burban leaf springs q'ss

[shapinoweno]

Hey guys, i have been looking around this forum for a while and i finnaly joined today.

anyways i have a 88 chevy suburban 1/2 ton.
i have a 4" lift and the back is just blocks with stock springs, well the springs sag very bad so i picked up another set from pick and pull yesterday, so onto my question:

can i take a leaf or the overload leaf out of my out leaf pack and put a extra leaf into the new leaf pack? would it be ok to run 2 overloads
or should i use a diffrent leaf. any help would be great.

thanks, anthony

 

[shapinoweno]

also i was wondering would it be better if i just got some 2500 burban rear springs insted. what modifications would need to be done to make this work

 

[gone huntin]

Mine was that way on my '90 too, I installed a 2" add-a-leaf in there and all was better. This is 4" of lift + a rear 2" AAL. I had 35's on it then.

 

[throttleissues]

My '87 was the same way. I added a single leaf from another 'burb. I can't remember if it was 2nd from the top or third, but it worked great and was FREE. I did have to take the bolts out of the spring clamps, but that just made it flex better. All told, gained about 2" and rides better, too.

 

[jonathon]

The 3/4 ton Suburbans have 56" springs. An ORD shackle flip reversed will allow the use the 56" springs on a truck that used 52's. It seems the half tons sag a lot more than the 3/4 tons...

 

[throttleissues]

The 2wd subs had 56" springs, at least all 3 of mine.'87 1/2t, '88 1/2t, '84 3/4t. Just for info if you're looking for 56's. Hell, my '89 s10 2wd has 56's.

 

[USSkoval]

You don't need a flip kit to put 56's on a burb that came with 52's. Just move the rear hangers back to the second set of holes that are already there in the frame. You need to drop the tank to do it, but the same is needed with a flip kit anyway.

 

[shapinoweno]

my question is can i fit 3/4 tons burb springs "you know the ones with like 8 leafs"?
am i just better off with my 1/2 ton springs with a add a leaf. the reason i ask what will be the best is cause i have a 30 day warrenty basicly and i can exchangte them for another set at the junk yard.

 

[bladwin]

Generally 3/4t rear springs are 56" Most 1/2t's are 52" (my 89' 1/2t came w/56") Measure springs eye-eye when their flat (park on a rock or something) if you have 52" then you would have to move your mount as described above by "USSkoval" to fit the longer 3/4t spring.

The add a leaf, I don't know...

 

[shapinoweno]

so i need to messure from eyelet to eyelet on the springs right? not on the hangers on the truck. i have a set that is out of the truck would it give me a accuret messurement with no tension on the springs?

and are the 3/4 ton springs even worth it? or should i just use my 1/2 ton springs with a shackle flip in the rear?

thanks guys

 

[pauly383]

It seems the half tons sag a lot more than the 3/4 tons...

because most people buy too little truck and use them harder than they should , people are cheap

I have seen many 1/2 ton Subs with 56 inchers , my buddy has one , and we added some extra leaves to it . I have pics at home and whtas left from the pack , maybe I can figure out which ones were used by that .

 

[USSkoval]

my question is can i fit 3/4 tons burb springs "you know the ones with like 8 leafs"?
am i just better off with my 1/2 ton springs with a add a leaf. the reason i ask what will be the best is cause i have a 30 day warrenty basicly and i can exchangte them for another set at the junk yard.

I put 56's with 8 leafs on my 1/2ton burb and I love them. It's one of the best things I've done to the truck.
If you can't measure the length with them flattened out, just try to measure along the arch of the main leaf. Not real accurate, but good enough to tell the difference between a 52 and a 56.

 

[shapinoweno]

so if i messure the ones on my truck i cant just messure from hanger to hanger? do i have to park on a rock or something to flatten it out before i messure. also if i go with the big 56" springs how much lift will they provide over the 1/2 ton springs?
thanks

 

[dleroy43]

My 89 1/2t came with the 5 leaf 56s. I added and ad a leaf to but it flexed like crap. I put 8 leaf 3/4t springs in and it was about 2" taller and much stiffer and flexed very well. Now that I cut the back off I have a stinkbug so I will be putting my old 5 leafers back in. Dont rule out zero rates, they help too.

 

[throttleissues]

Wow, Dom, that 'burb is way too pretty to have evolved into the creature you've been wheeling.

 

[johnnychimpo]

My '90 burb 1/2ton has 56" rears but has a GVWR of 7000 lbs w/ a 10 bolt .
My '79 K20 has 52" rears but has a GVWR of 6800 lbs w/ a 14BFF.

I don't think we'll ever get a final answer about the rear spring length why's.

 

[6.2Blazer]

It's really easy to distinguish between the 52" and 56" springs. 52's have the center pin centered (26" from either end), while the 56's are offset by 4" (26" from one end, 30" from the the other). Weight or no weight on the springs, 4" of difference is easy.

For the "sagging", it's not that the springs have fatigued and are actually sagging, it's that the 1/2 ton Subs and K5's just had softer springs on them from the factory and sat level when new ("looks" like the back is lower simply because the wheelwells aren't cut out as high as the front), versus the 3/4 ton versions in which the back commonly sat higher than the front.

Based on this I don't think the junkyard springs you got will be any different than what you already have. But since you already have the extra set I would steal a leaf or two from one pack and put them on the other. Adding just the load leaf would probably only raise the back up the thickness of that leaf when you don't have a large load in the back. I would probably add the 2nd or 3rd leaf from the donor pack into to actually increase spring rate when not loaded down.

 

[shapinoweno]

thanks s bunch for all the info.
but as far as addin the 2nd or 3rd leaf into the pack, where should i place these in the pack? also should i add 1 or 2 leafs to the pack?