Combining stock front leaf springs with 52" rears?

[88K5Jimmy]

Combining stock front leaf springs with 52\" rears?

I got to thinking, could you take the top leaf of a factory set of 2nd gen front leaf springs and then add everything minus the top leaf of the 52" springs people are swapping in? If I'm thinking right, this would keep the axle at the factory position but still give the soft ride everyone is saying of the 52" springs.

Thoughts, comments, criticisim?

 

[big83chevy4x4]

Re: Combining stock front leaf springs wtih 52\" rears?

on thing that makes them soft is the length.

 

[rcurrier44]

Re: Combining stock front leaf springs wtih 52\" rears?

Well you could but isn't your front a 3" spring and the rear a 2.5" wide spring. Also the stock front springs are setup for reverse arch and the rear are positive arch...seems to mee they woulden't set together nicely.

I did that to a set of front lift springs and it worked very well...but I ended up bending the 2.5" wide main leaf...thats why I now use 3" wide ford springs in the front.

 

[zcarczar]

Re: Combining stock front leaf springs wtih 52\" rears?

GM springs are 2.5" wide. That wouldnt work too well I would think. The GM's work soo well because of the entire pack's softness. I would just move your hangers are redrill the main leafs to move the axle back to stock location. But you loose some of the benifits of using hte 52's when you do that.

 

[88K5Jimmy]

Re: Combining stock front leaf springs wtih 52\" rears?

I didn't even think of the difference in spring width. Thanks guys

 

[big75jimmy]

Re: Combining stock front leaf springs with 52\" rears?

I did this a couple of years ago on my '75. It was a little rough ridin, but I didnt care I just wanted the height. I used both stock front leaves plus all the rear leaves except the main leaf and the overload. It didn't flex very well but gave me about 4" of lift.