57« springs in the place of 56s

[C.C.]

Hey all im new here from the land of Jeeps. i just sold off my wheelin rig and replaced it with an 87 CUCV. lots of plans but im dealing with the mechanical issuses first ie. the highbeams turns out all the lights, heatercore that popped 10 minutes in on my 7 hour drive home with my new pig etc...... Anyway...

Has anyone put a ford f150 57¨ rear spring in place of the regular ol chevy 56¨ piece? without movin mounts i mean im kinda attracted to the smaller spring pack set for less weight but would like to hear my idea isn't out in left field.

cheers!

 

[K85 Octane]

Interesting.
What is the width of the spring? Does it fit? And where is the pin placement? The 56s are 26/30 if memory serves because the 52s (26/26) have a center pin. That would play a huge role in whether they will fit easily.

 

[C.C.]

exactly the types of questions I have and was hoping someone has firsthand experence with. Truth be told im likely going to replace the 56`s with the same but its something that made me go. hmmmmm?

 

[toomany]

I think there are two versions out there. A 2.5" and a 3" wide. I think the thinner ones are 2wd springs and the 3's are from the 4x4's. I believe they are offset pins as well. 32.5/24.5 if I remember. Been a while since I looked into them.

 

[C.C.]

looks like the 97-03 ones may be the ones to try. center is 26.5 and 31.5 for atotal of 58 with a heavy arch. they are 2.5 inches wide on the 150 and 3 on all others.

 

[tRustyK5]

I ran 57" F-150 springs on my 81 Jimmy about 10-12 years ago. I ran the 2.5" wide ones. The short side is near enough for the diff to land right where it should, the shackle side you'll need to move back. They're stoooopid soft, and with all the free arch you need a longer shackle and have to get the angle of it just right or it'll invert at full droop.

Great for flex and ride. Bad for wearing out and bending quick when wheeled hard. Bad for axle wrap.

 

[C.C.]

Anti wrap bar help? I'm already running 56s stock and doing a shackle flip. I like soft. this pig will never haul a load again but it will be wheeled HARD. Im looking at 2" farther back.... hmmm ord looks like the shackle goes straight down when its sitting on it i wonder how bad the angle would be. drilling holes 2" back from the originals. How hard could it be?.....

famous last words.

 

[K85 Octane]

take gas tank out
take rivets out
mark and drill holes
install flip
install gas tank
go

(except it would be wise to check shackle angle before drilling any holes, it may also give you unwanted lift if they are a bigger arch)

 

[tRustyK5]

I ran an anti wrap set-up. It was decent, some issues but overall a ton better than no help at all.

For shackle location I measured straight across the arch when the springs were unloaded, and used 57" for the max rearward location to determine the fore and aft limits and set my hanger assembly based on that. Ended up with about a 30-35 degree angle at rest and never had a shackle invert. I am pretty sure I settled on a 6" shackle length. I seem to recall nearly 10" of free arch, and nearly flat at rest with the truck's weight on them.

I did have fairly stiff Rancho fronts which kept the truck stable. It rode quite good with the 57's out back. Never felt anything back there, and the truck didn't buck like it did with the 52" stockers. Too bad they didn't last longer I might have run them again.

Anyways, with the 57's my truck would exceed 1100 on a 20 degree ramp and as I said my front springs were super stiff Rancho's.

 

[C.C.]

sorry internets doesnt convey sarcasam k85. Ive done quite a few suspension mods on a plethora of other trucks (As a job) but when starting a new one its always good to mingle with the ones who have been there. Afterall progress is made on the backs of those who have been before.

Also...... CUCV i had a duh moment. it would help if i gave the model. its a M1008 V30 gas tank is beside the frame lol. no pull to drill. just ogg her through.