LUVTruck.com

I did a search, but didnt find the exact answers i was looking for

Since i've been putting my luv to work, it's been seeing ALOT of weight in the rear end. I might be wrong, but i think i average about 900 lbs in the bed and another 1000 in a small 4x8 utility trailer that i store scrap on.

the other day, i picked up some industrial electric motors that weighed in at 1200 lbs. i also managed to get ahold of a blown 350 the same day and by the time i got home, the totall tally was at 1600 lbs. (this is not an exaggeration. I was on a scale and have the weight slip to prove it)

Since i was holding 1600 lbs in the bed, the luv's handling was in the crapper. not only that, but the spring bumper was only 2 inches from hitting the springs. (stupid i know)


SO, since i know most of you know more about suspension fixes and upgrades, i turn to you.

my questions are these:

can i find some full sized chevy leafs to custom install?
How much better is it to re-arch the springs than to find newer donor springs?
and what are the advantages and disadvantages of adding a set of helper springs vs add a leafs?

and what would be the best solution to give me an extra inch of lift at the rear end? (besides flipping the axle)


like i said, i don't usually overload my truck that much, but it does consistently haul alot of heavy crap.

help?

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To the Oquirr hills for awesome thrills! Go-go 4wd, Activate!

My suggestion would be to put a set of airbags in the rear, they run anywere from $250 to $300 and are very easy to instal, when you aren't carrying a heavy load let the air out, this is what I have in my F250 for towing heavy trailers and it works awsome. With this option you wont lose the ride quality when you aren't working

X2

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Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

i thought about that, but i want to get an extra inch of clearance without having to add ANOTHER system that can get damaged when i hit the trails.

i saw a rancho add-a-leaf spring set made for the luv that says it adds 1 to 2 inches of lift. the price is right, but i want to make sure it's worth it. i dunno if its cheaper to add the load helper springs or go the add a leaf route

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i would prob go with rancho add a leaf it adds an inch or two of lift and it is an extra leaf so its gona be able to carry for weight you know......

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Chevy luv with a redneck grabber green paint job lol...
these are links to my luvs pics.
http://s922.photobucket.com/albums/ad68 ... v%20truck/

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=22598

You can get a long helper spring set at Autozone for about $40, slip it between the bottom overload leaf and the rest of the spring pack along with a longer center bolt, it will add about 1" lift and more load capacity. If you have about 3/8"-1/2" threads sticking through the nuts on your u-bolts they should be long enough to re-use without replacing them. This is what I did on my Trooper to level & stiffen the rear after cranking up the front.
I have had 2600# of gravel in my Luv, and have added leaves since then. I first swapped the stock 4-leaf "soft ride" springs for a 5-leaf set from a '77, then added a helper similar to the Autozone model, then later added two long leaves from a Ford pickup.

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'78 Chevy LUV,1.9,4sp,headers,31's,SAS Dana 30,Dana 20,SOA rear w/Aussie Locker, rough body, bought new 12/4/78.
'87 Trooper,2.3,5sp,headers,31's,ball joint flip & spacer,Aussie Locker rear,Superwinch hubs,brush guard w/5.5K winch,more to come.

Why not just get air shocks or overload shocks with springs like load levelers. I do have an extra thick looking overload spring on my extra rear end. Not sure if it would help or not but it is different from my original that is on the new little truck now. I need to level out my truck. Looks like the front is higher but Ihave all the rear end parts and front hubs and stuff in the bed weighting it down/

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Too much to do and not enough time or money!
Courage is the other side of fear!
Pain is the weakness leaving the body!

honestly, i just want to get the sag issue under control first, then down the road, another set of leafs would be used to lift the rear end up just a tad more.

i was thinking of some toyota springs, but dont know what year/model to pull them from. i just need to take some measurements and make sure i get something that is rated higher than what i already have.


this is what i was looking at, but dunno if this is exactly what i need

http://www.sfxperformance.com/parts/RANRS60612.htm#

this is more along the lines of what i plan to do

http://carterswebsite.com/4runner/mods/procomp_aal/

what do you guys think?

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hey guys, i went to jack-it suspensions today and spoke to a guy there that told me that adding an add-a-leaf kit wouldn't really help me accomplish what i want to do. he suggested to just get a new set of springs.

considering the fact that when i only have about 200 lbs of weight in the bed of the truck and the springs are almost sitting right on the overload springs, im inclined to agree.

what other vehicles can i pull a set of springs from to use on the luv?

i will find out what companies here in utah would be able to re-arch the springs or something.

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re-arching the springs usually only lasts for a short time, don't waste your money, just find better springs or go the airbag route

yeah, unfortunately, i think i will have to end up going that route. cant seem to find anything at the moment. i emailed 4wheel parts and maybe they can suggest something too. the rancho AAL kit is the RS60612. maybe for 50 bucks, i can gamble a quick fix. if not, then i can always go the airbag route.

any particular kit or rather, what components would i need to install them?

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Can you find a wrecked s-10 4x4 somewhere. i know the rears are the same on 2 wheelers so I assume they would be on 4x's also.

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Too much to do and not enough time or money!
Courage is the other side of fear!
Pain is the weakness leaving the body!

This is just like the kit on my truck, you dont need the compressor, you can fill them from the stems just like your tires, lol
http://www.suspensionconnection.com/cgi ... 2250C.html

On my truck i used a set of Trooper springs to rebuild my springs.

I cut the eyes off and used the main and two or three others and the stock Luv main leaf and doing it this way you can toss that POS overload spring and still put a heavy load and ride good empty. I have only one pic. but it's not good as the tire is on the truck but i will dig it out and post it.

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1978 pro street step/side 455Buick, 4sp,4.11s, 31/18.5s

This should give you an idea.

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1978 pro street step/side 455Buick, 4sp,4.11s, 31/18.5s

tiny pic is tiny.

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OK, I'm going to weigh in on this again, probably get some dissention. You wanted lift AND load capacity.
Air shocks-worst- they are a temporary levelling device only, they were never designed as a permanent load increasing option. The weight of any load you add is immediately transferred to the two top and two bottom shock mounts, the springs are still weak and saggy and you have no shock dampening, truck rides like crap.
Air bags- better- but they are designed to act like a temporary overload spring, inflated only when you need the extra load capacity, deflated when you don't. To add lift as well as capacity they have to be partially inflated at all times.
Add-a-leaf/helper leaves/new springs etc.- best- as long as you get the right parts. To get more lift you have to increase the arch of the spring pack. Although increased arch alone does not necessarily add carrying capacity it does increase the travel distance before bottoming, & this may be all you need. t j white's Trooper springs added lift because they have more arch than LUV springs, & may be stiffer because the Trooper is also heavier. Added leaves or stiffer springs without increasing arch only adds capacity. Increased lift and/or capacity often means stiffer ride. Re-arched springs will add lift but not capacity, if they are re-tempered after re-arched they should last as long as originals, only cold-bending sometimes sag.
LUV springs are 2-1/2" wide, lots of vehicles have that width spring if you want to use tour main leaf & add or swap leaves, I have both helper leaves and Ford 1/2-ton leaves in mine. The longer the leaves directly under the main leaf the better. Just jump in and try something, either it works or you try something else till you get what you want.
Leaf springs usually fail either at the center bolt or just in front of the rear shackle, my LUV is loaded cab high with oak firewood, the spring pack has 7 leaves and is just about straight, still 3" from the snubbers but has a slight downward kink about 6" in front of the rear shackle, if it fails I expect it to be at this flex point.

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'78 Chevy LUV,1.9,4sp,headers,31's,SAS Dana 30,Dana 20,SOA rear w/Aussie Locker, rough body, bought new 12/4/78.
'87 Trooper,2.3,5sp,headers,31's,ball joint flip & spacer,Aussie Locker rear,Superwinch hubs,brush guard w/5.5K winch,more to come.

isuzuist, that is some good info. i thank you for it.

so it looks like this is the best time to get this done. im getting a sound from my front end wheel bearings, oil leaks from the engine, and now the sag problem with the rear. good thing i got that bike yesterday!

im thinking of doing a combination of things to the spring packs. i will add a rancho add a leaf, use some trooper springs and add a leaf from an s10. i think if that doesnt solve the problem, the air bags are next.

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I to think that was a good write up.

A little info on the Trooper springs

I was going to use the springs complete but the front half of the springs were longer then the Luv spring witch meant cutting the front mounts off and moving the appropriate distance (2 1/2" i think it's been a while)this also meant that pulling the bed and fuel tank.

The Trooper springs are of thicker leafs and have more arch then the Luv even at full drupe so i cut the eyes off and used the one that gave me the right spring pack.I used the Luv main leaf and had to use C-clamps to pull the springs together. this give me the desired lift (approx. 3"-3 1/2") and a good ride as well it holds up to being loaded without a lot of drop.

This was a case of poor boys have poor ways. And i had the springs from the chassis i got my 5sp from.

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1978 pro street step/side 455Buick, 4sp,4.11s, 31/18.5s

sounds like a good plan. i think that will be the thing to do. it's simple, and relatively easy to do.

i take it you also used the trooper overload spring right?

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To the Oquirr hills for awesome thrills! Go-go 4wd, Activate!