The left rear leaf spring came off tonight in about an hour, with minimal frustration and no surprises. Thanks FTE! Things are going well largely due to the "search" function here and past threads. The shop manual and parts catalog are great references, but I've found no substitute for this forum to really explain the little tricks that make all the difference.

Tonight also made me glad to have invested in the compressor...

Here are the main things I found to be very handy removing the leaf spring:
1) Clean off the "grease crud" and hit everything with penetrating oil a couple days ahead of time. PB Blaster loosens up the crud, but you still have to chip with a screwdriver.
2) Support the frame and the rear axle separately. This allows you to jack the rear axle up and down to take the load off the springs as required.
3) You need a torch and an impact wrench to get the four U-bolt nuts off. (I tried wrenching on them with a long breaker bar and just about pulled the truck off the jackstands with no effect on the nut.) Torch the nut until it is smoking hot, followed immediately by the impact wrench, and the nut should spin off in no time flat.
4)Once the U-bolt nut is off, lubricate the U-bolt threads and reinstall the nut. This will hold everything in place while you work to free the other frozen bolts. (if you leave one nut off and then try to work another one loose, the whole U-bolt assembly twists. Ask me how I know this... )
5) Remove and restore only one spring at a time and the remaining spring and the driveshaft will hold the axle at the right pinion angle.
6) Get an air hammer with a long punch. There are six items you need to "punch out" on each spring to get them off: three bushing retaining bolts then the three brass bushings themselves. Getting those bolts and bushings to slide out with a sledge hammer is the main sore subject most folks seem to run into, but the air hammer made the job almost fun. It's like a mini jack hammer for those who aren't familiar. MORE POWER!
7) The 56 is well designed with a hole in the frame rail to allow you to slide a long punch in and drive the brass bushings outwards with the air hammer. I had to use a two foot long 3/8 ratchet extension rod to reach the front bushing. A regular punch was long enough for the rear bushing on the spring shackle. Once the bushings are out, the springs are free to to drop down and be removed.

Next step will be to sandblast the springs and paint them.

 

No torch needed on mine. Just a long breaker bar...but I sprayed the bolts a few times over the week before. I have removed both the front and rear springs with no problems.

I wish you had posted about the holes and a punch before I spent an hour beating/prying/etc on the first rear one with no results.

 

Sounds like you had a heck of a time with the springs. I've never had a problem with the Ubolts coming loose. I'd be concerned using the torch on the bolts because it can soften or make the metal brittle. For safety reasons, I'd replace the Ubolts with new ones. Not sure why you are removing the brass bushing while the springs are on the truck? There should be a pin with a zerk fitting on one side that comes out and holds the spring in. With the pin out, the spring should drop down from the hanger. After the spring is out, you can press the brass bushing out (if its worn out?) Install is reverse. In cleaning my springs, I scraped most of the crude off with a putty knife. Then I sprayed with the springs with carb cleaner and wiped them down. Shoot some good rustoleum paint on them and they look great.

 

Thanks for the great tips on a nasty job and one of my favorite hates.

 

When I said "brass bushing" I should have said "pin". Just looked in the parts catalog and it's part#5780, "Pin-Rear Spring Shackle". My mistake.

Things aren't worn out at all, and I may well just leave the 6 brass bushings inside the spring eyes and rear shackle in place. Looks like grandpa always did regular lube jobs...everything was very clean and still round.

I'm definitely going to replace the U-bolts/nuts, as well as the four bolts/nuts in the spring clamps. Good points about the safety, and it will also just look better.

Another interesting discovery was once the rear shocks were off and cleaned up, they appear to be original Fomoco items with the Ford stamp and part number. They're going back in the truck after repainting with new rubber bushings and hardware.

Brian, you're right about how handy those frame rail holes are. Apparently older (pre-56) trucks don't have them on the front side of the spring.

 

They did have the holes before 56 but the front ones on my truck were blocked by a crossmember.

 

"Another interesting discovery was once the rear shocks were off and cleaned up, they appear to be original Fomoco items with the Ford stamp and part number. They're going back in the truck after repainting with new rubber bushings and hardware."

Is that wise? Id seriously doubt that the shock is anywhere close to original specs. The ones on my 54 F350 were 53K originals and spongy. Replacing with new Monroe gas ones made a huge difference in stability.

 

I agree with 286merc, no ones going to look to at your shocks to see if its original equipment. You can always put them aside. New shocks make a world of difference on the ride and they aren't that expensive. I'm running Monroes and they ride nice.

 

Aha, my job next week is ready to go thanks to you guys. One problem though. I cannot get the clutch pedal assembly to come apart so I can blast the frame what the heck is holding the darn thing together. I am about to use a wheel and cut it off. BTW that is how I did the rear springs and front end as well. Anything that would not come off I cut off with a wheel in no time. So far all has gone well.
Ed

 

That's a good point on the shocks. They didn't feel spongy before, but then again I've never felt what new ones are like...

Thanks for the advice. I'll go with new.