Got a broken leaf in the spring pack on my 90 4x4 pickup. The spring has 3 leaves and an overload with the 3rd leaf broke. The plan is to leave the springs in place so I don't have to mess with the hanger and shackle and just replace the broken third leaf.

Got the U bolts cut and the diff dropped but thought I'd check before removing the center pin.

Do I have to worry about any preload in the factory Toyota 4x4 springs?
Are there any tricks that people have used in in fixing their springs?

Any advice would be appreciated

 

I would do the same thing to both sides. Given their lifespan, and the fatigue caused by cyclic loading and unloading, that's just the way I'd go. If the corrosion on the other leaves is bad enough, I'd replace them all.

Can't say anything on preload. Not something I've ever gotten concerned with. Others likely know more than I do.

 

i would get new leafs for both sides, if one broke the rest probably aren't far behind. don't worry to much about the shackles, just make sure when you're tightening everything down your axle stays parallel to the front end (I would use equal length 2x4 to hold the wheels equal distant form the front ones)

when you're done get an alignment check so that you're not dog tracking (rear end off track) it'll cause a pull and tire wear.

 

Did everyone ignore his actual question on purpose???

Yes, you can just replace the broken leaf - if you have an exact match to go in there.

Do NOT take the center pin bolt out unless you have the spring pack clamped together. I generally use one or two large C clamps near the center pin location. Clamp in place, remove center pin nut, slowly loosen C clamp to release tension. Replace leaf, line up with a long screwdriver through the center pin holes, Re tighten C clamp, reinstall center pin (you may need a new one - check for wear), reinstall everything else.

 

has any body done the air ride on their pic-up? Just curious

 

Thanks for the info DRM

Looks like the springs have some preload and the C-Clamps did the trick.
The whole job actually went smoother than I thought

Thanks for the help

 

Glad it worked out for you

 

just replaced the one leaf? and glad it worked out for you too.