Technical cutting leaf springs?

Definitely the wrong way to go about it. While I've never messed with a spring pack that large I've softened up a few. I find pulling alternating leaves is the best method.



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What about removing some leafs & replacing with a block the same thickness as the removed leafs.

 

How is removing leaves & replacing with blocks any different than cutting leafs down 'into blocks'? Trying to learn the science here...

 

If you're really looking to improve the ride and keep the height as is, take the stock springs to your local spring shop and get them to re-pack (they'll pull them apart removing whatever isn't needed) and re-arch them to the correct rate/arch for your application. Not sure what its like in the states but I've had this kind of thing done for around Nz $200 locally.

Otherwise if you're on a really tight budget I'd start by pulling the three helper springs and then every second leaf from the main pack to leave you with a total of five.

It'll take a bit of trial and error though and may not get you exactly what you're after. As you 'soften' the springs they're going to flatten out under load, lowering your truck (bonus for most of us .

Assuming the axle is sitting on top of the main leaf, the only way to raise it back up will be longer shackles or re-arching.

If the axle sits under the spring pack you can make up spacers to function as lift blocks but for safety's sake I wouldn't recommend going much bigger than 2".

U-bolts are cheap and easy to shorten so please don't run a wacky spacer or shim setup just to use the existing bolts as is.

While you're at it, weld some simple shock tabs on, generally pretty easy/cheap to set up shocks and will make a huge difference.

 

Sorry didn't answer this in my earlier post

You're right generally speaking the end result will be the same. But making up a couple of one piece blocks is going to be safer and tidier than stacking old pieces of leaf spring. (probably less work too depending on your access to steel and a welder).

In terms of the science of it, it's worth keeping in mind the torsional forces the axle applies to the leaf springs while driving. The further away the axle is from the main leaf the more this force increases, one reason why lowering/lift blocks more than 3" are sketchy.

'but my axle was already spaced xyz inches away from the main leaf by this massive stack of leaf springs????' I hear you say

True but in stock configuration you had long leaves distributing these forces over a larger area on a stiffer spring, by cutting these springs down into 'shims' or adding in oversize blocks and changing the spring rate, it's all different.

Now some might say geez it's just an old truck not a pro street Camaro, but regardless of how fast you're going, physics is physics, dodgey is never safe and hot rodding's all about making things better right?

 

The end result may not be too different. If you were to remove leafs & replace with a block the same thickness, you still have the removed leafs intact for possible replacement. If not, cut away.

By the way, the original 1st post/question has been deleted....looks like the current 1st post is answering a question that is not there. We should all just delete our posts & make this thread disappear.

 

Yeah- how did this thread get split?

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Took another look at my truck's back end, here's the specs if it colors anyone's opinion:

Main leaf pack is 12 leaves, then there is a 3/4-in spacer block, then the 'helper' pack is another 5 leaves. That's 17 leaves (I was off a bit in my recollection, eh?), tho the helper pack is 'floating' a solid 1/2-in above the main pack, meaning as I will use it; it'll never enter 'active' status.
Total height of the 2 packs & the spacer block is 6.125-in tall.

Front doesn't have a helper pack, nor are the leaves as thick, but it may have 12 up front, too. Crazy FoMoCo.

Scott51- the axle is under the springs.
Understood on the advantage of a solid block vs. 'leaf shims'. This project is on a budget, but I don't want to shower the road / other motorists with heavy steel, either. I was looking at this as simply rolling under the truck and cutting leaves off- if the theory was sound I wouldn't be unbolting anything.

Maybe the best bet is to get a baseline first (the truck is not on the road yet), then IF I decide to snip leaves, do only 2 at a time? Thanks for the input, guys.