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Another63" spring swap question

broflow

broflow

Tinbanger
 Premium
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Posts
344
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Location
new glarus WI
ramp 8

ramp 8

ramp 3

ramp 3

I did do some searching and found some information, but I'm still looking for a consensus on what to do with the overload spring from what I read definitely want to keep it in to act as a bumpstop. Is it a good idea to turn it upside down. so that the curve is downward rather than upward opposite from normal? Wrap isn't a concern as I do have a traction bar.

I was able to get my truck on a ramp this weekend and see how it flexed and I can see where you can easily bend the springs by over flexing.
Also what is the best 63 spring pack? 3 plus an overload 4 plus overload?
My rig is a K-5 no topper, full cage,boxed frame,2 propane tanks in the rear. Other than that nothing more weight wise or than normal.

attached a few pictures on the ramp. just because pictures make the post better
ramp 2

ramp 2

ramp 9

ramp 9

ramp 4

ramp 4

ramp 5

ramp 5

ramp 6

ramp 6

ramp 7

ramp 7


As for the front I think I need to lower my bump stop a little bit I'm just barely touching I know there's some compression in there yet. When I get a little extra money saved up I hope to purchase some ORD Springs for the front.
 
I skimmed through your build, Very cool! I have rear shackles flipped so it's a little different set up from you. it looks like yours works very well.

I saw in your build that you grew up in southern Wisconsin. That's where I live. whereabouts?
 
broflow said:
I skimmed through your build, Very cool! I have rear shackles flipped so it's a little different set up from you. it looks like yours works very well.

I saw in your build that you grew up in southern Wisconsin. That's where I live. whereabouts?
Click to expand...
I'm from Fort Atkinson. I'll be back that way in the end of July this year. Haven't been back since 2011.
 
Yeah I'm pretty happy with my setup. Rear sits a little lower than I want so I'm gonna cut some four inch blocks down to like 2.5" or 3" and swap them for my 1.5" blocks. Probably need a traction bar also but I don't have a ton of power so not much of an issue except on the slickrock in Moab.
 
broflow said:
I'm about an hour from Fort. I live near New Glarus. I used to mud race in Fort many years ago, at What's the Point bar.
Click to expand...
When I was a kid I loved going to What's The Point with my dad to watch mud races and then when I could drive myself I continued to go til they quit doing them and I moved away for tech school. I had a buddy growing up that I think was either from New Glarus or lived there at some point. Gotta love Spotted Cow beer too.
 
So I'd limit your springs so they don't flex past dead flat.

IMG_20180321_080451270.jpg

That's a 5 leaf pack with the overload exactly where it is factory

And I get plenty of flexphotobucket-2251-1318729543935.jpg

Stuffs pretty good
photobucket-17694-1338255871816.jpg
 
blazinzuk said:
So I'd limit your springs so they don't flex past dead flat.

View attachment 260802

That's a 5 leaf pack with the overload exactly where it is factory

And I get plenty of flexView attachment 260803

Stuffs pretty good
View attachment 260804
Click to expand...
Do you know what your springs came out of? must be a 3/4 from the new generation of trucks that had 63s. I grabbed these many years ago out of a late 90s 1/2 ton I scrapped out. I was thinking that a 1/2 spring would be better flexing but it may be too light and flexy? I just got the truck drivable so it's gonna take a little to get use to the feel of it now but it seems to sway a lot which I expected to some degree.
 
My springs came from a 98 3500 truck.

I was gonna subtract a leaf but didn't have time.
 
I'm starting to become a believer with these springs swaps that the higher spring rated and also more leaf packs on the 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks work better for this stuff. Since they are already such long springs (referring to 56's and 63's/64's) they are going to flex pretty well when the force is placed on them no matter what. But by getting the 3/4 ton and 1 ton packs, they seem to hold up better to long term offroad use better than the 1/2 ton stuff. I had a friend who put 1/2 ton burb 56's in the rear of his truck, and I put 3/4 ton burban 56's in the rear of mine. Mine still look the same and have the same arch, my friend is already on his 2nd set as he bent the first set.

To each their own though
 
Plus, always getting max flex out of the spring isn't necessarily a good thing as that is what will bend springs quickly. Sure the 1/2 ton stuff will flex like crazy, but in some cases, you really don't want the crazy flex. You want enough flex to keep the tires on the ground and be stable, not the "RTI Ramp" flex like what used to be the craze a while ago
 
Biggest problem I have had is bending main leafs. I've bent 3. I like the 63s Horton has nearly no weight in the back . So the fact that they flex with a stock 5 leaf and overload pack says something.

I do not think the length is necessary when going to a custom spring, but for now the 63s work just fine for me.

Another advantage of running the bigger pack. I don't really flex past flat. They just wont
 
Thanks for the info. It's reinforcing what I was kind of thinking already with going to the 3/4 ton packs. I can pick up a 5 leaf set of springs with less than 30k miles on them for a $160.00 at a local yard.
 
Looks like your truck flexes pretty good, I wouldn't mess with the springs. Just get those bumpstops where they need to be and drive the truck. As you use it, then you will see what needs to be changed/altered.
 
muddermilitia said:
Looks like your truck flexes pretty good, I wouldn't mess with the springs. Just get those bumpstops where they need to be and drive the truck. As you use it, then you will see what needs to be changed/altered.
Click to expand...
That's the plan. My worry is that the slider between the main leaf and the 2nd leave must of wore out many years ago and the end of the 2nd leaf has wore a groove into the main leaf. It seems like it will be a short time before it fails, probably at the worst time. They were all I had laying around many years ago when I started this project.

On another note I see your from Illinois. did you have your rig for sale a while ago?
Also do you know a guy named Jim Goeldner? drives a yellow J-10 pick-up
 
Does anyone know for sure if there is a year that GM changed their rear springs from 2.5" wide to 3" wide, and was it just on the 3/4 and 1 tons?
What I'm seeing by looking on leaf spring vendors sites is that 3/4 tons and up changed to 3" in 2011.

I'm after either a 5 leaf + overload or a 4 leaf + overload. These would be 3/4 ton springs or from what I can see. Possibly some 1/2 tons that had a heavier spring also.

I visited a junk yard today it seemed like all I could find was 3" springs that were in like new shape or rusty worn out 2.5"s. It also seemed like some of the trucks were older than 2011 and the still had 3" wides?

So now I'm just confused. I would like to find the lowest mileage newest year 2.5" wide springs I can get.
 
broflow said:
That's the plan. My worry is that the slider between the main leaf and the 2nd leave must of wore out many years ago and the end of the 2nd leaf has wore a groove into the main leaf. It seems like it will be a short time before it fails, probably at the worst time. They were all I had laying around many years ago when I started this project.

On another note I see your from Illinois. did you have your rig for sale a while ago?
Also do you know a guy named Jim Goeldner? drives a yellow J-10 pick-up
Click to expand...
Yeah I parted out my 89 Trazer last year. No I don't know Jim and that truck does not sound familiar.

The 64s I had on my truck were a 2 leaf plus overload. I didn't like the difference in length between the main leaf and the leaf under that one. So I sourced another spring pack (same set up actually) and I cut the ends off the main leaf and added that between the old main and 2nd leaf. I had the overloads and used a 1" zero rate to level it with the front. I eventually pulled all 4 overloads to lower the truck slightly.
 
broflow said:
ramp 8

ramp 8

ramp 3

ramp 3

I did do some searching and found some information, but I'm still looking for a consensus on what to do with the overload spring from what I read definitely want to keep it in to act as a bumpstop. Is it a good idea to turn it upside down. so that the curve is downward rather than upward opposite from normal? Wrap isn't a concern as I do have a traction bar.

I was able to get my truck on a ramp this weekend and see how it flexed and I can see where you can easily bend the springs by over flexing.
Also what is the best 63 spring pack? 3 plus an overload 4 plus overload?
My rig is a K-5 no topper, full cage,boxed frame,2 propane tanks in the rear. Other than that nothing more weight wise or than normal.

attached a few pictures on the ramp. just because pictures make the post better
ramp 2

ramp 2

ramp 9

ramp 9

ramp 4

ramp 4

ramp 5

ramp 5

ramp 6

ramp 6

ramp 7

ramp 7


As for the front I think I need to lower my bump stop a little bit I'm just barely touching I know there's some compression in there yet. When I get a little extra money saved up I hope to purchase some ORD Springs for the front.
Click to expand...
Did you move your front rear spring hanger?
 
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