Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!

[BB73Challenger]

So I just wanted to give everyone an update on my situation.

I was looking to ditch my air shocks, still needing a little extra lift.
Doing it on a budget was the kicker.
For the cost of the stupid air shocks in the first place I bought the add a leaf kit.
I didn't even break anything while taking out the old leaf springs! I still could have even used the old U bolts, but I bought new ones.

After a few hours work of dropping the springs, undoing the spring pack to add in my new leaf and then re-installing, it turned out great!

Thanks again to all for your input earlier too!

[hemiken]

  Glad to have been a part of the crew................

Your Car looks great.

[geneo4116]

how did you know which spring to bye to get the right hieght, and where did you bye, i need to get rid of my air shocks also looks great

[BB73Challenger]

I took a bit of a chance.
After looking into the different add a leafs ( Summit sells like 3 or 4 kinds ) I ended up
Pro-Comp's Full size truck/van/SUV  short leafs.
I came to this conclusion on a couple of matters.
I kept digging on Summit's web site 1st for the extra lift the springs advertised.
Then I began to further narrow by picking the same spring width.(some were 2, 23 or 2.5 off the top of my head)

After much thought, knowing that my old springs were sagging a bit, and knowing that I didn't have a couple hundred to drop on new springs right now, I settled on Summit's P/N EXP-13122.
After dropping the old springs ( 1 side at a time ) I c-clamped the pack together, cut the old spring pack bolt out, took out my smallest "mini" leaf on the very bottom, moved the next spring to the bottom below my add-a-leaf, c-clamped the pack back together and re-bolted them together using the supplied new bolt.

Like an idiot, I didn't measure any fixed point off the car to compare how much lift I ended up with, but it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 1-1/2.
I have been measuring to keep on eye on how much relaxing the spring will do, and so far not much.

For as well as this worked, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I was surprised not only to not find anything on the old world wide web about anyone adding a set to car instead of a truck, but that no one seems to advertise anything for a car.

Hope that helps Geneo4116!

[GoodysGotaCuda]

Every once in awhile i have decent information lol. Sounds good, ill be doing a add-a-leaf to my ranger in the near future. Get a little extra payload capacity out of it and a little height, not bad for ~$50 and some time. DEFIANTELY better than air shocks!!

[BB73Challenger]

Every once in awhile i have decent information lol. Sounds good, ill be doing a add-a-leaf to my ranger in the near future. Get a little extra payload capacity out of it and a little height, not bad for ~$50 and some time. DEFIANTELY better than air shocks!!

YES! - the only thing to keep in mind is to buy u-bolts just about 1/2" longer than what you are currently using to clear the add-a-leaf, it was THICK!

[basement]

What car did you do this to BB73?

[MEK-Dangerfield]

What car did you do this to BB73?

His 73 Challenger.   

[basement]

Do you think this same summit part number would also work for a 4-leaf DART setup with 2.5inch wide leafs??

[BB73Challenger]

I don't see why not, as long as they still use a "bolt through the center" to hold the pack together.

I've put a good 1500+ miles on them this year so far and there has been NO drop in ride height.
I did read some new springs could loose a little arc after a while but these have been realy holding their shape.
So the only thing I could think of is if you get them on and they are too high, I don't think the rear will settle in on them.

I hope that helps somewhat 

[ShelbyDogg]

I've done the same thing but used a leaf from an old set of leaf springs. If you look at the pack, you can usually see a spot where a leaf looks like it is missing. I would add one there and shorten or grind it to look like an original.  Then it doesn't have a thick leaf showing and looks stock.

I even took a set of super stock springs for a non e-body and bolted the whole set of lower leaves to the bottom of an e-body top leaf.  This made a correct length e-body super stock springs without using the extended hanger.

[heminut]

I even took a set of super stock springs for a non e-body and bolted the whole set of lower leaves to the bottom of an e-body top leaf.  This made a correct length e-body super stock springs without using the extended hanger.

Great idea Shelbydogg! I'll have to remember that one!

[hooD]

BB73Challenger........have any pictures of your new ride height?   

[mikerallye]

Where's  a pic of the ride height; I hate air shocks and might try this setup too.   

[Glennster]

You guys are a FREAKIN' TON of help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was ready to buy air shocks, this sounds much better. javascript:void(0);