Need help with leaf springs

[94Sport]

Hi all, been reading this forum for quite awhile now. Over the past two weeks I've been putting on a 3" body lift and a 2.5" spring lift. Two weeks? You ask, yes two weeks, I live in the rust belt and had to cut out two of my body mounts with a saws all, and it took the local Ford dealer two tries to get them in right. Anyway, body lift is on, it was as easy as said ONCE I got the old hardware out. Now move on to the springs. I got every thing off so the axle is off the springs. I just need to get out those last two bolts that hold all the springs together. Any guesses what happed there? Yep, both of the heads were rusted so bad that a socket rounded them off before I could even get a wrench on them. So I'm going to have to cut them out. My question is how much force is there on those bolts? I have a couple large 'C' clamps that I was planning on putting on either side of them and grinding the heads off them. Is that a good idea? I'd hate to blast a bolt through my head so close to being done with the lift.

Last couple of questions, my add a leafs didn't come with any hardware so I'm going to have to get new center bolts for the spings, that shouldn't be to hard to find. I've heard of people using new 'U' bolts, I never got any of those. Are the stock one's long enough to reuse with the add a leafs?

Thanks for all your help with this.

MJ

 

[Isles4evr]

The stock center bolts aren't long enough... the kit you got should have had new bolts with it. I did add-a-leafs on a firends 96 sport and just the leaf itself had an extended bolt. As far as cutting the bolt off... i just took a dremel to it and the leaf pack slides right apart.

Hope this helps
Chris

 

[Maniak]

On our 1992 the bolt that hold the leaf springs together is actually round. We just ground it off.. 2 C clamps is enough to hold it together.. there isn't a lot of force there (enough that I would use the c clamps.. but not enough that I would worry any more)..

You will need longer/new bolts to hold them together.. I used a regular bolt (grade 8) that would fit tight in the spring perch..

~Mark

 

[94Sport]

Well, that makes me feel better. Them being round that is. I thought mine were just rusting away.

Thanks for the reply all.

MJ