Hey guys,... I am going to put a 39 Ford Chassis together for a friend that is "bucks down", He can't afford the Chassis engineering or Posie Parallel leaf rear suspension Kit,... I offered to Fab up the bracket's and hang the rear end if he can find some suitable rear leaf springs,.... (He has a S-10 rear end) I had one local guy tell me to use Jeep CJ-5 springs,.... So how about it guys? ,... anybody have some good ideas ?,.... Or can somebody with a Posie or Chassis Engineering kit measure the spring Width, the Eye to Eye, the center pin in relation to the front and rear eye, and the total arch height at the pinnacle? (and how thick the leafs are?) Oh yeah,... and number of leafs. I appreciate any help in this,... I am doing this Pro-"bone-OH" ( And yes, I threw myself under the Bus to help this guy out ) Soooooo,.... let me know what you guys used,... Or even post up pictures of your handy work. Thanks guys !
Years ago the recommended springs for the Chassis Engineering Kit were say 1961 Dodge 1/2 ton front springs.
I have a 39 sedan that had toyota springs off of there small pickup with a 8in ford and rear shocks from a fairlane shocks part number monroe 3033 it worked well for 23 years.The springs were about 2inches shorter than the chassis engr kit .The longer springs from CE that i have under it now make the ride much better now .As far as the width and length see how the S10 pick up springs look .You will have to move your perches probably.My .02
What have I used for parallel leafs on a 35 to 40 Ford. Lets see.. I did one using 40 Ford rear springs, one on each side, with half the leaves removed. I did one with 70s Ford Courier rear springs. I did one with 60 Studebaker truck front springs. I did one with 47 to 53 Chevy truck front springs. I did one with F100 front springs. That's all I can remember right now. You have to be carefull on shackle location. If you are too far ahead or back, the shackle can flip over. The more arch the spring has, the further back the shackle has to be.
Used the ce kit on the rear of my '39 chevy-- still needed lowering blocks.they are a big improvement over the stock springs.
I seem to recall the were also using Dakota springs at CE or a while as and fyi, i have the CE kit in my delivery. worked well, but had to remove a leave to soften the ride and has 2 inch blocks and could still use another inch or two for my taste. the kit was well engineered, though. i did learn, thought that "bolt in" just means installs with bolts--not necessarily fast or easy--kind of like when the chilton's manual says "remove belhousing bolts"
I have done the 47 to 54 Chevy/GMC pickup front springs and hangers in 3 different 40 Fords now. Between them I have logged over 300,000 miles with no problems. Photos are of my latest build project. Cheap and the bushing don't seem to every wear out because they are grease-able.
These are good suggestions guys,... what I was trying to say in the first post, is this guy can't afford the CE or Posie kit,... I think I know where there is a 47-54 Chevy pick up chassis,.... I will look into it,.... Thanks for the ideas guys. I will let you know what we end up doing. Why do I always do this to myself ? (give work away free to friends?),... I didn't tell you before, But I am also mounting his engine and trans,...... (He hasn't asked about the front suspension yet, and better not)
It's been awhile but I'm pretty sure I used 52 Chevy Leaf springs.and I think I made lowering blocks from 2x2 inch tubing between spring and pad.
About 35 years ago (darn, I'm getting old), I used the springs and hangers from a '52 Ford car ('52/4 would be the same). The car is still on the road today and still works fine. The swap was VERY easy. The brackets are riveted onto the original frame, which means a sharp chisel and a big hammer will remove them. Before removing these pieces from the donor car, measure the distance from the center of the wheel opening to the front spring eye center, as well as the distance between the front and rear spring mounts. Use these measurements to locate the brackets on your '35/40 Ford frame and you'll have a setup that will work just like Ford designed it to function. It's an easy swap and installation. Good luck.
I've seen shoebox ford springs used, also 42-47 ford pickup rear springs if you can find some in decent shape. I also used some from a 60's dodge van on a '34 pickup once, even with half the leafs removed it rode HARD! I wouldn't reccomend them.
for my 35 im putting in a 9"ford, springs and hangers out of a 57-59 ford car.the width of the diff is bang on and the springs and hangers seem to work great.i had the springs dearched 4 inches and shouldnt have to run a lowering block.just be sure to strngthen up the rear of the frame rails and box where you put the hangers,the rear rails are kind of weak.i dont know how hard a 57 ford is to find where your at but they still grow on trees here,haha
Bought a C. E. kit but didnt like it . Made my own leaf sping mounts. I put the springs at a angle so the front could be up inside the frame and in the rear made a bushing to weld through the frame.
I bought the Pete & Jakes kit and it had the Posies Super Slide springs (part # P35-48RK). May not help if your doing it on the cheap, but here's a few pics of how the brackets and springs look if you D.I.Y.:
I should be doing a '38 frame in the near future. I'll be intertested in seeing what you come up with. I was also considering using S-10 springs. I haven't got under there and meastured yet but they should be close to the correct rate and the length should come pretty close to working.
I have used 65 thru 69 Mustang rear springs..On my 33, I extended the rear shackel hangers, 4 inches or so past the frame end..On the 40, I used the same springs but reversed them putting the long portion to the front ,and short to the rear...Jeep C J springs will work well also...
I called CE and they never recommended Dakota springs. They were 1961 to 1971 dodge 1/2 ton front springs - 4 feet long x 2.5 inches wide. Center bolt dead center.
Back to the top....i got a 39 frame that already has the posies 35-40 parallel leaf brackets installed...no springs. I can get everything else from posies but its still 400 bucks...any ideas? Looks like i need them 1.75" wide and 43.5" long eye to eye....
I have Chassic Enginering kit on my 39 and could be lower but rides good, shock encluded,no sways bars and handles good. You can still get gas tank out if you had to,8" granda dropped in easy worth the money.
My 40 pu came with 71 mustang springs and rear,already mounted.Slightly butchered.Springs were welded to rear and broken.I replaced them with a maverick set I had and shortened and rerolled back with small end 4 inches and moved the centering bolts ahead 3 inches.I think they will be fine now.I would shorten them more next time.They a little on long side.I used brackets that were already there.To remove them would've been a real chore.
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