rear springs

[hot_roder09]

on the rear springs of my f100 the smallest spring between the axle and the springs is about a 1/4" thick i think this is called my overload anyway if i remove this spring how muck will it drop my truck

[ForingaMex]

It sounds like somebody has already removed your overload spring. Is it the same thickness as all the rest? Does it contact the other springs along it's entire length? I think the overload spring is closer to 1/2" thick in the middle and tappers out toward the end and it's more straight than the others.
If you do have the overload spring and you remove it from what I've read it droppes the truck 1".

[fordman]

the bottom leafs in these pictures are the overload springs from the F100 trucks. they may also be on F250 i can't rememebr right now. i think they are. but if you remove this bottom leaf you wotn gain much as far as lowerign the truck. but you will gain a slight bit of more bounch and comfortability to the ride of your truck.

[hot_roder09]

yes that is the leaf that i am talking about so i will only gain a 1" lower ride but it should make it a more comfortable ride correct.

[fordman]

yes my 68 doesnt have them and it rides better without them. but it never had them in there but i do have them.

[hot_roder09]

thanx fordman

[cwii]

I am working on the same project now, I repalced all of the bushings and I would like to remow the overloads on my 71 F250. How do you get it off? I have the spring on the bench, there is a bolt/nut on top with what appears to be a smooth pin out the botton of the spring stack.

[ForingaMex]

It's a bolt that holds the spring-pack together and if you take it off the pack comes apart. The head is round like you mentioned to keep the rear axle centered.

[cwii]

Thanks ForingaMex, so do I have to hold the round bolt in a vise/visegrip then turn the nut?

[fordman]

i think they are wedged into the spring. so a backup for the nut probably isnt needed. put lots of pb blaster on the nut to make sure it comes off easy and doesnt break off. i think you can get new ones. but why take the chance.

[67_F100 Ranger]

My 67 springs have 5 leaf's left. I am assuming the overload was removed as the back was sitting low when I tore down the truck. How many leaf's should there be - LMC say's 7?

[fordman]

the amount of leafs depends on how the truck was built for weight ratings. 5 is normal. i don't think all trucks got the overloads on them. 7 leafs or more would be for a higher weight rated truck. i have seen a truck with only four and it had been worked on . i think it had four on one side and five on the other. i thought at the time that the set of four may have came out of something else. because they didn't look exactly like the other side.

[1971ford]

Yes you can pull that out no problem.
But will it give you a better ride... not so much.
That spring should not contact the rest of your spring pack unless heavily loaded. So unloaded, it will not affect your ride. It will drop it a half inch if that's what you're looking for.
If you don't haul heavy weights i would pull the overload and one other leaf.
Really i would build my own leaf springs but that is more complicated...

[fordman]

yes it only makes real contact if the truck has weight on it. but without the spring there is does give the leafs a slight bit more flex and a slightly better ride.

[hazelnut]

overload spring or springs are not in the leaf spring pack, over load springs usally have a 1" spacer between the overload and the leafs. overload springs wont effect the ride unloaded,when loaded the truck settles (most 1.5")and then the overload springs become active to help carrie the extra weight.