leaf spring

flip · Mar 20, 2011

Ok so im going to ask cause I have not found the combo that I have.
Im looking to lower my truck a bit as of now I have Allpro 6" springs now so what ever i build I want it to be lower than they are
I have a dana 60 up front and a 97 4.3 vortec and going to be running 42 Irocks. What is the best spring combo of leafs to use up front I know waggys are to soft this is what I have come up with. :grinpimp:

Leaf 1 83 main
Leaf 2 83 mil wrap
Leaf 3 stock 83 3rd
Leaf 4 88 main cut 3in shorter than leaf 3
Leaf 5 88 mill wrap cut 3in shorter than leaf 4

Lord Helmet · Mar 20, 2011

If you want to experiment with making custom leaf packs you gotta just do it. Sorry to be so vague but maybe just start by taking out the shortest leaf and seeing how she sits.

Better yet, I would sell those AP springs on CL to some guy with a hard on for lift springs and start sourcing 79-95 Toyota rear springs. Making a RUF pack after reading about it on PBB was super easy and cheap.

I ended up with a 6 leaf pack in this order:
87 main
89 main
87 2nd leaf
89 2nd leaf
87 3rd leaf
89 3rd leaf
Each successive leaf was cut about 4" shorter than the previous one.
My pack flexes well and is not too high at about 4" of lift but my order of leaves is dumb because I eliminated the factory mil wrap by using the 89 main as my second leaf. When I build another in the future I will use the first 3 leaves from a 2nd gen and just add 3 more under them.

Mallcrawler83 · Mar 20, 2011

Search Pirate 4x4. Tons of info on the ruf thread.:awesomework:

flip · Mar 21, 2011

Hey thanks ya i know that is what it takes just jump in and do it but get a ruff idea is a good start that will be helpful :awesomework: Thanks

PaulSac · Mar 22, 2011

Here is what not to do. I used the first 3 from an 48" '85 pack and then the first 3 from a third gen 53" pack as numbers 4,5,6 cut down 3" in front and 4" in back each spring. This is way to stiff and a little too high. I'm going to try removing the 6th spring and see what that does for me. I think the best bet is to start with the first 3 from a 48" pack and try out different ones for 4,5 and maybe 6.

flip · Mar 24, 2011

Ya I need mine to be a bit stiff I have a dana 60 up front with a 4.3 vortec this is what I came up with.

Leaf 1 83 main
Leaf 2 83 mil wrap
Leaf 3 stock 83 3rd
Leaf 4 88 main cut 3in shorter than leaf 3
Leaf 5 88 mill wrap cut 3in shorter than leaf 4

do this sound right to you all

Lord Helmet · Mar 24, 2011

That set up should work but you could move your axle forward some, if desired, by running the first three leaves from the 88 due to the pin offset.

ain'tstuckjustresting · Mar 24, 2011

Isn't there only 3/8" difference in offset from 1st gen to 2nd gen?

boardbysled · Mar 24, 2011

ain'tstuckjustresting said:
Isn't there only 3/8" difference in offset from 1st gen to 2nd gen?

Yep, but every bit helps when your trying to build a rig low and keep the tires out of the firewall.

Lord Helmet · Mar 24, 2011

Ah, I just always default to using 2nd gen mains since they have the shortest front halves. I just glanced at the RUF FAQ, the difference is 5/8", pretty negligible.