It's Rolling, Pics Added!
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
From: Bloomfield, Iowa
It's Rolling, Pics Added!
Got it rolling again. The rear still needs to come down a couple inches. Switching between 4 and 5 leaves from the original 7. With 4 leaves and some junk sitting in the box (3 speed tranny out of the unibody, T-bird trunk lid, set of inner fenders, grill, valance and right fender off this truck and some scrap aluminum) it sat on the rubber snubbers. With 5 leaves and the junk gone, it sits like the pics (a bit high in the tail for my tastes).
Any ideas? These springs seem awful soft. Maybe a set of overload/coil shocks? Anyone run them? Maybe get rid of everything but the first 2 leaves and put a set of real coilovers on it? Airbags?
Looking for suggestions.
SPark
Any ideas? These springs seem awful soft. Maybe a set of overload/coil shocks? Anyone run them? Maybe get rid of everything but the first 2 leaves and put a set of real coilovers on it? Airbags?
Looking for suggestions.
SPark
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,190
Likes: 2
From: Riverside, So Cal
Looking good!!! I love the rims. I think the ride height is OK where it is. I like the back maybe 2" higher than the front.
I guess you first have to decide if it's a working truck where you need to accomodate various weight in the bed. I use a pair of Gabriel Hijacker air shocks on mine. That way, when I tow or haul, I can just add some air to set the ride height again. Works pretty well.
I guess you first have to decide if it's a working truck where you need to accomodate various weight in the bed. I use a pair of Gabriel Hijacker air shocks on mine. That way, when I tow or haul, I can just add some air to set the ride height again. Works pretty well.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,527
Likes: 2
From: Grande Prairie, Alberta
I would suggest that you use airbags to get your 2-3" of height. That way you can raise it to the desired height and suspension stiffness for long trips on highway and let some air out when cruising around town for the look you want. The air bags would give you alot more flexibility.
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 281
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From: Bloomfield, Iowa
Went ahead and removed the 5th leaf (again) and it sits better. Now about 2" off the stock bump stop. That's with the bed cleaned out and 20 gallons of gas sitting where the Mustang tank will be.
My concern is that if I put 2 or 300 pounds of anything in the bed, it will be against the stops again. I like the idea of the air shocks. Haven't had a set since about '74 but will look into them. I want to be able to run engine parts back and forth to the engine builder (200 miles each way), go to swap meets, etc and the air shocks might give me the latitude I want/need.
Thanks,
SPark
My concern is that if I put 2 or 300 pounds of anything in the bed, it will be against the stops again. I like the idea of the air shocks. Haven't had a set since about '74 but will look into them. I want to be able to run engine parts back and forth to the engine builder (200 miles each way), go to swap meets, etc and the air shocks might give me the latitude I want/need.
Thanks,
SPark
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More Turbo
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 670
Likes: 6
From: south-central PA
i also like your choice of wheels,
i'm not real familiar with your leaf spring setup,
is the leaf pack on top of the axle tube? (or below)
how long its your shackle?
i don't like to remove leafs myself, i like to keep the payload and ride quality.
i'm a fan of moving the entire leaf pack to a new location, one way is to move/or make new the spring hangers and then use a small shackle length change to fine tune the ride height.
i'm not real familiar with your leaf spring setup,
is the leaf pack on top of the axle tube? (or below)
how long its your shackle?
i don't like to remove leafs myself, i like to keep the payload and ride quality.
i'm a fan of moving the entire leaf pack to a new location, one way is to move/or make new the spring hangers and then use a small shackle length change to fine tune the ride height.
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Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
From: Bloomfield, Iowa
On a '57 the axle sits under the leafs. You can put it on top of the leafs but that's more of a drop than I'm wanting and you have to "C" notch the frame.
You can put a longer shackle on the rear but you only gain about an inch before you hit the bed (the shackle goes up from the frame to the leaf eye). If you do that you need to also move the front eye mount an inch or shim the rearend to keep the pinion angle. A lot of work for an inch in my eyes.
This is by no means a working truck anymore. It's hardest job will be to haul engine parts to the builder's shop and haul completed motors back home. Other than tthat it's a parts runner and cruiser.
I took the 5th leaf back out, back to 4. Going to try it this way and probably go the air shock route.
Thanks,
SPark
You can put a longer shackle on the rear but you only gain about an inch before you hit the bed (the shackle goes up from the frame to the leaf eye). If you do that you need to also move the front eye mount an inch or shim the rearend to keep the pinion angle. A lot of work for an inch in my eyes.
This is by no means a working truck anymore. It's hardest job will be to haul engine parts to the builder's shop and haul completed motors back home. Other than tthat it's a parts runner and cruiser.
I took the 5th leaf back out, back to 4. Going to try it this way and probably go the air shock route.
Thanks,
SPark
