55.2-59 Rear suspension

[bosco]

Looking for options to soften the rear suspension from the buckboard ride it is today. 56 with the original rear leaf springs. Looking at a 4 link triangular with coil overs (very pricey option though). Will newer leaf springs be any better for the ride? My current truck (daily driver) has leaf springs, but it rides very nice, no bucking up and down. Thoughts, or is this just the way our classic trucks ride without the change to a 4 link. Thank guys.

[G&R's57GMC]

you could remove a leaf and see if that helps

[dsraven]

you could try a set of leaves and hangers from a newer truck about the same size/weight. I have seen a few with s10 or ford ranger rear leaves and hangers/shackles. the frame mounted hanger brackets are available through dorman I believe.
stock spring packs are a bit heavy compared to newer trucks. you could remove a few leaves and go from there. what is the purpose for the truck, driver only or possibly have a load but really just groceries?
less leaves with an overload leaf at the bottom for a little protection in case the grocery store has a deal on case lots, lol. that would give a smoother ride unless you add enough weight to contact the overload.
you could take a few leaves out and grab one of the thicker, longer leaves from a newer truck's spring pack that uses the overload leaf at the bottom. the theory is the regular leaves are arched more than the thick one at the bottom so during everyday use the springs don't contact the overload. if circumstances change and the regular spring pack contacts the overload leaf the the pack flattens out against the overload as the weight is added. that gives the ability to carry more weight but have a smooth ride under normal driving. also gives ability to have a gradual "application" of the overload as more weight is added.
if removing leaves, remove every second one to make a more progressive pack and also to take strain off the upper leaves. a larger difference in length between leaves that touch each other means the upper of the 2 can bend or break under a load.
ensure to have decent suspension snubbers in place. I like the beehive snubbers like the S10 used.

https://www.torklift.com/blog/entry/...our-suspension

https://www.amazon.ca/Dorman-523-049...93664347&psc=1

[dsraven]

https://www.amazon.ca/Dorman-722-100...74495831&psc=1

[burnin oil]

The trick to leaves isn't the number of springs but the thickness. 10 thin leaves will ride better than 4 thick ones and flex better while still holding wieght capacity. Really the only spring that needs to be thick is the main if you are needing a higher capacity load in the bed. A way around that is two long springs to make up the main then taper the rest. Leaves can ride really nice and have a ton of flex if setup correctly or can ride like a backboard.
Swapping springs from another vehicle is always viable. Dont forget the foreign mini trucks. I think that they ride a little better than the domestic ones.

[bosco]

Thank you all for the information and insight. I think looking at newer thinner leaves will do the trick. Appreciate it. Going to try some dry lube as well to see if that helps with friction.

[dsraven]

For squeaky springs ask for the teflon inserts between the leaves. They self lubricate. Then keep pins lube up well.

[_Ogre]

truk has the axle flipped over modified original springs. rebuilt shackles with new pins and bushings, teflon liners. i only used the 4 long springs, removed the short overloads. air shocks, with stock brackets top & bottom, help keep it off the bump stops on michigan potholed roads

rearend is from a $200, 3rd gen 86 trans am with 3.27 gear and disc brakes. i used the trans am sway bar. after market links with ogre built brackets. had to heat the ends to move them out.

i C-notched 2.5" with 4 inch sch40 pipe and reinforced the top of the frame, up to the bedwood, to keep the frame from flexing and breaking. i added small brackets and bump stops, it works

[dsraven]

some prebuild engineering went into that for sure ogre.
-c notch built sturdy and reinforced up to the underside of the bed wood
-frame boxed for added strength in area of notch
-uses stock spring pack, however modified, with teflon anti-squeak liners and stock hangers.
-beehive shaped (stepped urethane?) bump stop positioned to contact axle before axle comes very close to contacting the frame. this allows the bump stop some suspension travel time in order to absorb some of the shock before the axle contact the frame. I have seen stock vehicles where that snubber is even closer to the contact point at ride height, like 3/4" of suspension travel before contacting the bump stop. the vehicle rode quite nicely and the snubber did not wear out like one would think
-stab bar positioned such that the front attachment parts are not going to pick up every stray plastic bag or skunk wandering across the road
-track width allows non special order wheels
-axle has useable stock brakes and park brake is not a big pain to set up linkage for
-axle flip uses readily available parts. spring pad is simply a part from a trailer axle shop that can be squashed in place when the u bolts are tightened up, the driveline angles can be matched with the pad able to move on the axle then it can be welded in place on the axle once the final checks have been done to ensure correct centering and driveline pinion angle
-sort of the best one could do without raising the bed floor. this allows the use of a stock bed. it uses a more normal daily driver tire size but if one really needed huge tires some mini tubs could be added. not sure on space left over between inside sidewall of tire and frame or box.
if axle wrap or wheel hop is a worry with possibly softer spring pack then there are ways around that too without modifying the existing set up, a simple bolt on part.

[dsraven]

ogre's set up also leaves ample room for exhaust system to exit the rear if thats what you want.
here is a set up I built with a 4 link, air bags, ford explorer diff, ford ranger stab bar, s10 shocks, welders series parts-some modified slightly. you can see how it gets crowded in a hurry for running exhaust. the air bag brackets also limit the tire width back spacing. it could be done with leaf springs though. that part didn't bother me because I planned on a 28" tall tire with a daily driver cross section and sidewall, like a 235/75r15, 235/60r17. c notch left 3" of stock frame above the cut. I didn't want to go too low with the truck because Calgary roads leave a lot to be desired and some speed bumps around here can be pretty tall. my driveway is also quite sloped from the curb. frame is fully boxed to the front bumper. if doing it again I would simply build a whole new frame with rectangular tubing since the frame is pretty flat except for the bump above the axle, which is easily built copying a weld in c notch design, and the taper in front of the solid axle up front, which could be built to accept a donor vehicle IFS, like a c10 bolt in unit from a square body (that is possibly too wide of a track width but that is also fixable, or possible an aftermarket IFS that could also bolt in. I had the frame completely dissassembled and built new cross members anyway so that wasn't a concern either. please note the frame in the pics is in mock up stage so some parts are not tight, some spacers are simply a washer pack, the shocks are old rusty units etc etc.it is sitting in storage in these pics so some stuff is a bit rusty. it is also not finished with the build, some parts are missing. the air bag units are replaced with bars to keep a ride height. some welds are not completed etc etc. the suspension snubber is quite long and bolts to the air bag plate. you can see there is ample suspension travel after the axle contacts the snubber and the snubber still doesn't get squashed beyond capabilities. snubber is from the rear of an s10 blazer

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

The trick to leaves for a smooth ride is as long as possible, as wide as possible, and as many as possible.

Old truck have narrow leaves, and often quite short. Which leads to buck board ride.

Long leaves flex easier, and more leaves allow for easier travel under compression. Versus a leaf with 4 leaves. A leaf with 8 leafs will ride immensely better at the same weight capacity.

This is why wider leafs help too. Narrow leafs have to resist more twist, and such on a narrower leaf. Standard 2.5 or 3 inch leafs help out alot here too.

New trucks use quite long springs in 3" widths for the cush ride, and a good weight carrying capacity.

[dsraven]

yep, thats why I suggested using the S10 or ford ranger leaves and hangers earlier in the thread. it is a wholesale change though so not using the stock hangers etc. and some engineering would need to be done to ensure the axle center line stays where it needs to be. the newer springs also have rubber bushings which absorb shock as well as sound. leaves are also longer most likely, like ziegel says. if doing that the springs could be placed inboard more to allow more back spacing on the wheels and fatter tires. like said though, this could mean having to tub the box. not sure of the owners build vision.

[_Ogre]

i should add... i have 36,000 miles on my build and am quite happy with the ride
mustII up front with sway bar, driving truk is like driving a go cart compared to stock

[bosco]

Appreciate all this great discussion. My vision is to keep the current stance; 2" drop in the front, and 2" drop on the rear. Just looking to soften the ride. Going to use dry lube first, then move to either remove a leave or new leave springs.

[Chevy_Man]

Originally Posted by dsraven

yep, thats why I suggested using the S10 or ford ranger leaves and hangers earlier in the thread. it is a wholesale change though so not using the stock hangers etc. and some engineering would need to be done to ensure the axle center line stays where it needs to be. the newer springs also have rubber bushings which absorb shock as well as sound. leaves are also longer most likely, like ziegel says. if doing that the springs could be placed inboard more to allow more back spacing on the wheels and fatter tires. like said though, this could mean having to tub the box. not sure of the owners build vision.

Raven have you run the s-10 springs?

[bosco]

I should have updated this thread. I ended up replacing with new leaf springs and it's a smaller pack (6 vs 7 leaf springs). I also changed the ride height in the rear (from a 2" drop to 3" drop) which just about levels out the truck.
The new leaf springs made a world of difference in ride quality. My wife noticed the difference right away and is happy to be in the truck now.

[Chevy_Man]

Originally Posted by bosco

I should have updated this thread. I ended up replacing with new leaf springs and it's a smaller pack (6 vs 7 leaf springs). I also changed the ride height in the rear (from a 2" drop to 3" drop) which just about levels out the truck.
The new leaf springs made a world of difference in ride quality. My wife noticed the difference right away and is happy to be in the truck now.

Do you remember what srpings that you went with?

[dsraven]

It makes sense to run the springs and hangers from a truck of similar weight. Our old trucks are sprung like a work truck of today would be. Thus the stiff ride.

[bosco]

Originally Posted by Chevy_Man

Do you remember what srpings that you went with?

https://westernchassis.com/1955-to-1...prings-555930/

The leafs are also thinner. The shop that replaced the springs for me could not believe the difference. They tried pushing the bed up and down with the old springs and it wouldn't move. New springs we can push down and the bed moves. Overall, didn't break the bank.

[Chevy_Man]

Originally Posted by dsraven

It makes sense to run the springs and hangers from a truck of similar weight. Our old trucks are sprung like a work truck of today would be. Thus the stiff ride.

Dsraven

I sent you a private message

[mr48chev]

Ogre pretty well laid out a plan that works and isn't very speedy. ThT is rework thespian packs as he
Did and then re.ove any overload springs unless you actually intend to need them hauling loads. Extra unsprung weight can work against the decent ride.