I'm just throwing out some feeler as to what options I have. The rear springs on my 77 Crew Cab 2wd have been hacked beyond repair, ie seen a torch and welder (no cracks though thank goodness). Plus the PO installed 2 additional 1/2" leafs, and welded the nuts to the hangers. So what would be the best option for replacing them, and maybe the hangers too? They're 2.5" springs. The axle leaks and the brakes are well-done, so should I consider upgrading to a 10.5 sterling? How about air bags? The truck will soon be my DD and camper hauler, so a wife-happy ride would be great.

 

A sterling 10.25 is equal in strength to a Dana 70 is what I keep hearing. If you want to get a dually a or for it you could do that, late 90s and new rear springs will have good capacity and be pretty soft.

 

For the springs, suggest you start at a local spring shop. I got a nice replacement set for my '78 F250 4 WD that way at reasonable cost in a few days.

Mine had factory springs plus overload springs in bad shape (cracked). Ride was poor. A new set of standard F250 springs fixed it up and ride was much better.

To deal with the weight of the camper you have a few choices. 1) Run standard capacity springs and let it sag when loaded 2) Run heavy springs or overloads. It will ride OK with the weight on it but ride will be poor empty 3) Standard springs plus air bags. Empty truck with bags deflated it will ride OK. Air up the bags to take the sag out with the camper. On mine, if I need to run heavy a lot in the future, I'll add the bags.

I'd try the standard springs first and add bags if sag is excessive.

On the axle, where is it leaking? If its the pinion seal and the rest of the axle is in decent shape, its not a hard or expensive repair. Full brake replacement will cost a bit but its not too hard either.

 

Thanks for the replies.
I just googled spring shops for my area and notice Inland Truck does springs, so I'll give them a call next week to check their pricing. The camper is a 7' wide ultra-light, so now you've got me thinking about downgrading the stock HD springs to a standard set, especially since I won't be towing more than a couple dozen times a year. When I mentioned air bags, I meant converting to a 4-link rear and bagging it. My wife's future step dad teaches chassis fabrication, and he'd be more than happy to walk me though the conversion. I'm guessing bags are out of my price range right now though.
The axle is leaking everywhere but the diff cover, so all together it needs seals, brackets, brakes, bushings and springs. It does have new shocks though!

 

Sounds good. For the axle, suggest you pull the shafts and inspect areas where the bearings and seals ride. Also pull the cover and check condition of the ring and pinion. If bearing/seal areas look OK and gears are OK without excessive slop, just re-seal it. $30 or $40 worth of seals will get the leaks out. The hub seals are easily done with the brakes. A service manual will have correct procedure for the pinion seal.

If the axle doesn't look good then time for a different one. The OE Dana 60 is a good unit as long as you are not trying to tow 15k lb or something like that. Just my preference to keep things stock type unless there is a real benefit for a change. It makes service easier. Dialing in spring perch locations, drive shaft angles ect. with a different axle can be a chore. I'd look for a D60 personally or maybe rebuild the one you have.

 

Last year upgraded a 1970 crew to modern leafs. 66" long leafs compared to the 70 leaf about 52" long. Huge difference. had to change perch mounts and move stuff around and lots of measureing. installed 3/4 ton 2010 superduty leafs and will have air bag assist. the ride quality is a lot better. Bought factory leafs from salvage yard in good shape. need to have all parts hangar to hangar attached to leaf. if not trip to ford for parts. The rear shackle is bigger in diameter and will not fit old ford factory parts. not sure of your fuel tank if a side mount might be a issue. have some photos in my picture and not really a big deal to me but lots of tapemeasure time, measure 5 times and drill once. ride quality is what i want and towing. air bag assist for heavy application. if a 4 wheeler in back no big deal! something to consider?

 

For a possible trouble saver, clean out the vent plug on the axle, clean the axle and run it for a few days. See if the leak is still there. Most of my axle leaks were from that vent being plugged. When the fluid is heated, it expands and pushes out where it can,, the seals. Just worth a look.

 

I was updating old posts when I noticed my last reply to this thread didn't post. Anyway...
Thanks for the info! I'll be going this route as soon as I sell my motorcycle (anyone need an 01 yamaha vstar?) and I can find the parts.
I lurked on FTE a bit before getting my truck, and read a tread that mention what you said, so cleaning the vent was the first bit of maintenance I did. The vents on my truck and a buddy's truck were both so packed I had to drill the grime out. I've also dived into the axle to find oil soaked and roached shoes, but everything else looked fine, so the Dana 60 is staying. It also has 4.10's, which aren't ideal for the 300 and highway driving, so a little spring and gear work are on the horizon. Thanks all again for the info/advice! Adam