How to figure rear drop?

[Conundrum]

I was wondering how/if you can accurately guesstimate the amount of drop you will get with a rear flip kit or a homade rear flip for a 73-87 1/2 ton. I read once that you can measure the thickness of your leaf springs and then add 1.5" to that. But to me, I would think you would add 3" to that figure cause you would go off of the axle center line?.

Anyone know how to do this?

I made my own perches at work awhile back and would loike to figure out about what rear drop I can expect, so i'll know what exactly i've got to do for the front.

[N2TRUX]

You will get about 5" with the flip. If you run shackles it will give you another 1-2" .
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[SCOTI]

It depends on the thickness of the spring pack because you're flipping the axle from one point below the springs to another point above the springs. A 3"od housing has a tube diameter w/a 1.5" radius. You add the dimension resulting from moving the axle C/L 1.5" from below to above a surface + the dimension of the surface itself.

Some spring packs are 4-leaf; some are 5, & some are 8-leaf/HD set-ups. The more leafs the spring pack has, the greater the overall amount of drop & why the advertised drop of a 'flip-kit' can vary.

[Conundrum]

Ok, I think I got it.
Mine currently has an 8 spring pack on it, thinking about removing a couple of the leafs.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Conundrum

Ok, I think I got it.
Mine currently has an 8 spring pack on it, thinking about removing a couple of the leafs.

8-leaf spring pack w/a flip kit = a full 6" of drop (minimum). Removing leafs will have some effect, but it would be a 'per vehicle' amount of drop because weight & spring rate will vary.

[Conundrum]

I know that removing leafs doesn't mean i'll gain any more drop, just don't see the point in keeping that many leafs on a lowered truck that will probably never haul much more than a cooler and a spare tire.