Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!

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    Author Topic: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!  (Read 14424 times)

    Offline Topcat

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #15 on: October 14, 2008 - 08:52:17 PM »
    Heres a reference chart to show what they came with originally.
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    Mike, Fremont, CA.



    Offline moparmaniac59

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #16 on: October 14, 2008 - 09:45:59 PM »
    Thanks for sharing the info Jeff!! :2thumbs: Sounds like there's a few "Air Shock" folks out there....me being one of them. I like the additional height of the air shocks, but hate the ride. Looks like I'll be taking your advice. This is what this site is all about!!  :bigsmile:


                                                          Matt B.
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    Matt

    Offline kmyles

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #17 on: October 16, 2008 - 12:52:31 AM »
    Would love to see a pic of the new ride height.  :2thumbs:
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    _________
    Kevin



    Mopar Lover....Cuda's....Challengers Rule!!!!
    - 1951 Dodge - 2 door hardtop (Sold!!)
    - 1971 Dodge Challenger
    - 2012 Dodge Challenger Yellowjacket

    Hard to believe what 20 years will do!!!!

    Offline 71chally416

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #18 on: October 16, 2008 - 01:57:27 AM »
    Quote from: moparmaniac59 on October 14, 2008 - 09:45:59 PM
    Sounds like there's a few "Air Shock" folks out there....me being one of them.  Matt B.

    I'm guilty as well. They were on the car when I got it. I only have like 35lbs of air in them to remove the stock spring sag and I don't even notice they're on there. I kinda wanna keep them so I can preload the right side when I run it with slicks. I had a '70 440 challenger back in the 80's and it used to pitch violently to the right side when it launched at the track with the stock leafs until I put air some air shocks on it. With a pinion snubber, spring clamps and 70lbs in the right side shock it launched much better, and I let the air out when I drove it on the street. I love the way the SS springs work, but they do extract a penalty in the ride of the car. I'd rather do the mono-leaf / caltrac bar thing when I get the $$ so I'm not adding more weight.     
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    Offline 71chally416

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #19 on: October 17, 2008 - 02:18:41 AM »
    They get a bad rap from the people that pump 120psi in them to clear tires and rims with the wrong offset that don't fit in the wheelwells. Predictably they bend or break the shock mounts and make the car look like hell. If you use them sensibly they'll last a long time and do a great job with no negative effects. 
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    Offline ShelbyDogg

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #20 on: October 17, 2008 - 10:05:52 AM »
    Quote from: 71chally416 on October 17, 2008 - 02:18:41 AM
    They get a bad rap from the people that pump 120psi in them to clear tires and rims with the wrong offset that don't fit in the wheelwells.
    Mine are the same air shocks that were used to clear the 10" wheels and N50 tires that were on the car when I bought it. Those came off as soon as I got it home.
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    Rob

    3 E-bodies, Megasquirt-1v3.0, Edelbrock Pro-Flo-1, Holley C950, FAST EZ-EFI; say no to carbs...yes to throttle bodies

    My Pace Car restoration thread:
    http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=44869.0

    Offline 71chally416

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #21 on: October 17, 2008 - 11:24:07 AM »
    This is how mine sits with 35psi.
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    Once we had Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope & Johnny Cash. Now we have Obama, No Hope and No Cash!

    Offline Moparal

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #22 on: October 17, 2008 - 11:39:15 AM »
    I bought rebuilt springs from McVeigh in Michigan. Some said 6 on each side would cause problems and raise it to high, like 2 inches. But my height stayed the same, and the car doesnt even twist when I dumped the clutch. I do know the axle windup is gone. The housing doesnt hit the tunnel anymore. I was pleased for 185 bucks. I even mounted my factory rear sway bar. All this helped the car tremendously. It doesnt dip in curves or squat when I get on it. The front end raises up and I'm gone :2thumbs: :burnout:
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    Offline 1BADFISH™

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #23 on: November 04, 2008 - 02:45:20 PM »
    Just finished my add a leaf yesterday. We took the lower spring pack off, went down to the local spring shop and had a leaf made. 2.5" wide, 72" blank with 5/16" centerhole, 0.262" thick, and they trimmed 14" infront of the center hole. Simple solution and it costed $119 for the two leafs, bent to match my existing springs, new center bolts and spring clamps.

    While the rear was apart we installed the rear sway bar and lowered the front a hair.

    Unfortunately its hard to tell from these pics, but I gained a good inch in the rear, without the swaybar install probably 1.5". In person it made the world of difference, my rear sits at just shy of 26" and the front 24.5".   

    Thanks Neil.   :2thumbs:

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    Dave
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    2014 GMC Sierra Crew Cab White Diamond edition.
    1970 Dodge Challenger 340-6 4spd.
    *Member Since* Oct 11, 2005

    Offline kmyles

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #24 on: November 04, 2008 - 03:23:02 PM »
    Looks Great :2thumbs:
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    _________
    Kevin



    Mopar Lover....Cuda's....Challengers Rule!!!!
    - 1951 Dodge - 2 door hardtop (Sold!!)
    - 1971 Dodge Challenger
    - 2012 Dodge Challenger Yellowjacket

    Hard to believe what 20 years will do!!!!

    Offline Chryco Psycho

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #25 on: November 04, 2008 - 03:40:24 PM »
    You are welcome , the install went smoothly & the weater co-opertaed too
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    Offline shadango

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #26 on: November 23, 2009 - 07:32:50 AM »
    Hey  BB73Challenger...

    I am wondering how this has worked out, long term, for you?

    I need to boost my rear a bit and dont want to buy new springs...just get a little lift to my sagging springs and prevent the issues I have when I am carrying 4 passengers, etc.

    I would assume this same part number would work well on my 72 Barracuda.....

    Did you need to buy new center bolts too?  The photo of the part on Summit's site shows 4 bolts/nuts?



    How is the ride?



    Quote from: BB73Challenger on April 28, 2008 - 06:51:40 PM
    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!
    « Last Edit: November 23, 2009 - 07:53:34 AM by shadango »
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    Offline ShelbyDogg

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #27 on: November 23, 2009 - 09:39:25 AM »
    Here is my height after I added a full second spring from a used set of old springs. It sits where I want it and dont use air in my shocks anymore.  The pics are from the thread "new springs sit tooooo low"

    Pulled my 2nd leaf out of a set of old E-Body springs and installed them on another old set, right below the second spring.


     Now cars sits level where I like it.
    Here it is without any air in the shocks.



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    Rob

    3 E-bodies, Megasquirt-1v3.0, Edelbrock Pro-Flo-1, Holley C950, FAST EZ-EFI; say no to carbs...yes to throttle bodies

    My Pace Car restoration thread:
    http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=44869.0

    Offline 72rtchallenger

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #28 on: November 23, 2009 - 06:04:55 PM »
    looks good,,need to do mine also
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    72rtchallenger
    my challengers restro at http://www.cardomain.com/ride/399010
    what happens in the garage
    stays in the garage

    Offline shadango

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    Re: Add-a-leaf. Bye bye air shocks!
    « Reply #29 on: November 23, 2009 - 06:47:06 PM »
    I figured it would be easier to buy the add a leafs for $75...rather than trying to find a set of old springs.
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