Leaf spring ??'s Replace or not ??

damannhw · Jun 10, 2005

Just got finished with a complete front end rebuild with a 1" Shelby drop, 600lb coil springs, upper and lower control arms, poly spring perches, KYB's, Flaming River manual steering box, and all new steering linkage. Whew, what a difference !! The car drives great now. Before the front sat higher than the rear, and now the front is slightly lower, which looks great. I love my stance. Also got my P.S. Engineering 17" GT-40's and Nittos on ! I'll get pics soon.

MY QUESTION - My car bottoms out over bumps in the rear and rubs the 17" tires. I am going to install KYB's there also, but will this alone solve the bottoming out ? Will new drop leaf springs be stiffer than originals and still get the desired height I want ? Which ones, mideyes ? Thanks for any help !

steel1212 · Jun 10, 2005

If you still have the original 40 year old leafs I think the new mid eyes will actually raise it a tad as they are stiffer and the older ones probably have sagged. If you go reverse eye it may be the same or lower, don't know on this one.

Pbum5 · Jun 10, 2005

With all the new front suspension work you have done you should definitely put in some new rear leafs. And if you plan on building up your motor a bit you will be unhappy with all the wheel hop of your old stock leafs. I have heard that Leafs have a life of 15 years +/- some. Classic Stang leafs are pushing 40.

If your tires rub when you bottom out you might want to roll your fenders so it won’t be a problem.

I went with Maier Leaf springs on my car, and it dropped it a bit from stock (new) or where about they were after many years of sagging. They are a bit different than most springs out there. They are front stacked which is supposed to help with wheel hop and handling. I also went with the KYB’s all the way around. I haven’t had a chance to drive the car much since I put them in so I honestly can’t rate them for you but I like the stance.
I’m sue they will work as advertised.

iskwezm · Jun 10, 2005

it could be the backspace on the rear wheels.I have 17X8's with a 275 and it barely touches averyonce in a while and its lowered 2 1/2 inches.

damannhw · Jun 10, 2005

steel1212-I was thinking reverse eyes maybe ?

Pbum5- I'll take a look at the Maiers, and I do plan on rolling the lips this weekend !

iskwezm- The rear b.s. is 4.25. It was mainly rubbing on the lip edge, so maybe rolling will help. I just feel the car is "dipping" too much right now, and wondered if others have improved that with new stiffer springs ?

iskwezm · Jun 10, 2005

damannhw said:
steel1212-I was thinking reverse eyes maybe ?

Pbum5- I'll take a look at the Maiers, and I do plan on rolling the lips this weekend !

iskwezm- The rear b.s. is 4.25. It was mainly rubbing on the lip edge, so maybe rolling will help. I just feel the car is "dipping" too much right now, and wondered if others have improved that with new stiffer springs ?

Had my "lips" rolled but then just decided to cut them back and leave about 1/8-1/4 inch,big difference.

Soaring1 · Jun 10, 2005

Yeah, you just need to replace the 40 year old leafs with new 4 leaf springs. You may have a problem getting the front bolts out. I did, and wound up using a reciprocating saw to saw it off. And, when you go to put the bolts in the rear shackles, don't fully tighten them down until you have lowered the car to the ground, otherwise, you will get a squeak from them.

CochinoFilipino · Jun 10, 2005

She should bottom out on the bumpstops. If rolling the fenders do not give you enough clearance at full comression I think you should extend the bumpstops, even if you get new springs.

SadbutTrue · Jun 10, 2005

with his drop up front, he should go with some 1" drop 5 leaf mideyes... they'll be probably where his stockers are sitting right now, which is the stance he says he likes (and most people do), and will match up well with what he's done in the front.

damannhw · Jun 10, 2005

Thanks for the input guys. Where's a good place to get new leafs ? Mustangs Unltd and CJPony seem to have only stock style replacements. Mustangs Plus seems to have a big variety.

SadbutTrue - How do you like the 4.5 leafs ? Do they ride and handle well ? I'll check into those 5 leafs as well.

Leaf spring ??'s Replace or not ??

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