Posted by Clint Dixon [172.68.37.45] on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 19:31:01 :
In Reply to: Front Spring Woes posted by Matthew Fiedler [162.158.187.142] on Saturday, November 07, 2020 at 20:13:22 :
I saw my name come up, so here are my observations.
It looks like the company who made the new springs tried to copy your old springs the best they could with what they had. They provided the same number of leaves. The leaves are basically the same lengths as the originals. The stack arrangement matches the originals.
However here are the differences: The individual leaves are obviously thinner than the originals. The new leaves do not have the pronounced taper (in both width and thickness) like the originals. The new leaves do not have the grease grooves running the length of the leaves on their undersides. The Military wrap leaf does not wrap the eye of the main leaf tightly or completely like the originals. The military wrap leaf is a continuous leaf rather than the two-piece leaf like the original. The steel metal clips that were meant to align the leaves and to hold them together are a totally different design than the originals.
As far as thickness - this may or may not be a problem. I am sure the metallurgy of the new leaves is way different from the originals. Comparing thickness between the old and new may be like comparing apples to oranges. The new leaves, even though they are thinner, may be rated higher than the originals - or they may not.
As far as taper and grease groove. I believe the taper on the originals is there because those leaves were forged. The new leaves appear to be the common modern leaves sheared from longer bar stock. I am unaware of any modern spring leaves being produced anymore with grease grooves. The younger guys at the spring company probably do not even know what a grease groove is.
The military wrap leaf of the new assembly may be loose and not completely wrapped out of necessity. It is a full length leaf - not a two piece like the original. The original two piece allows for more spring pack flex and better articulation because the front and rear halves can move independently from each other - to some extent. It could be that one cannot tightly wrap the main leaf eye unless the military wrap leaf IS loose - or - a made as a two piece, without creating a condition where something would eventually break.
If you look at your attached image, you can see the joint between the front and rear halves of the military wrap leaf in the lower 1/4 of the image. The gap there is very dark and dirty.
The reason you see the end of the new top leaf pointing off in an odd direction is because the sheet metal clips failed and that particular leaf is in a free state, not taking any of the weight, and not contributing to the integrity of the assembly anymore.
Your original springs do not look bad to me. I would send the new ones back and put the originals back on. You have an early truck with the lightest front spring pack that was ever offered. You are enjoying a lot softer ride than trucks just a year or two newer than yours that had heavier rated front springs. If you look at original factory photos of early trucks, the front sat noticeably lower than the rear. Your front springs should be ALMOST level with basically no arch when the truck is unloaded.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Junior
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