Lose another leaf?
 

Is anyone running 4 leaves in the rear? I am currently running 5 and I just don't have that comfy pudding soft ride I have up front. Wondering if anyone is running 4 and would recommend it. I could stand another half inch drop in back anyway. I had 4 leafs on at one time, but it was long before I ever drove my truck and I added the fifth back in before I finished the suspension.

Now before someone mentions the reduction in work capacity, let me mention there is little chance that hauling would ever happen. We wouldn't want to chance scuffing the oak. :)

My mind is ablaze with clever retorts, but ahh, b/t the "pudding soft", "half inch drop in the back", and "4 leaves in the rear" statements, it's just TOO easy, so I'll provide a semi-serious answer (translation: I'll leave the hacking to Fergie... this time!).

A bunch of people in my car club run with 4 springs. They made the switch and like the ride and are happy with it; assuring the rest of us "you'll never go back". Is there enough thread left, or will you need new U's? Hopefully you can use the same U's and just tighten the nuts down (don't even THINK of going there; I cut you some slack!). Just as an FYI, could you take before and after measurements and post, so we can all know how much difference it makes in height? I may consider same for Butch.

Many thanks!
Butch n Me :-wink

PS- happy 4th!!!

Daryl

That's what I wanted to hear. I'll probably do it today. I can't do the before height but I am guessing 1/2 drop at the absolute most.

I'd measure for you, but you see I parted out my brother-in-law's truck. And he had a brand new bed kit. So I paid the money and upgraded. A couple days ago my bed left on a trailer with Nick, a friend of Truckfarmer's. Here I go again. Back to the paint store, start sanding some new oak. Wifey is not amused.

And by the way I have the solution for your 302 worries. Lose the box. Talk about some good scratch. It rips tire when I put it in gear. Throttle is optional. :)

Pudding Soft? Why don't ya replace the chassis with a water bed frame?

It's the 4TH of July Weekend - We need some Fireworks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmm............ water-ride spension. I think yer on to something Dickey!

BTW, I got considerably more drop than I would have thought. We'll call it 1/2" but it was clearly more than that. This is with the bed off, measured from top of the axle to the rubber bumper. That spring I pulled must give it up pretty easy.

It will be awhile before I know the full extent of ride softening.

i am running 3 leafs with the front hanger moved up, was figgy puddin til i sat my 250 lb's on the back and welded my coilover shocktowers on. i will post some pics today. got the front end in too, mine was real smooth b/c i put grease between my leafs.

Ok, as most of you guys know, I attempted to take some leafs out. Getting very discouraged after half my rear end of the truck was laying on the floor and I had over 2 inches of grime and dust on me, I decided just to put it back so it was drivable for an upcoming truck show. (mind you, I have extensive mechanical background ) No comment innercity. LOL... The job is by no means a piece of cake. Figure on spending a good afternoon and evening doing this task. A buddy of mine just completed his on a 55 Effie. He went from 6 leafs to three. The ride is considerably softer, and can be really noticed when hitting a pothole of dip. (Thought the rear of the truck fell off). As for measurements, He had 33" at the start, That's from the ground to the center of the rear fender. After the leafs were removed (3 of them) he had 32 1/8". Basically the width of the leafs which were removed. I think if I'm going through all this trouble of removing leafs, etc. I'm just going to purchase some mono leafs. I can lower the rear 2 inches easily and the ride is still pretty good and all the U bolts, etc is included.

'fenders

Let me know on the ride and how much you drop. I am planning on mono but if you like the results, I would like to go that way. Cost of trucking starting to get noticed :-X01

Jet Jock
"I drive a 'girly' 302 because, when I want to go fast, I go to work" :-X24

Jet Jock

Don't do the monos. I can't find a soul that likes them. There is a reason why OEM stacks multiple leafs. It is the only way to get a progressive spring rate from a leaf spring suspension. The OEM never did the mono (for long) on anything I am aware of. They would have if it worked well because they like to peel a dime off costs wherever they can. Once your springs are disassembled, blasted and painted, it is fairly simple to adjust them. I pulled a leaf and had wheels back on the ground in no more than 30 minutes. Honest.

I am definitely softer in the rear. It is going to work. I can't pull any more or my BF Goodrichs will be kissing some new fenders. That's OK, I am plenty low now. By the time I jack the Volare back up an inch I will have just a very slight rake. And I still have over 3 inchs of suspension travel. I won't compromise performance to look good. You'll regret it if you do.

I hear you on the budget. My investment is getting a bit out of hand per mile driven.

Later

I'll have to agree and disagree with fatfender. Mono leafs are single leaf, however they have more tension than leafs. It is actually a firm ride versus taking the tension out when removing leafs. Ford puts those leafs in there for a reason. The mono leaf is designed to take place of the leafs with allowing for lowering of the springs. Granted, removing leafs is a cheap way of going. I really don't think removing leafs brings the rear end down, especially if your looking at getting more than 2 inches. I guess it would OK, if you only want to go lower by no more than an inch to level out the truck. As for 30 minutes to put the leafs together? Maybe, if your using all brand new parts and have a hydraulic lift available. It took me far more than that with an impact wrench just to get the nuts off the U bolts. (Were not even talking about removing the leaf clamps and the center bolt holding the leafs together. I do agree with you on the statement "I won't compromise performance to look good" Great statement!

"As for 30 minutes to put the leafs together? Maybe"

I'm gonna cheat and use air tools. All my hardware is new or cleaned and never siezed. Absolutely every bolt in my truck. I can't help it, it's just what I do. Sorry if it sounded like I was slamming your post, but I pulled the fifth leaf in under 30 minutes. There is no doubt it takes longer until you completely disassemble and restore your spring pack the first time. Much longer than 30 minutes. Once everything is clean or new, you can drop the nine inch in just a few minutes with air tools

You'll have to explain your monoleaf theory in a little more detail. I did not understand. They are not very progressive in my opinion. They have to be pretty stiff to the hold up the truck. With a multi leaf you can pull them out one at time until you achieve what you want. You better like your monoleaf because you are stuck with it.

If I decide I want my fifth leaf back it's not a problem. A big block might wrapup 3 or 4 leaves on acceleration. Maybe my SB will. We'll address that if it happens. A smooth ride and level ride is what I am chasing. And you get more drop than the thickness off the leaf. The remaining leaves have to take up the weight and will bend a little more. Total drop is going to vary with condition of your springs for sure though.

We can disagree,that is part of what this place for. I'll read anything you have about monoleaf with an open mind. I am just opinionated by personal experience on Chevy II monos and the opinions posted here by other F100 owners that tried them.

I'm not here to argue or disagree either fatfenders, but I do express my ideas and experiences as you do. With your truck having all new parts, bolts etc. I do believe it is easy to remove a leaf in 30 minutes. I've done it on my 98 F150. However, an old 50's f-100 with the original suspension is another story. I truly don't think there is an ultimate suspension I wish there was. Each has it's pros and cons. By no means am i endorsing mono leaf suspension. I merely think it's a better alternative to removing leafs to lower the vehicle. Several factors come into play also. Money is one of them. Time another. I speak from experience on my 56. It was extremely difficult, frustrating trying to remove leafs. Not to mention having to replace nearly everything I removed to get to the leafs. As my friends vehicle, he removed 3 leafs and only received 7/8's of an inch lowering, and sacrificed the stability of the rear of the truck particularly over bumps. I'm really not sure what method I want to use at this time. I know the rear of my truck needs to be lowered. I guess I'll keep reading informative posts and getting opinions from everyone. I'm no expert, and don't claim to be. The great part of this website is we see various points of views. Believe me, your points have merit and are very helpful as are others who post info here. I'm grateful for guys like you who share their experiences and increase my knowledge on vintage trucks.

"I truly don't think there is an ultimate suspension I wish there was. Each has it's pros and cons. By no means am i endorsing mono leaf suspension. I merely think it's a better alternative to removing leafs to lower the vehicle."

imlowr2

Sorry if I caused the tone of this discussion to go sour. Are you saying you are, or have successfully run monoleafs on an F100? If you are, let us know exactly where you got them. The exact source would be useful. The reason I jump on them is because in three years here, I have not run into anyone that had anything good to say about them. Leads me to believe there must certainly be some bad monos out there for sale. Jet Jock is a pretty good friend of mine, and I would hate to see him have a bad experience with them. They aren't cheap.

Ultimate leaf springs? I suspect it is a brand new custom made set, arched for the correct ride height. I bet Eaton would punch out a set for $500. Out of my reach for now.

imlowr2, at no time during this discussion have I been the least bit angry. I enjoy spirited debate on all things custom F100. A little arguing brings the valid points of the subject in full view for all. Jet Jock probably has a little more info than he had yesterday.

OK, this may help you guys out. Again, please understand I'm no EXPERT!. We did put mono leafs on the rear of my buddies 55 F100. The ride was great and it dropped it about 3 inches. We purchased the springs from Classic Car Products (CCP). I think they were about $450.00. (not cheap) Another buddie ordered a set for the front and rears on his 53 f100, again he was pleased with the ride and ease of installation. I remember we ordered them from mid fifties and they ran $360.00. The bad side of mono leafs are they expensive. In fact, too expensive for me. When you get done you about $800 less in your pocket. Hope this information helps.

Fenders-
Did you say you painted your leaves? I thought you were supposed to not paint them so that they slide past each other better. Grease between the leaves?

-Scott