I finally got the rusted hardware free and am in the process of swapping in the chevy leafs (bolt in, the new mounts/shackles already exist). the previous owner did this swap and gave me the chevys and their overloads. i got the truck with the stock leafs in. my question is...should i put the overloads in the packs or leave them out? what are the dis/advantages of them? and noob question...which direction would be the best for the overloads if i did add them to the pack? meaning, should the concave side of the arch of the overload be facing down, toward the ground, or up, toward the truck? thanks!

PS: i am tyring to MINIMIZE the amount of lift I get in the rear. my truck sits level as it is right now on the super flat stock springs. i know the rear end will come up some, but i will be putting them on a shorter shackle for now to see just how much it makes the rear end higher. if the overload would raise the rear even more and i can safely run without it, then i should do that.

 

If you want to minimize lift then use a short shackle, possibly the stock one and do not use the overload.

 

the stock shackle will not fit as the chevys are i think .5" wider than stock. i have some pieces of metal to be used as shackles. there are 2 holes for the frame side...i will be using the one that will make the shackle shorter. is it safe to go without the overloads?

 

Oh yeah, good point, forgot about the width. Oh well, just use stock length shackles then.
It is safe to run without the overloads.
I believe stock those overloads curve up with the arch of the spring on a chevy. Just FYI.