I'm in the process of doing the F150 leaf spring mod on the rear end of my 94 Yota Ex-Cab 4x4. There are probably a total of 20 threads on this subject scattered across here, Pirate4x4 and elsewhere and I've read all of them, likely twice, and am still left with far too much guesswork. Given the fact that everyone says to use the 2WD springs which are 2.5" wide, that's what I've done but I royally f'd up in the process simply because it became painfully apparent that literally no-one has the same set of springs even though they are "56 inch" and "F150". The more I looked into it there are countless versions of this spring set from the 1980s to 1990s and at no point have I ever seen anyone post exactly what they used, from where exactly they got theirs, new or used and from what exact vehicle, how many leafs, etc, nor the actual spring rate which is in fact crucially important. It's always been "Well guys I got some F150 springs" and that's about it..and not much else. And then you find out a few months later in some other buried thread that they didn't work out so well or they had to switch this, add that, or weld other things or mixed and matched them with god knows what else or they wind up buying expensive aftermarket ones. In short, I've never been able to get simple concrete answers for how best to do this mod, one I'm now invested in after having already cut off my old hangars and welded on the new ones. At least that much I've gotten right.

To add to my frustration, on the General Springs website it lists many F150 springs. I've seen people reference it before and say they make good springs. They have five 2WD options (for 2.5" leafs) and six 4WD options for (for 3" leafs). To add to the confusion I've also seen people using 1990's Ford Ranger springs which makes sense because it's a lighter truck more like the old yota's, but their A/B leaf measurements, while similar in total, are actually reversed meaning like 31"/25" instead of the F150's 25"/31". So if using the Rangers they would need to be run reversed whereas the F150s you can run normal and only move the front hangar forward about 3.5" while the rear hangar remains relatively unchanged, or at most is moved 2" rearward from the stock position for a 45-degree shackle angle (using 6" shackles) when under weight. All of that I've been able to determine myself with experimentation.

Now, because Toyota doesn't publish springs rates and because every dude from San Diego to Maine can't seem to be more specific with details in their threads, I felt somewhat safe in purchasing General Springs "intermediate weight" 2WD 2.5" 1655lb springs thinking surely these are probably the ones to get and if not, maybe pulling a leaf or two will do the trick. NOPE. I'm here to tell you they are absolute immovable bricks in any form, unless perhaps I was actually carrying a full bed-load of bricks ..which I ain't gentlemen!!! Lastly, just today I found a 10 year old thread in the 1st gen Tacoma section of a dude that did the F150 swap and only because he said "3/1 spring from General Spring" at one point (and literally nothing else) I can only assume he got the lightest ones, the 1350lbs, but in lockstep with everyone else on the planet was as vague as the day is long. He eventually went with Deavers... which are not cheap) because he said the 1350's were way too stiff and again..never mentioned which exact ones.

To be clear, the only reason I ever decided to do this mod in the first place was because I thought it could be done on the cheap! Deavers are not cheap. I also found that another dude who did this mod went with Deavers (91Diesel) and he too never mentioned which set. Thanks for nothing guys. If you're gonna take the time to do write-ups to help people... at least take the time to actually be helpful. I assume it might be the DVR-F53 82-96 2wd F150, 3-1/2" Lift. How hard is it to cut/paste! I just did.

Lastly, I've tried endlessly over several years looking for the stock spring rates for our trucks (89-95 series 3.0L 4x4) and then also the same for the 1st Gen Tacoma for comparative baselines as I assume they'd be near identical, but again, have never been able to determine their ratings. So it's literally a stab in the dark as to what to actually use to get a 2 to 3" lift and still get better flex than the stock springs while staying close to stock rates. And before anyone suggests it, the Chevy 63's are out. They are just way too long, and I've found plenty of instances where people didn't like them and say they are too flexy and wound up adding more leafs or ditching them. From what I've gathered from reading probably 300+ threads on the subject, they were really first adopted by the hard core rock crawling crowd and then it exploded into a fad and shops started fabbing parts and the rest is history. To be clear, for the average guy who wants to wheel some, trail some, rock some, but none to any extreme, the F150's are it, ...but ONLY if you are actually able to nail down which exact ones to get. And so far, ..for me, ...it's been an absolute crap shoot and huge waste of time and money.

I know the General Spring 1650's are too stiff and if the 1350's are also too stiff for a 1st gen Tacoma which likely even weighs a little more, then I'm at a total loss for what to do next, except totally empty my wallet for aftermarket springs, ...something I didn't want to do to begin with of course, hence getting the cheap General Springs. And even still, I wouldn't know what aftermarket springs to get either! The Tacoma guy said Deavers.. but didn't bother to say which exact ones. WHAT DEAVERS. No surprises there!!!

So as it stands I'm out $350 for leafs I can't use, plus the $200 for bolts, plus the costs of hangars and shackles. But most importantly my truck is set up on jackstands and I essentially have useless paperweights right now because no one can ever takes a few extra moments to be more thorough with the small details in their write ups. So at this point with this F150 mod who f'ing knows what people have actually used. I sure don't.

I'm about to say F'k it and weld my pancake flat OEMs back on so any help anyone can give on this crap would be HUGELY appreciated. HUGE.

 

I kinda went down this road with the Chevy 63's. Except I got several different sets of used springs and one set of new take offs. Also fabbed all my parts so it was cheap. But it took a WHILE to get a set assembled that I finally liked and stayed with.

If I was in your situation, I'd pull your leaf packs apart and try pulling a leaf out until you get what you like. Actually I've had to do this even on new TG and All Pro springs for both my truck and my son's 93 extended cab.

It's a pain in the a$$ to do but it's what it takes to dial in the springs for YOUR particular truck. I'm only running two Chevy leaves and it rides and flexes great. You get axle wrap with soft flexy springs so I had to build an anti-wrap bar. Works great.

So take a leaf or two out and try it. Later when they start to sag put one back in. Or both if it needs it. It's part of the "custom" suspension game. And honestly, even a bolt in kit will be stiff as hell until they break in.

Don't give up yet. Follow up with whatever you figure out. Dead end threads suck. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the help and I hear you on the dead threads plague. Anyway, If pulling a leaf or two, is it customary to start from the top down or bottom up, or does it really matter? Is there any sort of commonality or protocol when people do it? I mean you obviously have to keep the top one and I figured ditching the Overload leaf was first to go and maybe the one right above it. Or.. with heavy duty springs would you maybe work from top down instead and pull the two right below the top one? From an engineering standpoint any piece of flatbar metal, given the same size, thickness, density, etc.. is harder to bend the shorter it is. So in the thick stack I assume pulling the bottom leafs would theoretically be best.

Either way, I feel at least two of them have to go! And after a little more research I think I may go ahead and buy a cheap set of 2WD 56/57" 1250lb Ford Ranger springs from General Spring. The last ones showed up like a day after I ordered them. It was amazingly fast, likely from a warehouse in L.A. (I'm in San Diego), and I need to get this done by the weekend as we're moving out of state in 2 weeks..(literally forced out of SoCal because of the insane housing market and rent growth). Anyway, I figure I should just roll with the Rangers now and if I feel they are too soft I could then add a bottom leaf from the thick set. And then I could maybe use the rest of that set on a trailer or something downwind. I'd hit up pick-n-pull too but don't have time and the parts places here absolutely gouge you to death. They are probably $50 each used and they practically charge you extra for the dirt on the parts. NOTHING is cheap here.

The main concern with just using the thick ones alone and removing any leafs to get where I need to be with them would mean I'd pretty much empty the whole stack save for just 2 leafs as it's a 4+1 stack. I mean the OL really does nothing until full flex so that's really just 3 leafs to mod / delete b/c you have to keep the top anyway. So you can really only pull out 2 leafs out plus the OL and be left with just 2 leafs, the default top with the eyes and just one below it which sounds kinda sketchy. Id feel much better with 3+1 or 4+1 with thinner leafs. And as is, they seriously don't flex at all so I'd be worried about bending or cracking if left with just two thicker ones. And although I haven't driven them around yet and realize there's a break in period, my gut just says I really should have been finding ones rated around the 1000-1200lb mark to begin with. I just wasn't thinking everything out as well as I should have. I didn't realize F150s are that much bigger.

Luckily last night I found one decent thread (link below) on MarlinCrawler with a guy who used the Rangers on his 87 yota truck and it seems he was really happy with them.. good pics still too since Photobucket died and ruined the internet. Oddly, there's little else to be found with people using the Rangers. And again, what's odd is having to run them reverse. He even mentions in the thread. I think this maybe because the Ranger uses reverse shackles and assume the F150 does not. Either way, both A-B measurements are close enough to the F150s (like within 1/2") to blend both stacks if needed. So, in theory..it "should" be ok.

It's unfortunate because after buying the cheapo Rangers, it puts me about $150 away in total cost for the two sets had I just bought TGs, Skyjackers, or Deavers in the first place ..all of which are like $650-$750 a pair. I was just hyped up on the modding train and putting way too much faith in the words of others. Hopefully I can quickly craft my way out of this and find a happy medium between the two sets. I'll certainly post my results once completed.

https://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=28220.0

 

I'm giving you advice based on my experience adding modified springs to a modified truck. Definitely not OEM or what a shop that worries about liability would do.

It's a lot of work to take apart springs and put back together just to figure out what works best on non stock springs. You do get better at it fast though. Or you can pay a spring shop big bucks to scale your truck, make a custom pack and dial it in.

The overload is just that. It basically is where your upper leaves hit when they are maxed out. You don't need it if you're looking for a flexy crawler. You will lose a little height pulling them out. You can always cut off the ends if you lose too much lift or one end so you at least have a little something there for anti wrap.

I usually pull the 2nd or 3rd long one. Military wrap I think uses both top ones so the one after that.

Try just one long and the overload to start. Your call. Keep in mind they will break in over time. Slow process on the street, faster off road.

The center bolt might be too long after so have another one ready or cut the one you have. I put C-clamps on each side of the bolt and loosen them after the bolt is out. Same going back together. Chevy bolts are round head. I just reshape regular bolts. IDK what Ford uses.

The clamps that are bent over will break after being bent enough times. I've welded them or seen people put hose clamps on. I'm not saying it's the best idea but I've seen plenty out there working.

The springs with Teflon pads at the tips are better than bare metal I think. Some people polish the contact surfaces at the tips of the bare metal springs to improve flex. They slide easier. That spray graphite lube works ok but has to be reapplied occasionally.

A steep shackle angle will be a stiff ride so get that right. Make sure your bushings/shackles are lubed and or move freely.

This affects your drive shaft angle so be aware of that too.

I have a shed full of leaves after doing all this. Just how it is. My spring packs have lasted many years of hard wheeling before I need to make a new set or add a leaf.

Bump stops are important for the life of your springs. Don't let them go too far inverted. I stop mine at flat.

The trade offs for a cushy, flexy ride is less load carrying capacity and potentially, axle wrap.

Good luck with it.

 

Oh, to get the metal clamps that are bent over to align your spring pack out of your way. I put the spring in my vise. I'll use a big pry bar to catch an edge of it and start the bend. Then use a large crescent wrench on it to bend them enough to get the leaves through. I don't bend it back until after testing the springs. Because you only get one or two bends before it breaks off.

I never tried heating them since it was so close to the springs. I never tried to cut the rivet holding it on either. Another option.

 

Thanks that's a huge help! I'm definitely Ok with losing the OL. After putting these monsters on I was already worried about it being way too much of a lift and had originally considered french hangars to lose an inch or more anyway. I also debated between using 4" shackles but went with 6". Just moving the front hangar forward ~3.5" horizontally down to the flat part of the frame raises frame height at least 2" alone and again, I'm using 6" shackles as a start point on the rear. So if the springs give a 3" increase over stock, then it's at least a 5" lift in total and I can also add another .75" in moving from 31.5" tires to 33". I was shooting for more around 3" in total.

And I do have a final question concerning shackle angle. It's obviously determined by the hangar placement once on wheels / on ground and weighted (basic weight, not full weight). I see "25 to 45 degrees" often thrown around in threads but don't fully understand where that originates as I often think people may look at all this differently. For example 35 degrees to one person is 65 to another as there are two angles on each side of a line that add up to 90. Furthermore I've seen this angle referenced from the datum line drawn from eye to eye and diagrams that say set your shackle angle (when under full droop) at 80-90 degrees to this line and at 45 degrees when fully weighted which I would assume means passengers, cargo, and fuel. In aviation this would correlate to "basic empty weight" and "max takeoff weight". I've made a diagram that illustrates my current understanding of how all this basically works and how I see the angles in application and this is also taken from various things I've seen or read. Hopefully it's all correct but I'll make no claims to that.

 

Engineers figure all this out when they design the vehicle. They also have the facilities to test their designs and adjust as necessary. You can take all the data you want and do your best to apply it. But you still have to try it once you make your changes and adjust as needed. Keeping in mind that there are ALWAYS trade offs.

Get your truck setup the way you want your truck to be and drive the wheels off it. Just realize it takes more effort than most people think.