Inliners International Forums General Discussion Drive Train '56 Chevy 3100 Pickup rear springs/shocks

I've pulled the rear suspension out of the truck to re-gear the diff and repair the ravages of time. Since this truck will be a daily driver and also unlikely to carry more than a hundred pounds in the bed, I'd like to improve the over-the-road ride quality. Has anyone played with the number of leafs and specific shocks to get a more passenger car ride? I know the weight distribution differs between truck and car, so an exact duplication probably won't work well, but some combination should improve the ride. Also, has anyone used the poly strips between the leafs to eliminate the frictional damping? And, if so, did it require a change in the shocks to make up for the lost damping from the springs and did they last?

I haven't done any spring work on a 56. There is something you can do to improve any leaf spring set. Add plastic inserts between the leaves to work easier. You can buy it in rolls, it has a lip on it to keep it from walking out from between the leafs. I did it on a 77 Vette I had, and it made a noticeable difference.

Larry

I would bet that if there's a 1 ton's worth of spring pack back there, that removing any amount of springs would smooth out the ride. Or am I mistaking your model for a 1/2 ton? Look at how many springs are under a 1/2 ton chevy pickup. Then check out something smaller like an S-10. Removing springs will alter the ride, but there's no way to tell until you have it back together. Keep this in mind, it'll also alter your vehicle ride height. Newer trucks use(d) a nylon button, so I can't see how that wouldn't hurt to use an anti-friction surface between them. Although it could cause the spring leaves to "walk" out from each other without steel keeper straps around the outsides. The shock selection would be a matter of choice, as far as what's available. Most manufacturers have 2 or 3 series of shocks, depending on whether the driver wants for feel, a "truck" ride, or a softer car-type ride. Monroe, for instance, carries a Gas Magnum(heavy duty),a Sensa-Trac(comfort ride), and a Monroe-Matic(el cheapo budget shock) for trucks. Depending on how low the truck sits after taking out springs(if that is the route you take), unless you fab spacer blocks to retain factory height, you'd have to measure stock shock length and compare that to how much lower you are, and either hope you don't bottom out, or find a proper length shock. But you probly knew all that.

Thanks for the responses. I can use all the help I can get-this is my first truck restoration/modification. Looks like the poly liners will be a worthwhile idea. And the softer shocks will help too.

John; Are you a member of the South Texas Inliners Chapter? Their head is Al Cunningham and one of their members is Sonny Chance, who has a similar pick up to yours and I suspect he's done some tinkering with his. Also one of our Nor-Tex Chapter members Leon Corley has vastly improved his ride in his early 55 1/2 ton by removing some of his leaves.
Phone#'s: Al Cunningham: 210-823-1601, Sonny Chance: 830-868-2239 and Leon Corley: 682-557-9332. They're all good sources for advise on your truck. SOB

Thanks for the leads. I'll give them a call. Nothin' like feedback from someone whose done it.

I went through this on my 1/2t 54 Jimmy about 8 years ago. I kept the longest leaf and the master leaf then removed every other leaf in each set. Since mine has a torque tube there is no concern about spring wrap which should be concidered when reducing leaf number with an open drive line. Some bolt on traction bars would be required to alleviate the spring wrap. I used that poly liner between each leaf but it was worn and squished out in about two years. What happened in my case is; due to the roughness of the leaf's surface and the sharpness of the ends of each leaf (where most of the pressure is applied) the liner was cut and ground back to metal on metal in no time. I also had to retighten the "U" bolts several times. The solution was to thoroughly clean the leafs of rust and debris then polish both sides of each leaf last few inches with red and blue 3M Scotchbrite ROLOCs and knock the sharp edges of the ends. It has been another six years with no apparant deterioration, no squeeks, and a conciderably smoother ride. I concidered switching to mono leafs but because of the expense and mixed reviews I opted for this inexpensive "shade tree" approach. If I where to do this again I would have my local spring shop drill out my leafs for nylon buttons. I hope this helps your decision process. Best Regards, KB.

Help a bunch. Hadn't reall considered the spring wrap with an open driveshaft. Thanks

John,
I just finished rebuilding my leaf springs pack and used a Teflon Tape I purchased it through a supplier. The ride tamed down considerably. The cost of the Tape? $17.00 for the entire job. The spring shop installed the tape between each leaf for another $20.00.
Normbc9