my pack of 4.. And truck runs and drives good.. No bounce or anything.. But I do not plan on putting anything but groceries back there nothing too heavy.. And I am ok with that... Has anyone tried putting weight on the higher side and tightening the rear leaf hanger?

[KQQL IT]

Switch the leafs left to right. Had to one my 73 to get it level

[king-918]

The elephant in the room is a bent frame

[rwhit57]

Originally Posted by king-918

The elephant in the room is a bent frame

I know it's been discussed before, but I doubt they all have bent frames. I would think the culprit is the majority have driver's side fuel tanks. The weight of the driver and the fuel over the years weakens the springs and typically most lean to the driver's side. Not to dispell what you're saying completely, I would say it sure could be possible the two frame rails can get out of align causing it also, but I'm betting most lean to the driver's side.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Anyone look at thier cab bushings lately. If the front is pretty close and the read is far out then its prob a leaf pack. Tighten leafs down with load on the rear. Seen air shocks as well cause this same situation one held air and the other didn't. Leaf springs have also been known to cause this issue with one side sagging

[Keith Seymore]

Keep in mind many trucks had lean when new.

About once a year we would kick off some "science experiment" to try to fix box lean in the assembly plant.

It would be a hot topic for a few months and then fizzle out, until the next time somebody got all excited about it.

I'd shim it and be done with it (which is what I did on my truck).

K