Long time lurker thankful for all the good info. I wasn't able to find much info on rear springs for the E150. Now that I've installed a new set, I though that I could share my experience.
I ordered a New set of rear springs (43-1033HD) On Sunday and got them Wednesday, very impressive service!
Very easy to install. I was afraid they would be a lot stiffer than my 15 years old ones but it doesn't seem to be. I only drove around the block and did a quick run on a unpaved, full of bumps , service road and they feel OK. I'll update with more miles.

Ride height has increased about 1.5". I replaced my springs and remove the 1" block I had and it seems taller with the new springs.




Before


After


I'll get more pictures over the weekend. I am expecting to drop a little once the springs set. I may have to put the 1" block.

Raul

 

Welcome to the world of the posters. Your van looks good.

Glad to hear SDTruckSprings has good service. I'm planning on ordering the rear springs for my 89 E350 ( 10 leaf springs ) and my 78 F150 4x4 from them.

How were the springs shipped? Were they in a box/crate or just loose? My E350 springs are going to cost a lot to ship so I'm just curious.

 

Are the springs you got what they call 4/1?

Sixto
93 E150 Chateau 5.8 190K miles

 

What you see on the picture is what I saw at my doorsteps. Each came by itself with the labels stuck on their bodies. I guess the shipping is expensive because of the weight. I ordered two bolts to get to $200 and use a coupon but the bolts never made it. I need to ask them. No biggy since I was able to reuse the ones I had.

These are the 4/1. I guess is 4 regular leaves and one short/stop one.

Again I am pretty please but I've only driven 1 mile so far. This is not my DD.

 

Thanks for the info. I'd get a hold of them about the bolts. Either they will ship you out another pair or better yet refund you your cash on them. Yep the E350 springs are heavy!! Shipping will run around $160.00 for the pair. Your lucky, the two E350 springs are going to cost me enough to let me use their big $40.00 off the $400+ coupon!! With shipping those rear springs are almost as much as I paid for my whole van. But hopefully they should fix my vans sagging rear.


Hopefully those springs work out for you in the long run. You need to put some miles on that van.

 

Feel free to send me a message if you guys ever need anything suspension related.. We don't drop ship our products from other warehouses so we can keep on top of quality control and make sure everything gets to you the first time. We do our best to price match and stay competitive.


-Junior

 

The only issue is with the wheel/tire/spacer combo. As now the edge of the tire sit right under the edge of the fender. In some specific situations (loaded, on wavy road, going fast) the tire would hit the edge of the fender. This was the final reason to change to new and stiffer springs.

I think that the wider foot print in the back helps with the van's stability, but I never had any issues with the stability and handling of the van. I've replaced ball joints, bushings, shock absorbers but no rear sway bar. My daily driver and track day toy is the M3 that you can see on the pictures. I drive the van the same way (understanding the limitations) and haven't have any issues.

 

Hello GreeVan,
i know this is an year-old thread ... Do you have more experience with those 43-1033HD springs? As of comfort/ stiffness, load capacity, riding height?

I had being looking for some solution to reduce sagging of my 2000 E150 with stock 3-leafs spring very similar to what is on your picture.

Thanks!

 

Den,
IT looks like you have the same issue I had, even with a 2" block I was bottoming. I love the current set up I have. Bilstein for E350 all around, cc880 up front and the HD springs in the rear. I am not sure how much the rear springs alone will do, though. They may be too tall with the original springs.

I like the comfort, but keep in mind that I like firm suspension. I drove a Crown Victoria as company car for a while and I hated it. If that is your idea of comfort, this is not.

I can not tell much about load capacity. This van is my toy, cycling, mountain biking, camping trips. I just did a three weeks trip with my daughters from Houston to San Francisco, LA, Yosemite and a bunch of other National Parks and I loved the handling on twisty roads, on dirt roads, Hwy... I do not load it much but it will definitely take heavier loads than the original ones.

Hope this helps.

This is how it looks like today, keep in mind that the fender flares make the fender opening look smaller.

 

GreeVan,
did you replace any other parts along with new leaf springs install? U-bolts, shackles? I sort of recalling reading somewhere a while ago that U-bolts has to be installed new for every removal of leaf spring. But it adds up, complete hardware set adds another $74 per side; pushing the cost of spring replacement to about $450 vs. about $300 for just 2 springs with shipping.
1992-2006 Ford E150 Super Duty - Leaf Spring (Rear - 4/1 Leaves) [43-1033HD] | $98.95 | SD Truck Springs | Leaf Springs, Helper Springs and Suspension Parts

On the other hand, the risk of axle coming off on the highway is kind of scary
May be just replace U-bolts?

 

My shackles were fine, I have no rust at all on the van (one good thing about TX). I was planning to replace the front and rear bolts holding the spring to the chassis and shackles but they came late and I reused the old ones.
As far as the U-bolts, you will have to use new ones as the new springs are thicker, the bolts need to be longer. Even if they would fit, I'll replace them with good quality ones. I used parts store U-bolts when I install the block and when I was trying to remove them, they snapped (I still got chills thinking about it).

I'll give the ATS guys a chance for ordering your springs. based on their forum comments, they seem like a decent place to shop.

 

Cool! Nice looking van, perfect for travel! This thing is invisible

How much is it loaded in the pic, do you recall?
Seem to sit a bit lower compare to just after the install.

Thanks!

 

I was not loaded too much. The middle captain chairs are removed and a mini fridge and microwave take their place which should save weight. Just the luggage for three people and some camping stuff. I guess the springs have yield some. The first pictures had 0 miles, the last one is about 6000 miles later.

 

I'm working on piecing together a suspension upgrade to our families '04 E150. I would love a UJOR conversion, or even Weldtec's full 4" lift - but neither of those are happening for a while. I like the stance of your van. after you put in the moog 880 coils - did you have any alignment issues? How did the ride change in the front?

Also, its hard to tell from the pic above - is the front basically level, or is there a slight rake. I assume you didn't put the 1" block back in?

Thanks

 

I like the handling a lot (Bilstein shocks). The van sits flat after the rear leaves settle. no blocks in the rear.

As far a as alignment, it is fine. the issues I have with alignment are from trying to get it done with the lifetime Firestone service. I have the 2 pieces adjusting cams and they are too complex for those guys.

I tried the CC860S (if I recall the right part number) and the van looked cool (taller) but rid like a pogo stick and there was no way to adjust the right camber. With the taller springs you should use longer shock absorbers and modify the arms.

Overall, I am very pleased with the performance of my current suspension for the use I give it.