Slant Six Forum :: 5-leaf or 4-leaf?

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5-leaf or 4-leaf? https://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16944	Page 1 of 2

Author:	sixsignet [ Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:00 pm ]
Post subject:	5-leaf or 4-leaf?
My car is a 63 2-door Signet, which is one of the lightest A-bodies. I want to set the ride height at about stock. I'm using .870 torsion bars Will the heavy-duty 5-leaf springs JC Whitney sells cause the rear of my car to sit too high?

Author:	carrigan #3 [ Fri Apr 07, 2006 10:28 am ]
Post subject:
dan's gonna say this anyhow...but buy from this site... http://www.espo.com they are spring specialists...

Author:	sixsignet [ Fri Apr 07, 2006 12:16 pm ]
Post subject:
Understand I have zero experience with buying leaf springs. I've searched and read negative posts about JCW. My question is "if you had to choose between the JCW 4-leaf or HD 5-leaf for a car that weighs about 2700 pounds, and you want it to ride at or near stock height, which would you choose?" Or, "if you had to choose between [any supplier's] stock springs and their heavy-duty springs, which would you choose for a 2700 lb car?" Keep in mind I am going one step stiffer in front with the .870 torsion bars. I have searched this site and found some who bought the JCW 5-leaf springs for their early A-body and seemed to like them. Other posts suggest that they make the rear end sit too high. How much higher - an inch? I think I can live with an inch, if I can raise the front height 1/2" over stock w/o messing up handling. Sandy in BC? Lou?

Author:	sixsignet [ Fri Apr 07, 2006 9:35 pm ]
Post subject:
There's a big swap meet tomorrow. Maybe espo or somebody will be selling new springs. I am leaning towards getting the HD duty springs because I'm trying to upgrade stuff, like the 870 bars. I figure a 65 with a V8 had HD springs and the added weight of the V8 was mostly on the front wheels, so the same springs should be alright for a 63 2-dr with a slant. Or will HD springs lift the rear more than an inch over stock height?

Author:	carrigan #3 [ Fri Apr 07, 2006 11:16 pm ]
Post subject:
sounds good...i was only going by what i'd previously heard.....good luck though let me know how that affects ride height...i'll be in the market in the next few months

Author:	sandy in BC [ Sat Apr 08, 2006 7:06 am ]
Post subject:
I have JCW leaf rear spring....In my opinion they are still too light. It depends on what you want ...I carry a lot of weight when we go snowboarding....and live on rough roads. I have 3500 lb springs in my work truck and airbags in my agon...im used to Capacity. The 5 leaf springs wont make your car to high for any more than a week. I reversed the spring eyes on the Valaint to lower it 2" I run stock torsion bars on the front ...it sits low and level. My car weighs the same as yours.....3000lbs with 2 people and a full tank.

Author:	Patrick Devlin [ Sat Apr 08, 2006 9:29 am ]
Post subject:
I have the heavy duty ESPO 6 leaf springs on my '68 Dart with 0.920" torsion bars up front. With those kind of spring rates, you need really good shocks though. I'm very happy with the Edelbrock IAS shocks.

Author:	sandy in BC [ Sat Apr 08, 2006 10:34 am ]
Post subject:
Interesting comparison from the Modified Pro Beater camp. Patrick has used heavy rate springs and torsion bars and controlled them with duty shocks. That is probably the ticket for Interstate Wars and on-ramp G-rates. I have lighter springs and light torsion bars ,,,,but I control with basically the same shocks and big swaybar. Our roads are rough and speeds high so Im always looking to keep the tires on the road,,,hence lighter springs. You get a firm ride but less banging on big divots. My setup is for 1930s 2 lane highways beat to death with logging trucks. Everything from off-camber 12 mph corners onto curved bridges on a 10% grade to ....2 mile flat straights along a causeway with a bridge in the middle(180 km/hr last night in the Talon). As Patrick points out you need really good shocks.....for either setup. 5 leaf springs are prolly a nice match to 870 bars. What tires do you intend to run?

Author:	sixsignet [ Sat Apr 08, 2006 12:26 pm ]
Post subject:
Do you mean what size tire or brand? I just snagged some 14 x 5.5J wheels and I am thinking about 195 70R14 or 205 70R14 to replace my 13" 80 series tires. I like the stance of your red car. Is that stock ride height? Are those JCW springs like this guy got really so bad, like ss dan insists? I'm on a budget, and the springs and the tires will be as cheap as possible. I'm splurging on the moog front rubber and reserving some $$$ just in case I find out I need to buy more stuff once I get the front end apart. Quote: I ordered new rear springs for my Valinat from JC Whitney. Since I ordered the 5 leaf springs they were shipped direct from the factory which is John R Spring Company. http://www.johnrspring.com/ Here are pictures of the springs..... They have 5/8" holes in these bushings instead of 1/2". They are marked "Silentbloc". They have the zinc liners between the leaves like the originals. The plastic liners on the ends are a bit shorter than the originals and only have one locating peg instead of two.

Author:	sandy in BC [ Sat Apr 08, 2006 1:24 pm ]
Post subject:
My springs are like those...the springs are OK but the bushings are crap. Poly would be the trick here. Make sure you have a shackle plan before you start. My car is lowered 2" in the rear by reversing the front spring eyes...I lowered the front to match by cranking down the torsion bars a titch.

Author:	sixsignet [ Sat Apr 08, 2006 3:18 pm ]
Post subject:
I need to look at a side-view of a 62-66 at stock height. I'm riding lower than your car right now. I know I will need to drill out some holes in front and use a hard 5/8 bolt instead of 1/2 inch. But if I removed the front bushings and put poly ones in, I wouldn't need to drill these (if poly comes in 1/2 ID). What do you mean, a shackle plan? I was planning to use the old shackles. Is there some other modification needed?

Author:	sandy in BC [ Sat Apr 08, 2006 4:18 pm ]
Post subject:
The shackles usually break.

Author:	sixsignet [ Sun Apr 09, 2006 1:05 am ]
Post subject:
Who sells decent spring shackles cheap (not JCW)? Do the shackles break during disassembly or later because they are the weak link?

Author:	sixsignet [ Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:50 am ]
Post subject:	4-leaf for an early A-body
I installed the 5-leaf springs. It looks way different - almost too high - but I think they're OK.

Author:	70valiant [ Tue Apr 25, 2006 6:22 pm ]
Post subject:
If you buy your springs from Summit the shackels are free. Well they were when I got my super stocks last year.

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