leaf spring wear-replacement-help!

[dlthomas]

Hey everyone! 11 years ago I replaced the leaf springs on my '64 dart GT. I got the new ones from "ESPO Springs and Things". They are sagging like crazy now. I have made many trips with camping gear and bicycles on the back, but I never thought that was excessive.
No boats, trailers, obese passengers, etc.
QUESTION IS: is that a reasonable spring lifespan? should I order new ones from them or someone else? I want heavier duty this time--station wagon springs or something. ANY ADVICE?

[Reed]

Go to a junkyard and buy a pair of leaf springs from a Dodge B-150 van. Take the spring packs apart and insert one of the leaves into your current spring pack.

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[SlantSixDan]

Yes, 11 years might be a reasonable lifespan for a set of springs. How many miles during those 11 years? Which springs did you get, eleven years ago -- the standard 4-leaf "Chrysler saved three cents per car" variety, or something heavier duty? I would not hesitate to go back to ESPO and buy a set of their 5-leaf heavy-duty springs.

Adding a used leaf from the junkyard is a band-aid measure that might buy your sagged-out springs a short additional lease on life, but I cannot see it being worth any amount of effort or cost.

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[Reed]

Depends. I would imagine that putting in a leaf spring from a lightly used van that had a factory spring rating of 1,950 pounds would add some noticeable stiffness and lift to the stock a-body four leaf spring pack. I guess I will have to report how this swap goes on my brother's 74 Duster since I will be adding a leaf out of the springs that used to be on his 83 Dodge van.

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[DusterIdiot]

Funny thing, I was watching an old episode of Hawaii-Five-0 from 1973 last night...4 culprits were driving around in a 1969 Red Convertible Dart with Black interior...looked like a base V-8 car/Automatic...with 4 actors in it (the two skinniest guys in the rear seat)...the rear springs on that Dart were bottomed out...so even a stock 5 year old mopar might have had better days...back in the day...so to speak.

Oddly the road toad in the background scenes, seemed to have better suspension height...

-D.Idiot

[SlantSixDan]

[ratrodster]

i am considering loosening up the rear leaves and placing 1 used leaf from a van or truck on both sides to raise and level the rear sag on my 1974 dart.
option 1 - monroe coil over "booster" shock - 75.00 for pair
option 2 - espo leafs and hardware - 340.00 for pair
option 3 - used bone yard leafs - 40.00 for pair

[Doc]

My "cheap-a$$, throw labor & used parts at it" approach has been to dis-assemble a number of used leaf spring sets and "shuffel together" a new stack with extra leafs.

Our 66 wagon has an 8 leaf stack and rides better when loaded with an extra 600 lbs or so.
My "driver" Dacuda has 7 leafs and a angled wedge... one of the long leafs is flipped up-side-down, to keep the vehicle low and the spring stack stiff... it works.
The race car lancer, 7 leafs in the front section and 4 in the back, past the axle... designed for positive locating, combined with softness, for a 2600 lb vehicle needed weight transfer.

There is a good amount of engineering that goes into rear leaf springs and the work involve to make a "custom set" is not real easy and can be dangerious.
Because of that, re-engineering leaf spring "piles" is not for everyone.
DD

[WagonsRcool]

I would go for either leaf spring option- it would be highly dependant on what I had more of: time or money. At the moment I have neither, so replacement leaf springs for my wagon are way down on the "must have" list.

IMO coil over shocks (or air shocks) are a waste. They "hold the car up" (& stress the shock mounts), but for me they had a negative impact on stability & handling of the rear suspension. The tailend of my valiant was "twitchy" -a bit like mild oversteer- yet harsh over bumps. (The front suspension was rebuilt with new joints, bushings, bigger T-bars & a small sway bar)

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63 Valiant Wagon
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[dlthomas]

Thank you all for your advice. I am not in a position to be taking apart and modifying any. If most of you stand behind ESPO, then I'll look at getting a heavier duty set. I'm sure that the old ones are stock. If any of you recommend another vendor, please let me know. Thanks!

[mackwagon]

we went to the JY and found that as mentioned dodge van springs are the right length. The center bolt is not in the right place, but they work. I think we grabbed E250 springs, and flipped the thick short leaf and flattened the pack. the rear rate is probably about 500 lbs/in. This is a rroad course race car, so we wanted it really stiff, and it is. car handles great on a track.

see photos for ride height


http://www.flickr.com/photos/telstar/6870862648/in/set-72157629673221263

http://www.flickr.com/photos/telstar/6870858198/in/set-72157629673221263

http://www.flickr.com/photos/telstar/7016978149/in/set-72157629673221263

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Dan H
Dudes Ex Machina