Rear Leaf lift replacement

[VWbaja10]

What are my options for rear leaf springs for a 2000 Mountaineer? I want to try and stay away from add a leaf due to my stock leafs are pretty worn. Everything I’ve found on the site is manly the lift shackles which I have installed already , add a leaf, or body lift which I will not due, not a fan of them. I found some old man emu 1.5in on 4wheel parts but would like to hear some insight on them or other options available. Attached is my rear setup now. Thanks in advance

 

[~X~]

Build a bas tard pack out of an F150 spring under the Explorer main leaf. If you have a press you could re-arc. I built my rear leafs from some Pro comp leaves off some kind of Chevy under my stock main leaf, lifted it way too much, like 6" instead of 4".

I have a few spare sets of stock to work on & a press in the shop so I'll arc another set.

Here's what I built next to a stock leaf pack.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

What are my options for rear leaf springs for a 2000 Mountaineer? I want to try and stay away from add a leaf due to my stock leafs are pretty worn. Everything I’ve found on the site is manly the lift shackles which I have installed already , add a leaf, or body lift which I will not due, not a fan of them. I found some old man emu 1.5in on 4wheel parts but would like to hear some insight on them or other options available. Attached is my rear setup now. Thanks in advanceView attachment 436860View attachment 436861

have OME springs- theyre good! the military wrap is nice. do have it with the shackles to combat load. for offroading they are very good, very flexy etc, just not for towing, the overload leaf is quite far down. but for froading definitely a worthwhile upgrade imo. some also do a frankenstein pack with f150 leaves too. one member i know of has done lift leaves for an f150 @DannyW i believe

 

[DintDobbs]

@~X~ Not trying to steal @VWbaja10 's thread, but if ya don't mind, which leaves did you take from the F-150 pack? All of 'em and just keep the Explorer's top leaf? Thinking of making a mashup pack with OME 1.5" lift + something, but not sure how well it will work. I know there's space for another leaf, because I took the overload spring out of my pack.

This info of course could be helpful to @VWbaja10 and others down the line as well.

 

[Josh P]

On my 87 ranger, I cut the eyes off the main spring and laced the ranger pack in with a 4 door explorer set. If you need more capacity than that, double up an explorer set.

 

[~X~]

@~X~ Not trying to steal @VWbaja10 's thread, but if ya don't mind, which leaves did you take from the F-150 pack? All of 'em and just keep the Explorer's top leaf? Thinking of making a mashup pack with OME 1.5" lift + something, but not sure how well it will work. I know there's space for another leaf, because I took the overload spring out of my pack.

This info of course could be helpful to @VWbaja10 and others down the line as well.

I'm not using F150 springs, sorry for the misunderstanding. There are lots of threads here on it though.

I got some leafs off a Chevy that was going to scrap. I cut the eyes off & put them together with my Explorer main leaf. I have no idea what these leafs are, only that the Chevy was used around here in a few tough truck competitions. I looked around online and decided they were from Pro comp. Lots of arc, nice spring as far as ride goes but WAY too much lift, like 2" too much. I actually have some lowering blocks on it until I re-arch some other springs I have stashed.

 

[DintDobbs]

@~X~ Yeah, no worries - I saw that your application uses the Pro Comp / Chevrolet combination. Not sure why I thought you'd gone the F-150 route at some point. In any case, thanks for the direction!

 

[DannyW]

@VWbaja10 I installed a set of Skyjacker Springs for a 1995 F150 2WD, ordered from CarID.

Skyjacker® FR34 - Softride™ Rear Lifted Leaf Springs
SKU: 306158485
Fits Following Model(s):• RWD

Worked out great.

 

[VWbaja10]

@VWbaja10 I installed a set of Skyjacker Springs for a 1995 F150 2WD, ordered from CarID.

Skyjacker® FR34 - Softride™ Rear Lifted Leaf Springs
SKU: 306158485
Fits Following Model(s):• RWD

Worked out great.

View attachment 436981

About how much lift did you gain from that? So the f150 leafs are the same length?

 

[Fix4Dirt]

as i recall he gained 3"

 

[DannyW]

About how much lift did you gain from that? So the f150 leafs are the same length?

The springs are longer, but the ends are the same, just had to clamp it and flip the centering pin around. I ordered them with an additional 4" lift, then put in the add-a-leaf from my old set. I left the 2" shackles on from the previous leveling kit. Net gain was 5.5". Also required 3" shock extenders at the top. I could get longer shocks, but they were only 6 months old and blocks were cheaper.
The springs being longer require you to lift the body to bring the Leafs up to the axle, there's the lift.
Hope that rambling makes sense and helps.
-Dan

 

[VWbaja10]

The springs are longer, but the ends are the same, just had to clamp it and flip the centering pin around. I ordered them with an additional 4" lift, then put in the add-a-leaf from my old set. I left the 2" shackles on from the previous leveling kit. Net gain was 5.5". Also required 3" shock extenders at the top. I could get longer shocks, but they were only 6 months old and blocks were cheaper.
The springs being longer require you to lift the body to bring the Leafs up to the axle, there's the lift.
Hope that rambling makes sense and helps.
-Dan

When you say lift the body you mean just jack up the vehicle more? I’ve swapped leafs before on previous vehicles so I know what’s involved just want to clarify what you mean. Do you happen to have any side profile pics of how it sits. Trying to get an idea of what route I’m gonna go.

 

[DannyW]

When you say lift the body you mean just jack up the vehicle more? I’ve swapped leafs before on previous vehicles so I know what’s involved just want to clarify what you mean. Do you happen to have any side profile pics of how it sits. Trying to get an idea of what route I’m gonna go.

Yes I mean lift the body to pull the longer arch of the springs up to meet the axle.
Sorry, quick pic. At work and it's raining...

 

[DintDobbs]

@DannyW Nice information to have, there; this could be the option I select when my OME's wear out. A little more lift on the rear end would do mine some good. Not sure I understand what you meant by "flip the centering pin around", though. (I'm sure I'd understand when I order up a set, ha ha.)

How does it handle the weight of your Explorer? I see your shock absorbers are pretty beefy, I assume those coils stiffen the ride a good bit beyond what the F-150 springs do on their own?

P. S. That's one gnarly truck you've got there.

 

[BKennedy]

I made a set of frankenleafs out of two sets of Explorer leafs. I added or subtracted and cut down leafs to get the height I wanted. It rode fairly stiff, but seemed to flex alright. The OME's are probably the best aftermarket. I ended up with a custom-made leaf pack of ten leafs. Told the shop (North County Spring, Escondido) what I used it for and what I wanted, they made it work. Now it rides very nice, can carry an extra 300-400 pounds for long range expedition type trails without sagging very much, and flexes like crazy. Rides smoother than my Silverado.

 

[DannyW]

@DannyW Nice information to have, there; this could be the option I select when my OME's wear out. A little more lift on the rear end would do mine some good. Not sure I understand what you meant by "flip the centering pin around", though. (I'm sure I'd understand when I order up a set, ha ha.)

How does it handle the weight of your Explorer? I see your shock absorbers are pretty beefy, I assume those coils stiffen the ride a good bit beyond what the F-150 springs do on their own?

P. S. That's one gnarly truck you've got there.

Thanks.
The springs by themselves ride nice - not too stiff. The coil overs are to help when we're out for 3 or 4 days with the load-out. Otherwise, the shocks work as normal.

 

[SWIGIN]

Don't forget guys, that Ranger plus 6 inch springs are plus 4.5 inch on an Ex when mounted like an EX is factory.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Don't forget guys, that Ranger plus 6 inch springs are plus 4.5 inch on an Ex when mounted like an EX is factory.

yep ranger is SOA X is SUA so less arch needed