Wheel hop

[71meangreenc10]

Originally Posted by raycow

Beginning with 63, Chevy offered the option of leaf springs on 2WD, and you do find a few out there like that. Strangely enough, GMC offered the option of coils, and those trucks are really scarce.

Ray

Not to familiar with the 60-66 models....If I recall 63 and up chevy started the short arm long arm on the front ends....

Smitty

[Ronnny]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronnny
Must be nice to have leaf springs. And i guess you took them out to lower the truck. Your springs got weaker and now you have wheel hop or also called axle wrap. If it were me i would put a spring back in and see if it cleared it up. I will asume your shackle is in the rear Put 1 or both back in and make a longer link on the shakle. It should be inverted if it is like the 73-and up trucks. So a 2" longer shackle will lower the truck about an inch. On the 4x4 trucks we would do a shackle flip to raise the trucks. You could also go for traction bars of a sort but would not really fix the problem just hid it. also could get the springs straightened at a spring shop or just look at overload springs and leave the 2 you took out out. Losts of options. If your springs are over the axle tube you could do a spring under conversion.

You are correct Ronny, I did take them out to lower it. I do enjoy the leaf springs for sure. Plenty of options with them. The problem with doing the shackle trick is I already have 3" drop shackles back there! And that is as low as I can go with that. What is this that you speak of with the overload springs? What would I have to do to fix it up with those?
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You did not say if you had your spring over or under the axle. If your axle tube is mounted under the spring just cut off the spring perches and bolt it all together with the axle tube on top of the springs and then reweld the perches to the tube. If you buy new perches they are cheap too. I know from lifting trucks that is about 4.5" drop. Then add your 2 leafs or one of them back. If you do not have a welder then you can still get it done pretty cheap. Some overload springs to help stiffin your springs will not raise the truck none. You can look into those is another thing that i was saying earlier.

[dag19]

Currently I have the springs on TOP of the axle's. I did not want to flip the springs cause then I feel it will be too low. I guess I was trying to save myself a fair amount of work by not flipping it, not removing the drop shackles, and not taking the chance of it being too low. So basically I was looking for the quick fix! But if I can't seem to find something that will work for then I will go back and do all the labor for it.

[Ronnny]

yes i know what you mean. From stock a change to a spring under will drop 4.5 " and that is a lot. Then it is hard to get it to raise back up.

[ctrow]

I'll be in the same boat and have to use something like the caltracs.

And no, I didn't have leafs originally. They were added during my initial build when I was 15. Dad preferred leafs so as not to have to deal with a panhard bar.

Back to the subject, I have seen plans to make your own version of the caltracs but in my opinion, unless you have the tools to make your own, sometimes it's best to buy.

Here is a link. Seems easy enough but to be honest, I wouldn't know where to start trying to find all the right components listed.

http://www.hotrodsandhemis.com/Traction.html

[robnolimit]

OK, no matter what the truck is/or was, it now has leafs, and some wheel hop. Here is the old timers fix. Take the leafs that you pulled out, and cut them off about 4" behind the center hole. Put them bach in the pack with the remaining part of the spring to the front. Get or make some spring retainers (wrap, bands,...) and strap the front ends of each cut spring to the pack. These will act like traction bars for the front half of the spring, while the rear half is still a bit softer.