I am about ready to get the rear end attached to the frame and have been looking for leaf springs. I went to JC Whitney and found front leaf springs for the 51 F-1, but no rear springs. Will the springs for the front work for the rear, or are they a different set-up in the rear? I have found rear springs at other places, but they are asking more than I can really afford at the moment and JCW is in my price range, for the front springs at least (and I already have front springs). Thanks for the info.


Kerry

 

Unless you want original you can get the speings and brackets from a Ford Ranger and drill holes and bolt them right on. All you have to do is bolt the springs to your rear end then center the rear end in the fenders, clap the brackets down. I would also recommend putting some weight on the springs while they are clamped down to make sure its centered. I would onlu mark and drill one side then measure the other side then drill that way if one side is off the other will be the same. I ran Ranger springs on my 55 for 10 years before going with the TCI kit. There are some pics in my first gallery. I'm sure you can't use the front springs on the rear

 

Don't know for sure on the '51 but the leafs on my '54 are different lengths front and rear. Someone should be along soon to confirm so I'd hold off purchasing from JCW until you can verify.

 

Rear springs are longer and I think wider than the front springs. Consider Posies for the rear. I used the slightly lowered set which give 1 or 2 inches of drop. I put in a nine inch rear in my 52 and the larger rear axle removed any possible lowering from the springs. I found the price to be much better than stock replacement springs. Good option if you don't plan on hauling much as the posies springs are not rated as high as stock.

 

JCW is typically not the cheapest game in town. Whatever they have can usually be found at a better price from a specialty supplier. I'd suggest calling Mid Fifty www.midfifty.com (hmm, they stripped the toll free # out of my post???) and requesting one of their new F1 parts catalogs. Sy and her girls really know their parts, and seek out the best for the money. If there is a higher quality more expensive part and a lower quality but will do the job, cheaper part, they will typically offer both, but will be honest about telling you the difference between them.

 

First of all, the front springs have smaller eyes than the rear. The fronts have 8 leafs and the rears have 10. It is, IMHO, a total waste of money to buy new springs. All you need to do is remove the springs, clean and repaint them, re-arch them if they are sagged, bolt them back together and use new bushing and or shackle kits. The length of the springs in the front (eye to eye) is 36" and they are 1 3/4" wide, 8 leafs, and the spring has a 4 1/4" arch. The Rear is 45" long 2" wide, 10 leafs, and a 6" arch.
When you rebuild springs, you can de-arch them, remove some leafs, or rebuild them to stock specs, etc. All you need is a spring spreader (easy to make with 1" square tubing and 3/4 all thread and a hacksaw) and you can buy new bushings and shackles. Painting them black with a good chassis paint makes them look and perform better than new springs that are usually not painted or have a very thin coat.

To arch a leaf, use a sledgehammer, a concrete floor with the arch desired drawn in chalk, and whack as required. To increase the arch, use 4 x 4s on the floor supporting the spring and whack it in the middle. It is not rocket science, and it is easy to do. All this will give you a perfect spring and save you a lot of money.

Finally, if you want to lower the height some, have a spring shop reverse the spring eyes, or just buy the main leaf with reversed spring eyes. Of course, with 6" of arch in the rear and over 4" in the front, you can de-arch the springs a couple of inches without seriously reducing the wheel travel. Reversing the eyes will lower the truck without reducing the wheel travel.

Regards,

Alan

 

The number for midfifty is 1-800-252-1956
It is to bad that they only have parts for 1953-1956
I guess that us guys with 48-52 are out of luck

 

No no no! MF just launched a Bonus Built division!!!! Give em a call and request a print catalog. If it's half as useful as the 53-56 one it will still be a must have just for the extra info in it.

 

I'm in the process of getting my springs re-arched. Farmed it out. Everything described above for $75 per spring

 

If having a set built or rebuilding them yourself put the HMW plastic strips in between the leafs, better than new ride.

 

Following the thought in Alan's post, has anyone de-arched their rear springs to further lower the truck? I have already reversed the eyes on my rear main leafs and moved the forward mounting bracket up on the frame rail as far as it will go. I currently have 3 (I think) leaves removed. I would prefer to put the removed leaves back in and re-arch the leaves. Who has done this and what free arch (unloaded arch-fully assembled rear spring) worked well from both a lowering and load carrying perspective when reinstalled? If I remember correctly on my F-1 the assembled free arch on the rear spring was in the 9-10 inch range.
Note that I re-arch using my bottle jack press. I am getting too old to swing the hammer that much.
Anone been down this road?