I've been busy for 2 weeks, i replaced the left front leaf spring with another from my spare pile. The old one was bent (check in my gallery in a few days I'll post pics). So I installed new rubber bushings in the leaf , what a pain in the @## that was and installed new shocks.
What a difference in ride now !!!!!!
Very firm, no clatter of loose eye bolts and the ride is almost great

BUT........

The left and right leaf springs obviously have slightly different heights and the truck sits a little lopsided now. I tightened all the eyebolts for the spring with full weight on the wheels so the rubbers shouldn't be holding the spring up.

I heard where the spring can be heated to give it some sag. Is this something I can do with oxy/acetlyne ? Anyone have experience trying this ?

I will drive the truck for a few days and maybe the front left will settle but i don't think so.

 

My understanding on springs is as follows: If the springs don't level out you will need to have them re-arched. This is done cold. Using heat could take out temper resulting in a nice piece of steel but a poor spring. I suggest taking both springs to a spring shop and having them re-arched as a matching set. Anyone else been down this road?

 

I had some springs rearched several years ago. Took them to a spring shop in Houston, I think it was Heidt's Springs. They do a lot of heavy truck work, 18 wheelers & such. It was reasonable , $25 each and I got them back the next day.

Bob

 

I have had some done by a spring shop as well as doing some myself. As was pointed out DON'T try to heat them! If you have both springs out, and all the leaves on each side match each other in dimensions but not arch it's possible to re-arch the ones that don't match at home if you have the right tools. You'll need a section of heavy "I" beam with at least a 6" web (try your local scrap yard for a short cutoff, they are real handy to have around to use as an anvil or edge to bend metal over) and a 4# hand sledge or maul. Lay the I beam on it's side so the flanges are vertical and place the leaf you want to bend across the flanges. Start hammering on the spring between the flanges moving the spring a couple inches further along after every one or two hits, you don't need to "kill" it, let the hammer do the work. Keep working from one end to the other checking against the reference leaf often until they match. Hint: it's easier to create more arch than straightening, and wear earplugs if you want to continue being able to hear. If you live way out in the country somewhere a blacksmith with a power hammer could do the same for you.
Use a couple good sized C clamps to hold the leaves together when removing and replacing centerbolts. The leaves should have arch so they contact the next larger one at the ends with a space in the center that the centerbolt pulls together. Auxiliary or helper leaves contact at the center first rather than at the ends.

 

My '52 came with one new front leaf spring. The two springs had different arcs. I shuffled the leaves between the two sets and bolted them together to compare the resulting arcs. A couple of tries and reshuffles and I had them within a 1/4" of each other. To check them, place the two sets with the arcs up on the floor, side by side and you can compare the heights (don't worry about the length). Place the highest arc'd set on the driver's side. ...Terry

 

Did you happen to watch the episode of Overhaulin several months back. When they showed the pickup with the 4" section of the front leaf spring missing. Not worth it to try and do a shade tree torch job on any spring these days. I would suggest taking it to a spring shop and let them be liable.

 

Is there a reason you didn't take the springs from both side of your parts truck?

 

At first i didn't think about the springs having different heights, so i only took the one i needed. Then as i started to do the work I started to wonder about this. I know now i won't try to heat the spring.....yes i saw that overhaulin' show.
I might just live with this little glitch, or hope maybe the spring saggs, or look at some mono leaf springs, or take them both off and have them slightly dearched to lower the front and even it out.
Thanks all

 

Trust me on this, you don't want to go monoleaf!

 

The guys at the spring shops do a good job and they know what to look for when it comes to small cracks etc that can cause the springs to fail. They are well worth the money for what they do. Given all of that, I have used the "stack and compare" method also several times with very good luck. Sometimes you can add in an extra leaf although that might involve cutting a leaf to length. Don't cut them off square tho. Use a \_/ pattern on the end. Adding two leafs will really stiffen up the ride.