LUVTruck.com

OK all this talk about leaf springs and lowering here is a question for mytmouz and Ben. My problem with stock leaf springs and trac bars is hooking up. It feels like the suspenion bottoms out. It leaves hard (front wheels in the air) but after about five feet the truck bottoms out and unplants the rear tires. Once the rear tires spin for about ten to fifteen more feet the suspension comes back up and the truck plants. This is just what it "feels" like. It runs pretty much runs the same 60' on the motor as on the bottle. Ben runs a 1.59 60' and a 7.43 in the 1/8. Mine runs a 1.65 60' and 7.0 in the 1/8. See my problem? Have 9", stock springs with the overload removed. I fabbed the rear trac bars, they replace the lower mount on the springs and touch and the front spring mount. Do I need more spring, more pinion angle ( it got about 4 1/2 degrees)or will stiffer shocks work. Dont want to go to a ladder bar.

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Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy horsepower...and that's kind of the same thing...

What are you running for shocks ?(50/50's i hope) sounds like the pinion angle is good have you tried changing it 2* either way to see if it helps? A quick fix and adjustable would be to get a air ride kit and install in the rear this way you can adj. your spring rate and launch attitude by changing air press. from side to side.Now that i wrote this you may have already considered these alternatives.Ladder bars are not that hard to install with your leaf springs ether,with ladders they do all the work and you springe just hold the back of your truck off the ground. The set i have work excellent but you allso need the sliders.

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

The shocks are factory replacments from Autozone. Is there a topic on your setup TJ? How does the ladder bar mount with the leaf spring still there? I would guess the sliders are for the rear of the leaf spring? What 60' times have you run with this setup. Air bags, I helped a friend put an air ride system on a Dodge Daully and it was any thing but a quick fix. Maybe just the bags in the rear and air them up with an air tank.

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Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy horsepower...and that's kind of the same thing...

The air ride i'm writing about is a add on for boost to your existing spring set up. The sliders i mentioned are used because the spring and ladder bars move in different arcs and the slides let the springs move without binding the suspension. All of my set up came from Art Morrison, check there web site and on line catalog. Also you can adjust ride hight. And you should be using 50/50 drag shock to by the way on the rear to control the spring movement.

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

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<img src="http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/LUV455/DVC00692-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"><br><br>
</center> i hope it works

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

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

I really should leave the damn computers alone and just work on cars.At least i know what i am doing.

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

If your shock travel bottoms out when it squats, this could case a problem
as the suspension travel is not completed. Jack the truck up and see if the shock is completely compressed, ideally you should still have some travel left. Please use jackstands if you are going to go under the truck. Remember guys, Safety First.

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If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

The shock is not bottomed out when the truck is setting there.(you can push down on the rear of the truck and get it to compress several inches)This is just what it feels like it is doing any other sugestions as what might be causing the truck to leave hard then just unhook blow the tires off for ten feet and then hook up and go straight? The shocks are stock replacments not sure of the dampening this might be the problem.

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Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy horsepower...and that's kind of the same thing...

As mytmouz said it could be that your shocks are bottoming out not on the hit when you leave but as you travel a few feet then it would unload your tires and as you travel the power starts to level off letting the suspension free up and the tires hook up.This is where you need a set of good racing 50/50 shocks in the rear and make sure they are the right length.

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

I will get the truck up in the air tomorrow and see if I can see where it is bottoming out. If not, shocks are cheap I will get them on the way but dont know if I will make it back to the dragstrip this year. Do you run adjustable shocks TJ? Or is 50/50 the way to go?

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Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy horsepower...and that's kind of the same thing...

My shocks i got at Art Morrison they are just 50/50 no adjustment but any of the chassis parts supply will have shocks. Measure your shock travel both stretched and compressed. A quick way to is in circle track racing we cut the top tube off if there was one and used a zippy tie on the shock rod to measure are shock travel this way we could adj. are spring rate. It's a cheap way to check your shock travel and it works very good.FYI i also run stock replacement shocks in the front. I haven't gone to the strip yet but on the good asphalt in front of the shop where i got it running it feels like it's yanking the tires when i dump the clutch at 4500 and goes straight.

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

If you are just checking your shock travel by compressing the rear, jack the front of the truck up to simulate launch and then compress the rear. It may help you judge the shock length a little better. You might be suprised at the difference.

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If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

Yes the proper way to check the rear suspension is to have the front wheels setting on ramps or blocks with the truck level then you can drop the rear to check but keep in mind that when you put power to the rear the springs will move. If the rear is squatting to much the you need to work on it as that is 60' time lost. I hate to say this but from the sounds of things you would be a lot better of with a ladder setup.I have trouble believing the prob. is in the spring as there are allot of trucks running the same setup.

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

you might check the bump stops on the rear end if you still have them on.
If your bottoming that hard the bottoms should look fairly clean where the rear end is contacting them.

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don`t have the luv no more but I still like em.72 el camino,
00 & 06 silverado one 4x4, turboed vw sandrail,99 banshee, 06 raptor 700, 02 polaris trailblazer.

Took a look at it today. Couldnt find any place were is was bottoming out on the frame.(I removed the bump stops when I narrowed the frame.)From what I can see the shocks are way too long. With the truck jacked up with the left front about a 1/2 off the ground the shock only has about 1/2 of travel left which can easily hit bottom by pushing down on the bed. So I took installed height and compressed measurements and have new shocks on the way. The shocks were only operating in the lower 1/3 of their capacity. I was told the the dampening on a stock shock was 70/30 the ones I ordered are 50/50. Another thing I was considering was putting an adjustable solid snubber instead of the rubber ones on the trac bars that way I can try preloading the suspension. Has anyone tried this before what results did you get?

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Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy horsepower...and that's kind of the same thing...

You took out the rubber stops???? What have you got in their place???? Metal on metal???? You want something as soft and pliable as you can get to cushion the end of your suspension travel.


I think a bit of research and the construction of a set of Kaltrac bars would help as well.



Bob.

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Current project, 1979 KB Isuzu Ute.

Daily driver, '86 Rodeo Spacecab.
Chasing parts for Isuzu Impulse.

First i have energy suspention snubbers on mine . They are solid .

Second , and just a thiught here , what about a rancho 4x4 shock like the rs 9000 adjustable ? 90/10 , 80/20 , 70/30 , 60/40 , 50/50 ? Or is am I way off base with this ? I have stock replacments on mine and I'm working my wat towards being as fast as you guys. With the adjustable Rancho shock seems as though you could just crawl under the truck and soften or firm the shocks . I would like to here your opinions on this , as I might try something like this on mine .

Another forum I browse from time to time has a thread about this. They are using the Rancho 9000 shocks on some 1968 to 1974 Chevy Novas. These are leaf spring vehicles like the Luvs. The part # they were using for the Novas were for a Chevy truck. My guess is that ordering the correct length Rancho would be a good, relatively inexpensive option. And if you know Rancho's those things can definitely take a beating.

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If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

I have a buddy with a 4wheel drive shop . All I would have to do is give him extended and compressed measurements and he said he can get me the right shock.