Both spring packs are 3" wide. Add all the leaves you want, compensate with longer U-bolts, correct the new pinion angle, longer brakelines, know that the driveshaft length will need to be changed and/or at least checked.

Answer your question?

 

I'm sorry to ask, you guys are talking about the rear axle correct? is it not connected to two leaf springs by u-bolts?

honestly I'm not trying to stir the pot by bumping this thread, but it really has bugged me trying to figure out what the heck the axle is going to be supported by, granted I don't have any dana rear ends, only 9". I readily admit I don't know a damn thing about lifting, and have done good just to understand that the OP says he put leaves in the front and now he has to lift up the back.....I'm not trying to argue because I know you guys know more than I do, just trying to understand.

(scratches head...)?

 

Been gone for a long while, I'm back. Anyway, I find it funny how you claim to not know much about lifting trucks yet you understand what I'm saying more than all these guys who claim to know what they're talking about. You get it that I swapped in a leaf sprung 1-ton front axle and by doing so the front now sits higher than the rear. To get the *** end of the truck back up to just taller than the front (rake), I need to put a taller leaf spring pack in the rear instead of just adding taller lift blocks(obvious reasons why). I want to bolt up my set of '85 F250 leaf springs under the rear of the Bronco and add a few of the stock Bronco leaves to it to achieve the proper stance. My question was, how much of a strength difference(spring rate) is there between the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton springs? I want to know so I can either add a few of the thicker springs from the bottom of the 3/4 ton pack to the bottom of the 1/2 ton pack to keep a softer ride but have an increase in ride height or if I should just add some of the thicker springs from the bottom of the 1/2 ton pack to the bottom of the 3/4 ton pack if the springs are all close to the same rate anyway.
I added a leaf to my 1/2 ton Bronco packs years ago so the Bronco has 6 leaves and the F250 has 5 so I was just wondering which packs I should use as a starting point? Mind you, I could buy a shackle reversal kit or something to lift the rear and keep the stock leaves but that costs money. I already have all the parts I need to just make my own pack so thats the route I will take but I just want to know what pack I should start out with?

 

Well JBG lists these as the highest spring rates for their 1/2 ton springs 1700lb per spring.

Their 3/4 and 1 ton springs are 2,450lb per spring (8.5" arch, meant for no block) and 2,977lb per spring ( 4.75" arch meant for use with factory block)

Hope this helps a bit. They did not list arch heights for the 1/2 ton set-up.

 

Yes this helps. This is the kind of info I was looking for instead of every Tom, Dick, and Harry saying what he would do different if he were in my shoes even though he is not and has no idea the situation I am in or my reasoning for doing so. Thank you for your information.

 

Communication skills here are lacking. To better understand what is going on, pictures would have helped.

Whether you have the 8.5" arch with no block, or the 4.75" arch with block, you are still starting at an 8.5" height.... IE stock, and we don't know which you have (F250 block or no block). That said, I would say using the F250 springs (all of them) would be a better starting point, so you will start with a 3/4 ton rating. Then add the 1/2 ton leaves to gain more height. But what do I know?

 

Nope because in the process of you trying to act like a wise guy you totally missed the point. Sure if one end is taller then just add more leaves to the other to compensate but I guess reading comprehension is something you lack. I suggest you re-read what was written.

 

I wouldn't say communication skills are lacking I'd say your reading comprehension skills should be questioned since nobody had trouble understanding what is going on except for you. You want me to post pictures for you to understand what I'm talking about?
See, in case you didn't know, books for children have pictures to help them understand what is going on in a given scenario. Now, adult literature usually lacks a lot of pictures because those with fully developed brains should have the ability to use the words given to create an accurate mental picture. Seeing as how the words I used to describe my situation were clearly written and are pretty much straight forward, I suggest you go back, read some of my previous posts, close your eyes and try real hard to picture in your head what I am talking about. It's really not that complicated I can assure you. I mean for gods sake, all I was asking was whether or not one type of leaf pack was a better starting point than the other? Hopefully Santa left some Hooked on Phonics under your tree this year.

 

YES! There is a difference in the the springs. Length is of no concern, but spring rate is. The "stiffness" of the 3/4 springs is more than the 1/2 ton springs. When you go buy new packs the guy will ask what your gvwr is for your truck. This is so they can get you springs with the correct rate and arch. Putting springs in from one rate to the weaker one will cause then to flex against each other. Also mixing used springs is a bad idea. They have wore at different rates and don't mix. We used to get the packs and have them rearched. If we needed more hieght we asked the guy to add a couple inches of arch to the springs. This was always cheaper than new packs but I don't know if anybody still does this kinda work. Why not just use the 3/4 ton springs to bring it back to the right hieght. Also be sure to use the angle block from the origanal Bronco spring pack to get the pinion angle. When I did my diesel swap I also swapped the whole suspension fron the donor. I didn't use the block at the start and it caused so much vibration at 55 plus i thought she was comeing apart.

 

Thanks for being the first person to answer my question without getting off topic. I just don't want springs to be breaking inside the pack due to mixing springs of different rates. Yeah, I will keep the pinion angle correct to avoid u-joint breakage but I don't think I will have to worry about driveline vibration at high speed since I doubt I will be taking it past 20mph. This truck is sort of a bug out/hunting/farm use truck that is constructed of my spare parts I've accumulated over the years and I plan to keep the build cost under $200. The only money I'm spending is on belts, fluids, gaskets, and welding rods. Besides you, everyone keeps trying to tell me how to build my own rig when they don't even know what it's for. Instead of answering the question I asked, they jump right to telling me other things I need to do without even knowing my project goals. Anyway, thanks for sticking to the topic and not acting like some know-it-all hero online mechanic.

 

You are welcome.

 

Since you have a donor truck, a shackle flip will cost you basically nothing. Take the front spring hangers from the donor, install them in place of the rear ones on your bronco. You can flip the stock shakles upwards (with a slight rearward angle) to get about 4'' of lift with a stock ride. This also automatically tips the pig upwards and usually works great with a rear cardan joint.