I am planning on running 32's and I don't want a full lift. I was just going to go the T-bar/ AALS route. Whwn I was under my rig earlier today, I noticed the stock springs looked a little tired. A buddy said I could always re-arch them. Is this a good idea? What are the pro's and con's?

Thanks,

Jack

 

It all depends... the guys who re-arch springs will tell you they are good as new. And springs on heavy trucks (class 6 and 8) get re-arched all the time.

In my humble opinion, re-arching is a cost savings technique. My belief is that metal fatigues over time, particularly spring steel, hence the whole reason springs get worn out.

I have had luck re-arching springs and adding an extra leaf or two. This is kind of a compromise between getting all new vs. just re-arching the old springs. In my particular application, this rig was used mainly for heavy trailering, so it was a good excuse to beef up the stiffness by adding the extra leaves.

If you decide to re-arch, make sure to tell the spring guys how much lift you want, and if you want a soft spring ride or a stiff spring.

 

If you get them re-arched, definately like wrenchmonster says to tell the spring guys how much lift you want. My friends '68 scout sits crooked since the guys re-arched the springs. He only brought one side in at a time, and consequently they are different!

 

I rearched and AALed mine recently, and I am happy with the results. It is probably true that the metal does fatigue and its spring constant is probably different even with a re-arch, but then again, we are talking about thick pieces of steel, and I can't imagine them changing all that much. I mean, if it takes 10 years for the springs to sag first and then after re-arch it takes like 8, so what?

 

I've had bad luck with rearching springs on my previous Daihatsu Rocky-after rearching they decided to break.

 

Another thing you could try is something ZUK came up with. He mounted coil springs in between the frame and the u-bolt mounts. It's what I plan on doing to mine

Here's a link to his write-up on it. He might be willing to make up more for sale.
WARNING: 34 pictures the size of the one below!
http://gearinstalls.com/dc.htm

 

Awesome! Thanks!

 

Have there been any issues with those coils popping off during articulation?

 

If you look at the pictures on that page, he shows that he has added a self-capture feature to prevent the coils from popping off. The last picture also boasts increased articulation.

 

re-arch and add another leaf too

 

I have had bad luck with AAL. I have known a couple of guys who have had their rearched, and after one good weekend flexing on the trail half the lift was lost. Also if you rearch your stock length springs for 2" lift, they will make the shackle angle steeper, stiffer ride, since they are only long enough for stock height.

Persoanlly, new springs

 

I personally agree with new springs too. Then you could get something built to work together, and you won't have any doubts (as long as the spring manufacturer/install was done in a reputable fashion). Plus it'll be something new, and cool.
I have all new springs on my truck, plus an extra leaf (so I have a 4 pack plus 1 overload) and while it's not the best unloaded, a little harsh, some fishing gear back there and a buddy going fishing and it rides fine. It also articulates descent.

I'm not a fan of having second thoughts - are you?

 

What about using air bags or air shocks to get the lift back?

 

I plan to use some gabriel airshocks to keep me level to and from the trail when I am full of camping gear. I currently have some Alcans, 56", that are 4.5" of lift. I had them built for my 95 runner, so on my 92 reg cab they are a bit stiff....I am going to sell my Alcans, and get some Allpros, and use airshocks to keep me from running on the bumpstops when loaded. I will then remove them when I get to the campsite. I plan to weld in extra shock mounts so I dont have to remove my ranchos when the airshocks are in.

 

How much does re-arching cost?

 

whoa, cool coil springs!

 

I had my springs re-arched while I was doing my 3.4 swap. I asked the shop that they return them to stock height, and they might have been slightly better at first (hard to tell as I did a 2" body lift and 33" tires at the same time). Now I'm shopping for a fix to my sagging rear end and wishing I'd saved the money of a re-arch and new bushings. Perhaps the 300K+ miles, heavy loads and youthful abuse just wore out the original steel. The Zuk mod looks ok, but if my original leafs are that tired...
At this point I'm leaning towards new leafs and airbags. It looks like the OME only comes with a 2" lift though, so there's a bit more research to do. If anyone has airbags and an onboard compressor, I'd love to hear where everything is mounted.

 

The $70 Zuk mod on my 33-YO truck has taken my to many wild and beautiful places, while many fancy trucks had been stuck between the mall and the office.
Stock height.

 

Ran a Zuk mod for years with factory, 250K mile springs. Would definitely do it again in the future.

 

I like the new springs and air bags idea myself!

Plus, installing new leaf springs would be a proper repair.