So I recently replaced the shocks on my 83 and it made a pretty big difference in the ride.

I was looking at my front Springs and they look pretty shot. Almost a negative arch with the shackle almost touching the frame.

I see San Diego truck Springs sells an oem replacement. They list a 4ish inch arc.

Has anyone used their Springs? I'm assuming this will alter the ride height of my vehicle but I'm not sure how much.

At this point I'd like to just do the front Springs reusing as much stock hardware as I can to save some dollars.

My buddy said I might be able to get away with some boomerang shackles.

Trying to upload pics to imgur to post.

 

I would look into trying to make your own new front pack out of factory rear springs. If you have access to a couple sets, this can be done relatively cheaply. Should be the same length, but idk for sure.

Search Rears Up Front/RUF

 

I called a local spring shop and they said just for labor it's probably 300+ per axle.

SD truck Springs sells rear sets as well. Guaranteed factory fit.

 

They are really easy to disassemble and assemble. If you have access to some clamps you can do it.

If you can get factory springs and they ride well, then I would go for it man.

Have you been able to find any reviews anywhere on their springs yet?

 

A few online seemed pretty satisfied. The guy I spoke with seemed very knowledgeable as well.

I guess I'm just concerned that their Springs show a four-inch arc and my current Springs are basically negative.

My truck looks pretty even as it stands and I'm not sure if that would throw it off.

I'll have pics up tomorrow looks like I need to resize them.

 

There's a picture showing my shackle and its proximity to the frame. Can pretty much tell how flat/negative the spring is but I'm working on another pic as well.

 

Go with Old Man Emu - closest to stock ride as you can get and only have 2-3" of lift. I hat them with Bilsteins 5100s on all four corners of my truck and I have a super comfortable ride.

 

OME are stiff springs, great for washboard roads but don't flex hardly at all so suck on rocks. i had some of my 88 pickup and liked them. be aware the ride will be significantly stiffer/harsher around town tough.

you can replace the springs yourself, it's not difficult or dangerous so long as you have the proper tools including jack stands. if you don't have tools, they won't cost you more than the labor you'd pay.

 

An 88 and 83 are two different animals when it comes to suspensions so comparing the two isn't even realistic. It is a fact that OME is the only thing that comes close to a factory ride with a mild lift. Personally, I have had and riden in several different setups and nothing beats OME around town. Plus he never mentioned anything about wanting flex - not eveybody on here is a wheeler.

 

I actually considered the whole emu kit.

I was having one of those days though and wanted results now. I ended up pulling the old shocks and putting Rancho es9000 adjustable on. I settled on those because they were available and generally seemed well regarded. I almost considered going foa with the reservoirs because they'll help you fine tune them but I wanted it done. (I may explore this option further in the future. Well priced, decent reviews. If they have a sweet black Friday sale may give it a shot)

The old shocks were Toast! Hardly compressed at all. The rear left bottom bracket looked like it came off a different year Toyota so I had to have my mechanic weld a proper mount in there.

The difference so far has been night and day. I just leave the setting on one and am loving it. There's a subtle dip just before the turn to my house that used to feel like hitting a curb when I went over it. Now it's so much smoother I actually enjoy it.

I did end up ordering the front Springs from SD truck Springs. I like the way my truck sits now and didn't want to lift it at all. They should be here around the middle of the week.

I've been trying to find the measurements for all the spring mounting hardware. This stuff is old and looks bad! I'm sure I'll end up replacing most everything in there.

I also ordered the oe motor mounts from lce. From what I gather most other aftermarket ones are made by anchor and junk.

Should be a fun weekend. Love this forum! Thanks for all the advice.

*edit* Forgot to add I'm not an avid off reader by any means. This truck is my dd everyday truck. I do take it some crazy places to go camping and fishing, so I'm hoping this combination will be the best of both worlds. It's funny with those old seized shocks, my suspension wouldn't move, the whole truck would!