Droopy rear leaf springs

[alextucker]

Any tips to get some height back into my rear end?

 

[Thunderlugs]

Any tips to get some height back into my rear end?

View attachment 405162

Have a leaf Added? ...or Mopar does make replacement leaf springs for that car also. I believe they call them restoration springs. Check out the Mancini Racing website. They got them. But You might want to check a little closer to home, if that is possible.

 

[PurpleBeeper]

Here's your options..... in order best to cheapest/easiest.

1. Replace the rear leaf springs
2. Replace just the main leaf of the leaf springs (or have them re-arched)
3. Add "leaf spring helpers" and maybe longer rear shackles. This picture is from the O'Reilly Auto Parts website & they have them in stock at most stores.

 

[moes]

or as they did in the old days buy air shocks, but you would be better to get new springs. You will be suprised how these old cars will ride after replacing the leaf springs and torsion bars

 

[moparnation74]

Re Arching is another option. Very few people provide this service anymore. There are two types cold and heated arching. The only way to do this right without re sagging is heated arching. Cold arcing is temporary and the steel wants to go back to the stretched state. Heated changes the bonds and allows it to retain the new arch....

The problem is when you do that and get them rebuilt, over here it costs more than buying a new set.....

 

[vegiguy]

I've had otherwise good springs re-arched (with heat) at a spring shop in Wichita (Atlas) and they've turned out reasonably well. You have to make sure they're worth doing, though, as leaf springs have a tendency to rust terribly where they are sandwiched together by the center bolt hole making them prone to breaking there (if they're not broken already which could be your problem). Also the ends of the leafs will wear a rut where they rub on the longer leaf next to them, and the spring eyes can go out of round if the springs are in really terrible shape. New springs are the best option if you can afford it, but my experience with new leaf springs is they sit the car up too high in back and have to be de-arched to get the car back down to a good looking level (unless you like the jack-up in back look).

 

[Badvert65]

Add-a-leaf. Takes a little more work but it looks stock and makes a big difference.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/exp-13120
You can get them at a lot of places, not just Summit.

 

[khryslerkid]

Add-a-leaf. Takes a little more work but it looks stock and makes a big difference.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/exp-13120
You can get them at a lot of places, not just Summit.

I was looking at those "add a leaf" and realized they didn't measure 2.5" wide like these.
https://m.summitracing.com/parts/exp-13132
They are $90. You can get both sides complete for $250.
https://m.summitracing.com/parts/dc...g2AfUE6MEXSq1xmwawdsgBZTh6K39KftOKhoCs1vw_wcB

 

[vegiguy]

The "add a leaf" is an option if you really want to jack up the back of your car, but that reminds me of the "helper springs" you would see in the J.C. Whitney catalog which always seemed cheesy to me. And if the main leaf of the springs is broken (which is the one that breaks) adding a leaf wouldn't be indicated anyway.

In studying the picture of your car, alextucker, the ride height in back doesn't look bad to me. Was the car full of gas (or at least a half tank) when you took the picture? If so I'd just leave it alone because the back will come up when the gas gets used up and the car picks up nose weight.

 

[alextucker]

Wow loads of options , many thanks guys, yeah it was on a full tank Vegiguy with some boot filler so I'll look again when it has a skinny day.

They just look so flat when the car is in the air that I thought I better do something about them. Re-arching or replacing sounds like the best way to go if I can't live with the lower height, gonna be a tough job over this side of the pond though, is air shocks a big job or just direct replacement?

Must check for cracks too but they look in good condition on initial inspection.

 

[alextucker]

Add-a-leaf. Takes a little more work but it looks stock and makes a big difference.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/exp-13120
You can get them at a lot of places, not just Summit.

In my haste I phone scanned over this option too quickly, this might be ideal as it will take up the slack and won't cost me a fortune to ship from the US and I can do the work myself and replace the bushings I have here already while I'm at it. Perfect. Thank you very much Badvert65.

 

[66Satellite47]

You can also add one "stock" spring that has been re-arched some, if you have access to an experienced spring shop. I'd add one right below the main leaf. I've done this & the "cold" re-arch worked well.

 

[ODZKing]

I went to a spring shop, had the rear leaf springs re-arched and 2 leafs added to each.
Cost (then) was around $300. BTW, don't forget one side has one more leaf than the other.

 

[toolmanmike]

Fix it right and permanent. Contact ESPO for a new set of springs that will last longer than you keep the car. Great folks to deal with. http://www.springsnthings.com/

 

[WileERobby]

Any tips to get some height back into my rear end?

View attachment 405162

My wife asked me that same question the other day.

 

[66Satellite47]

Fix it right and permanent. Contact ESPO for a new set of springs that will last longer than you keep the car. Great folks to deal with. http://www.springsnthings.com/

Shipping leaf springs "across the pond" might get spendy. ESPO springs are good.

 

[alextucker]

Fix it right and permanent. Contact ESPO for a new set of springs that will last longer than you keep the car. Great folks to deal with. http://www.springsnthings.com/

Totally agree I got all new bushings from them when I was last in the states, top class service and knowledge.

 

[alextucker]

upon further inspection I see the angle of the retaining bushing holder, does this look correct as I'm surprised at the angle?

 

[Speedbird]

Disclaimer.
The following is what you read on the internet.
Anyone can say anything.

I had flat springs on a Challenger and bought a brand new set of MOPAR Perfomance springs.
No change. Still flat.
Then I'm sure that I read in the MOPAR chassis manual by Larry Shepherd that Chrysler designed the stock springs to be basically flat for better handling. The only cars that came with arched springs were the T/As and AARs for the side exhaust to clear.
What you don't want is to have the springs arched upwards under weight.
You know, past "flat".

Now, I have added a spring to an A body that is my daily driver.
I did that because I'm using an M body rear in it with 15 inch tires.
That's where I got the extra springs to add, that doner M body.
It's a fold down seat car and when I load it up and hit a bump the tires would scrape.
I added a leaf. It has very little difference in "arch" under load.
I just wanted a tad anyway.
But it is now stiffer and doesn't hit the tires when I go over speed bumps anymore.
Also, if I'm thinking correctly, be advised when you stiffen the rear up in relation to the front you increase overseer.
Conversely when you stiffen the front up by adding things like an anti-sway bar you increase under steer.
Either that or I got it backwards.

 

[alextucker]

Love a good disclaimer! ... and the more I take on board what you have experienced the more I don't think I need new leafs.

I was more questioning the angle of the bit I have circled in red, not sure the professional name, something cool no doubt, I am thinking that this should be more vertical which would bring the rear end up?