Truck stance with Mono-leaf Lowering Springs

[spinned]

I am interested is lowering my 58. The front leaf springs already seem pretty flat so I am not sure if the mono-leaf spring lowering kit will really help me lower it. Wont it just ride on the bump stops?

Can you guys post up some pictures of your mono-leaf truck stance? Here is mine still with the leaf springs...

[Hogsophist]

I dont have them...yet, but would love to see the stance as well.

[Dan in Pasadena]

For the price, if you're committed to staying with the leaves all around consider Posie's Supersliders, I am.

[spinned]

From the top of the front axle to the bottom of the frame is only 5" right now. With the multi leaf there is only 3" of clearance. How will the use of a mono leaf reduce those clearances and still work? Is this the same clearances you people with stock springs have?

My front springs sit nearly flat right now so maybe they have sagged with time... or considering that there is still a label on the U-bolts, possibly they were re-arced in the past.

Anyway it would be great to lower the truck about 3 more inches.

[vwjohnny]

Here's some new pics of mine. I JUST installed a set of Posies super sliders on the front. No bumper yet but you get the idea. I was running stock with two leafs removed. Installed these "3 inch drop springs" and gained another inch. The rear has 2 inch drop shackles and 2 leafs removed. I was hoping to get the front low enough to "flip" the rear axle. Not gonna happen...

[Hogsophist]

I have 79 camaro front end, so i guess i would need to get lowering springs for the front.

79 T/A rear, but stock leaf set up. So mono on the rear?

Does that sound right?

[Mac the Yankee]

Hogsophist,

Try pulling a leaf or two out of your stock set- you might be surprised at the difference!

[Choady]

I have mono leafs on my 55.2 and I like them a lot.
I dont have a picture on this computer, I will try to post one later.

Just do your self a favor, add 4 degree shims and short shocks when you make the change.

I did and it rides better than it did stock.

Oh yeah, I tried removing a few leafs from the stock spring packs and the bump steer scared the hell outta me.
With the mono leafs, I dont have any bump steer.

[spinned]

With the mono leafs, I dont have any bump steer

What is bump steer? I thought it was when you lower the suspension that it interferes with say the tie rod or something... as to make the steering "bump" when you hit a pothole or brake hard. But I guess it is something different...

add 4 degree shims and short shocks when you make the change.

By this statement, I am assuming that this would be to angle the axle toward the direction of the shock... or what?

[Dan in Pasadena]

"bumpsteer : toe change during the supsension cycle which can cause the vehicle to dart side to side. This is caused by the steering linkage moving in a different arc than the suspension."

See other definitions here:
http://www.desertrides.com/reference/terms.php

The shims angle the axle (well, actually the kingpin) rearward meaning it results in more negative caster. This causes the wheels to want to return to center more easily or quickly after steering left or right. It changes how the wheels "track".

I was taught in high school MANY moons ago to remember "caster" by thinking of your arm motion when you cast a fishing pole. Forward and back, get it?

Camber is the top of the tire tilting in or out, toward or away from the vehicle.

Toe - is how the front of the tires point. Totally straight ahead (neutral), slightly toward each other (toe-in) or away from each other (toe-out)

Hope this helped.

[Dan in Pasadena]

vwjohnny - Thanks for those photos. I was seriously considering Supersliders but at $400 a pair what you show is not as much drop as I'd hope for. I don't want it real low, I just want to eliminate most of the open space between the top of the tire and the wheel well. Yours appears to still show a couple inches, if not more.

[vwjohnny]

Glad i could help. I was a bit disappointed with the outcome. I really wanted it a little lower. But on the bright side... It rides nice and is done right. You wanna go lower on a static drop? Looks like a drop axle from sids might be the way to go.
Or a true mono spring on the front but after i did a little research I
Decided on the posies.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Choady]

Another way to look at the bump steer issue:
as you lower the frame closer to the axle,
the angle of the pitman arm increases.
Unless you move the steering box, you are going to have some bump steer.

After removing 2 leafs, while on a test drive,
I was cruing at 50 mph, hit a few small bumps,
changed lanes to the right, then back again to the left into my original lane position. lucky for me no one was in the lane next to me.
Nothing like an uncommanded lane change to scare the you-know-what outta you.

I think maybe the mono leafs move the axle a liitl forward to help eliminate the bump steer. but I have not measured to se if thats true.

[Choady]

Also, as Dan in Pasadena said,

Increasing your caster make the vehicle go straighter easier.
think of the casters on a shopping cart, or the forks on a motorcycle.
When the caster angle is increased, the vehicle goes straighter easier.
Unless you plan on road racing, I know you will appreciate the improvement.
(Conversely, less caster makes your steering more squirrely)
Notice how as a kid, you could take your hands off the handle bars while you were riding your bike and still go straight?

Wedges are my favorite, low budget improvement.
I can drive 70 mph on the Freeways here in SoCal and my truck doesnt wander back and forth in my lane. it tracks much straighter.

Thats just my $0.02 hope it helps
.
Sorry everyone for being so longwinded.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by vwjohnny

Glad i could help. I was a bit disappointed with the outcome. I really wanted it a little lower. But on the bright side... It rides nice and is done right. You wanna go lower on a static drop? Looks like a drop axle from sids might be the way to go.
Or a true mono spring on the front but after i did a little research I
Decided on the posies.
Posted via Mobile Device

To be honest, I'm a little wary of a monoleaf. I know, I know, they were used by GM on Camaros, others...but they STOPPED using them, right?

Anyway, to me it's just that in the very unlikely event one broke, you're EFFED! I don't like the lack of redundancy and I've seen plenty of leaf packs with a broken leaf in them once they were taken apart...so it DOES happen. Granted, it took many years/decades and who knows what loads/conditions?

I wonder if years from now the guys who are US now will curse us cutting our truck frames in half to install frame grafts in them? I mean, the early cars/street rods all use their original suspensions -well, yes modified some, but plenty of I beams, hairpins and tranverse springs out there. Will the rage for us someday be to have original suspensions? This is the only reason I kind want to stay with my beam axle, but I do NOT want bumpsteer and I don't want to re-engineer the steering box location, etc. At least until someone else does it successfully.

[spinned]

Well it looks to me like the claims by the vendors that the mono-leaf will reduce the suspension height by 3 inches in the front is probably not accurate. And then there is the issue of bump steer unless the mono leaf has a more forward position for connecting the axle.

I checked on this mono-leaf part through a vendor website and there is no mention of bump steer or re-positioning the axle to accommodate the angle of the pitman arm.

I also called one one of our vendors to see if they had photos of the before and after shots of the mono-leaf and they didn't. So at this point I don't see the mono-leaf as a solution to bring the chassis fender opening down to the top of the tire in the front.

[NEWFISHER]

FWIW, I ( and several others) spent a few extra bucks and went with a dropped axle www.droppedaxles.com and couldn't be happier. Ride is great with the stock 8 leaf pack, bought all new steering arms and new style tir rods, pitman arm etc. Have ZERO bump steer, ride is better than expected, looks fantastic, can haul a load without bottoming out etc. I keep reading threads asking about mono leaf's, pulling leaf's ( which over time will rlax and create other issues) and I dont understand why not spend a few more bucks and do a dropped axle? Here's a shot of mine with dropped front, blocks/flipped rear. Install time including grinding perches from donor housing and installing shock mounts , all steering components etc. 1 saturday 8am till 2pm and came back Sunday from 9ish to just after lunch. Could be done in One day/eve with a couple guys, less if you didn't have to swap rear ends like I did. I ralley this thing around like a Honda, in and out of driveways at speed, parking lot speed bumps and it just performs well.


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A better side shot I found

[Coach529]

My dropped axle from Sid showed up today......it is sitting on the front steps.

Unless you are going the a IFS system, the axle mod from Sid is the only correct way to lower a truck in my opinion. He modifies the steering arms and pitman arm to eliminate bump steer.

The problem with lowering springs is that 90% of this era trucks out there right now have sacked out springs. Most of the times these lowering spring are installed, they actually raise the truck.

[meter swinger]

Originally Posted by NEWFISHER

FWIW, I ( and several others) spent a few extra bucks and went with a dropped axle www.droppedaxles.com and couldn't be happier. Ride is great with the stock 8 leaf pack, bought all new steering arms and new style tir rods, pitman arm etc. Have ZERO bump steer, ride is better than expected, looks fantastic, can haul a load without bottoming out etc. I keep reading threads asking about mono leaf's, pulling leaf's ( which over time will rlax and create other issues) and I dont understand why not spend a few more bucks and do a dropped axle? Here's a shot of mine with dropped front, blocks/flipped rear. Install time including grinding perches from donor housing and installing shock mounts , all steering components etc. 1 saturday 8am till 2pm and came back Sunday from 9ish to just after lunch. Could be done in One day/eve with a couple guys, less if you didn't have to swap rear ends like I did. I ralley this thing around like a Honda, in and out of driveways at speed, parking lot speed bumps and it just performs well.


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A better side shot I found

NEWFISHER the stance on your burb is perfect. How much is your axle dropped?
Posted via Mobile Device

[NEWFISHER]

Originally Posted by meter swinger

NEWFISHER the stance on your burb is perfect. How much is your axle dropped?
Posted via Mobile Device

It's Sid's 4". After driving it a month, it has settled some. The leaf packs were new 8 months ago when I trailered it home and started putting it together.

[sqrlnts]

Quick question for everyone. I am currently running a 3" CPP drop axle with 3 leaf springs up front. At ride height the springs are almost flat (350 sbc engine). Out back I flipped my 12 bolt axle to above the springs.

For the most part I am happy with the static ride stance, my problem is the front leaf spring position/lack of suspension. I am worred that over time the suspension movement will bend the leafs. If I went with the Posies super slide drop springs up front what do you think it would do to my ride height?

Here is a pic of the stance currently and thanks for your input.

[Coach529]

Originally Posted by sqrlnts

Quick question for everyone. I am currently running a 3" CPP drop axle with 3 leaf springs up front. At ride height the springs are almost flat (350 sbc engine). Out back I flipped my 12 bolt axle to above the springs.

For the most part I am happy with the static ride stance, my problem is the front leaf spring position/lack of suspension. I am worred that over time the suspension movement will bend the leafs. If I went with the Posies super slide drop springs up front what do you think it would do to my ride height?

Here is a pic of the stance currently and thanks for your input.

Love the stance currently.......but I cannot answer your question.

[vwjohnny]

Truck looks good! I'm betting the posies will raise you up a bit. My stock springs with two leafs removed were straight across (flat) my New posies have an arch. See previous pics... They only drop i gained was the fact that the posies had reverse eyes. About 1 inch. Good luck.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Hogsophist]

Originally Posted by Mac the Yankee

Hogsophist,

Try pulling a leaf or two out of your stock set- you might be surprised at the difference!

so maybe yank some leafs or perhaps mono?

any idea on the front? 79 camaro coil springs. I guess either cut or order 79 camaro lowering springs?

Thanks again.