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Stock height rear 52s (TURNED TO FORD 57" SPRING INSTALL)

FastMaxx said:
Just ordered the same springs. I considered waiting until I heard from you on whether it was a good move but its 80 bucks a spring and plus I don't like waiting :D

2 big questions now is whether I will need shims or not and if the spring eye bolts are 9/16 like 52s and 56" springs. I know the newer ford springs came with metric spring eye bolts.

My plans are to run the long side forward to gain wheelbase and get a better departure angle. Hope this does not point the pinion to the ground.
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The bolts were bigger, I had to grind the heads down to fit in the perch holes. I also had to drill out my shims. Idk if you will need shims or not. I welded my perches on with the pinion angle too high, so my shims are to lower it. Everything still looks great from the front. I just need to fix the shackle hangers.
I will probably look at doing a rear spring clamp, I don't like how they separate from the main leaf so much.


Copy and paste from my thread:


Got the ferd 57s today.

They actually bolted right in, keeping the axle in the exact same spot (just had to move the pin to the front perch hole, was in center).

Now I just need to address the shackle end. I think by swapping the DIY4X hangers from side to side, the offset should put me pretty darn close...
























Got Droop???? :thumb:

These will actually use all the droop in my shock. Thats like easily 3 more inches of droop than what the 52s had. Ill have to strap it I guess.





 
Good choice Adam. I loved the 57's in the rear of my Jimmy, they were soft enough it felt "pre-runnerish" back there. You might have to move the shackle brackets a little further back, I'm not sure just flipping them side to side will be enough. Good to see the anti-wrap set-up back there...with the 57's it will be a real necessity. Should be awesome in the sand!
 
The quality seem good?

I was actually talking about the spring eye bolts that go in the front and the rear of the spring that attach the spring to frame/shackle. I'm assuming they are the same as chevys. I didn't even think about the center pin being bigger.

They look soft. And a spring clamp for the long side will probably be a good idea. Do they sell some that you can bolt on or will that need to be fabbed up?
 
FastMaxx said:
The quality seem good?

I was actually talking about the spring eye bolts that go in the front and the rear of the spring that attach the spring to frame/shackle. I'm assuming they are the same as chevys. I didn't even think about the center pin being bigger.

They look soft. And a spring clamp for the long side will probably be a good idea. Do they sell some that you can bolt on or will that need to be fabbed up?
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Spring pins are 7/16" vs 3/8" on the chevy springs...
 
tRustyK5 said:
Spring pins are 7/16" vs 3/8" on the chevy springs...
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Yup.

And the heads were a bigger diameter. A quick trip to the belt sander fixed that. And I drilled my shins out.

The spring eye bolts are the same.
 
tRustyK5 said:
Good choice Adam. I loved the 57's in the rear of my Jimmy, they were soft enough it felt "pre-runnerish" back there. You might have to move the shackle brackets a little further back, I'm not sure just flipping them side to side will be enough. Good to see the anti-wrap set-up back there...with the 57's it will be a real necessity. Should be awesome in the sand!
Click to expand...

Luckily, by just moving the spring pin to the very front perch hole (was in the center one before) it all lined up exactly the same spot as before with the 52s...

Which makes sense. 52/2= 26".. These are 25/32 springs, so move the axle back an inch and it should be the same (thats why i liked the idea of them, and it worked perfect)

I never even had to unbolt the anti wrap which was nice, it just fell right into place.

Im really hoping I can just flip the brackets to get the rear, if not, you know im not scared to melt some steel together :D
 
The only other possible issue is shackle inversion during max droop. You may need to weld a tab/stop deal on the shackle or the shackle hanger to ensure they cannot invert. With as much free arch as these springs have the shackle's amount of swing is huge.
 
tRustyK5 said:
The only other possible issue is shackle inversion during max droop. You may need to weld a tab/stop deal on the shackle or the shackle hanger to ensure they cannot invert. With as much free arch as these springs have the shackle's amount of swing is huge.
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Good point. Should be simple enough to make a "stop tab" on the shackles.
 
Well, I swapped the hangers around, and it was just not quite enough once i got the weight on the springs.... I dont much like drilling holes, and I ordered a bunch of extra bushing sets.... Sooooo :whistle:




















I also contributed my weekly sacrifice of blood.

 
Very happy with these springs. I pushed up and down on the bumper and it goes up and down so smooth.

Where the bumpstops are now, i am at 12" of travel. Once i cycle them I can dial it in. But I think that is a pretty good starting point.

I love the offset center pin. Thanks to the people that recommended them! :thumb:
 
For what you do you'll love them. I did mention you'd likely have to go further back then just flipping side to side...which was my experience when I ran them. I'll say that's an interesting 'fix' you came up with. :waytogo:
 
tRustyK5 said:
For what you do you'll love them. I did mention you'd likely have to go further back then just flipping side to side...which was my experience when I ran them. I'll say that's an interesting 'fix' you came up with. :waytogo:
Click to expand...

It was easier than drilling holes. It allowed me to take the new bushings in and test it before final welding...


I may add more vertical bracing to it.


I just didnt feel like welding lol.


From start to finish it was 9pm, and I left at 12am. Not bad for removing hangers, swapping sides, checking and not liking, then ground the paint off, tacked up new bushings, checked again and I liked it.... Took it all off, welded and bolted back up.
 
yeah, I gotta say, I'm not a fan... will it work, sure... does it look hokey and redneck, yup...

maybe I'm jaded after drilling eleventy holes in Mutt's frame recently, but a decent drillbit would have taken under an hr to relocate those, tops... and looked WAY better...
 
Thought I would share my end results since this basically turned into a "how to install 57" ford springs" thread.

People may not like my hanger adjustment method, but thats not really the point of it. You can move your hanger however you like.


Sits perfectly level, has tons of droop. Im happy. Stoked to try it out.



 
So you still haven't driven it with the 57's yet? Whatcha waiting for?
 
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