I have a broken leaf on the passenger side rear leaf spring. I've decided that I'm going to try and tackle this one myself since my local tire place wants to charge me close to $600 to do the job, $300 of that being labor! I decided to jack up my truck today and pull the wheel off just to take a look at everything to see what I'll be getting into. To be honest, it doesn't look all that difficult to me. Is it as simple as pulling off the u-bolts and plate above it and then just unscrewing the bolts from the ends to take it off the the hangers? Or is there a lot more to it than that? I'm sure the bolts may be a little rough getting off since they're are so old. If you guys have any tips or know of any instructions out there that could help me with this, or can let me know of anything I left out, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

 

Are you going to replace just the broken leaf or the entire set? If you are replacing just the broken leaf, you will need to buy a new center bolt. I would have lots of WD-40 or PB Blaster on hand as the U-bolts can be difficult. A torch wouldn't be a bad idea either. Sometimes a little heat goes a long ways. Sometimes the bolts that go through the eye of the springs can be a real "bugger" to get out. I have used a C-clamp style ball joint press with good results. It is a straight forward job but rusted parts can try ones patients. Where I live, rusted spring shackles (especially the rear ones) are quite common. If yours is rusted, now would be the time to replace them.

 

I'm actually just going to go ahead and replace the whole set on both sides. I had the rear shackles replaced a couple of years ago, so they're in pretty good shape. I was debating on whether to get new springs or used ones from a junkyard. My truck is old so I wasn't sure if getting new ones would even be worth it or not. The one broken leaf is barely still in there and it's pushed sideways leaning against the hanger for the tailpipe. So, I definitely need to get this done soon! Thanks for the advice.

 

i WOULD GO TO THE JUNKYARD AND GET ONE, I will copy and paste a write up I have some of the info might help you

In many cases Removing the Bed Helps in the aiding of repairs. ie. Fuel pump replacement, hanger and shackle replacement, etc

1)the fuel cap filler is held on with 3 bolts 7mm?

2)there is an electrical disconnect at the bumper for the taillights.

3)The bed is held on with 6 torx 55 bolts. 2 of the bolts closest to the cab are longer than the other 4. I recommend buying 2 torx 55 sockets in case one breaks
4 or 5 of the bolts can be accessed from underneath and should be hit with a rust penetrator
I recommend at least one of the following, impact wrench, 1/2 ratchet with a pipe or a 1/2 breaker bar. it takes some muscle to remove the bolts.

4)The bed can be slid down for a fuel pump replacement or removed my 2 Men. a cherry picker.

5) In the event you are removing the bed for a fuel pump replacement. MAKE SURE YOU DISCONNECT THE NEG BATTERY TERMINAL.

6) You should change your fuel filter hile the bed is off. tool required or equivalent 5/16 FF performance tool W83130

7) I replaced my bolts with regular hex bolts. Ford wanted $16 a bolt. I ordered my online for less than $3 each. the 2 cloest to the cab are 12m x 1.75 x 120mm and the other 4 are 12m x 1.75 x 100mm

8) I changed the rear hangers and shackles on my rear leaf springs. I used Dorman 722-010 and 722-001. all 4 pieces were less than $100. They come in a kit with everything you need, bolts etc. I used a grinder to grind the heads of the bolts off. this only took about 10 minutes a hanger. I had a dewault grinder and bought 2 metal grinding wheels at the home depot. I only used 1 they were about $3. I had a hard time getting the bushing out of the eye of the spring. I finally decided to use my drill and a good 1/4 bit. I drilled the rubber out that was in the middle of the bushing. the rest just slide out. I greased up the new bushing and temporarily put the bolt in and hammered it in the eye. You don't want to torque the bolts that attach the spring to the shackle until the truck is on the ground.

 

I found an auto salvage yard that will sell me a pair for 75 a piece. I think I'm going to get those and put them on myself as long as they're in decent shape. I'd rather pay 150 than 600, especially on a truck as old as mine. As far as the u bolts and bushings go, do auto parts stores sell something like that? I'd at least like to replace those with new parts instead of putting the old back on or using the old parts from the springs I'm getting. Thanks.

 

a few years back i had to buy a rear leafspring for a f150 i think i paid $12 for the whole thing. put it on in about an hour. i reused the bolts

 

$12?? Wow, how did you manage to get one so cheap? I'll do some more calling around to see if anyone else is cheaper. If not, I'd still be alright with paying $150 if they're in good shape.

 

Another option would be to get 1 leaf from a salvage yard and put that in as a replacement for the broken one. Since your truck
is so old and you don't want to put a lot of money, this is an option you may want to consider. I don't know as I'm still on my originals.

 

OK guys, I'm getting the leaf spring from the salvage yard today and I'm going to put it on when I get back. What do you think it the best place to put the jack stand on that side? Should I put it under the axle, under the frame somewhere near there, or maybe both? I'm just going to replace the bad one for now. If it ends up being a bit lopsided I'll just go back and get the other one and replace the driver's side as well. Anyway, just wanted to make sure I have my truck supported in the right spot before starting this. Thanks.